Study

The Scandinavian Studies department of the School of English offers the following course:

B.A. Minor Medieval Scandinavian Studies

Relevant documents (German) for the course can be downloaded here:
B.A.-Nebenfach Skandinavistik mit Schwerpunkt Mediävistik - Modulhandbuch (neueste Version)
B.A.-Nebenfach Skandinavistik mit Schwerpunkt Mediävistik - Prüfungsordnung

Module handbooks and examination regulations for the courses that are being phased out (the B.A. Scandinavian Studies major and minor) can be found with the Examination Office; there under the heading "Skandinavistik": Link

For further questions on this topic please contact the Head of the Department for Scandinavian Studies: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Rebecca Merkelbach. More information can also be found on the Studienfachberatung page of our website.

Linus

It was precisely the unique selling point of medieval Scandinavian Studies that attracted me to Tübingen and not anywhere else. Of course, I only had a romanticised idea of Vikings and Norse gods, a little knowledge of Swedish and a holiday in Stockholm as a basis of interest, but it didn't take me long to fall in love with the Old Norse language and literature. Versatile and multidimensional texts about social issues of the time and yet always topical because of the underlying human longings: the self-sabotaged love dramas of the skalds, the (in)human monsters of medieval society in the sagas of Icelanders and the eternal humour of absurd exaggerations in all genres.

In addition to the medieval part of the programme, there is no shortage of insight into modern Scandinavian culture and literature in the language courses. Furthermore, my Scandinavian Studies in Tübingen enabled me to spend a memorable semester abroad in Iceland, which not only captivates you as an island of trolls and elves with its landscape of fire and ice, but also with its people and history (and here again, medieval literature is a key that still lives on in the country). A time that lives on in my memories and friendships.

For my Master's degree, I then decided in favour of Indo-Germanic linguistics, where my knowledge of Old Norse is particularly useful, as Old West and Old East Norse as well as many rune finds from Scandinavia are essential for the reconstruction of Germanic.

Hannah

When I started studying Scandinavian Studies in Tübingen back in 2021, it was a rather random choice based on my interest in Norse mythology as a teenager. In the first semesters, however, I noticed rather quickly that the field of medieval Scandinavian Studies is extremely broad and even more interesting than I expected! From religion and the supernatural over gender and gender roles to societal and historical backgrounds of literature and so much more, the department Tübingen offers incredibly diverse topics with a lot of freedom to work with thematic aspects of one's own choosing.

Scandinavian Studies in Tübingen is also worth studying besides the courses - in an amazing, friendly atmosphere between both students and lecturers and students among each other, and with the Fachschaft that organises celebrations for Lucia and Midsommar, but also game nights and pub crawls, you have great support during your studies.

I decided relatively early on that I wanted to pursue a Master's degree in Scandinavian Studies after finishing my Bachelor's. My studies in Tübingen were a great base for this, and the language courses also opened doors towards the field of not only medieval, but also modern Scandinavian Studies. I really couldn't have made a better choice!