Iceland
Icelandic Literature, Myth, and Culture
An International Summer School
University of Alberta and University of Iceland
This immersive, three-week summer course will provide you with a unique opportunity to learn about Icelandic literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the present.
We will journey into the world of the famous Icelandic sagas, encounter the elves and trolls who inhabit the Icelandic wilds, and explore literary responses to a harsh environment, pirate raids, and volcanic eruptions. Uniquely, this course explores the complex and dynamic relations between Iceland and North America throughout history, from the so-called Vínland sagas, to poetry written by Icelandic immigrants to Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries.
This course comprises lectures and workshops on Icelandic literature, language history, folklore, and nature; museum study-visits; and excursions to the glaciated Snæfell peninsula and Iceland’s dramatic south coast. You will read and discuss literary works from sagas and Eddic poetry to contemporary novels and poetry.
This course is designed for students interested in Icelandic literature, Icelandic Canadian literature, culture, and history. No prior knowledge is required.
Enrolment Information:
Dates: June 1–23, 2024
Location: University of Iceland, Reykjavík
Credits: 6 (300 level)
Anticipated Costs: $6,400 (tbc)
Application information:
Questions? Contact Professor Natalie Van Deusen at vandeuse@ualberta.ca