Living and Learning Scandinavian Culture

Have you ever searched for a word to describe the feeling of warmth and comfort that comes from the simple pleasures in life? The term

, most often associated with the Danish language, describes just that. For some students, studying the region where this term originated brings them their own sense of

, as their work becomes a simple pleasure in their life. Whether from ancestry, memories of a mission in Scandinavia, or casually saying the word

in conversation, Scandinavian culture is embedded in everyday lifeand for students at BYU, its an impactful part of their education, too.

Scandinavian languages have been taught at BYU as early as the 1950s, but the influence of Scandinavian culture on the BYU community dates back more than a century. At BYU, we have Scandinavian heritage in the immigrants that came to Utah, specifically from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, says Adjunct Faculty Maren Mecham, one of the language coordinators for the Scandinavian studies program. Theres a heritage here of Scandinavian culture, and I think BYU is a natural place to keep that alive.

For many students, ties to Scandinavian culture are even more current and personal than ancient ancestry. Kristina McCammon (Biophysics 29) decided to enroll in the program to keep up her Finnish language skills, which she gained during her mission in Finland. Adjunct Faculty Tiina Watts, a language coordinator in the program, adds that this is a common theme. Last year, I had a student whose parents both served a mission in Finland and another one whose sister was serving in Finland, Watts says.

No matter a students connection to Scandinavia, the program equips them with the comparative and analytical skills they need to understand how culture worksand not just one culture, Mecham says. These skills help students learn the distinct nuances and differences between cultures umbrellaed by the Scandinavian designation.

Students in the program can explore the less-commonly-taught languages and cultures of Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, or Icelandic. Mecham says students get an interdisciplinary view of how Scandinavian culture interacts with the world as they explore elements of Scandinavian culture in literature, film, history, and politics. Watts says learning a Scandinavian language opens up your mind to different cultures, different ideas, different people, and helps you feel more compassion for other people.

McCammon says one of her favorite classes in the program was the Finnish literature class. We started back in the first recorded writing in Finnish, and then all the way through modern literature, she says. Its a fun way to keep up my language skills but also to learn history. As part of the class, she watched several Finnish films, one of which brought her to tears. Its cool to experience something that moves you so deeply and makes you think so much, McCammon says. It made me think a lot about life.

Beyond providing cultural insight, the program prepares students from a variety of majors for success in their chosen fields. There are lots of majors on campus where you can tie in Scandinavian studies, Mecham says. An engineering major could pursue a career working with energy technology in Denmark, she explains, or an environmental studies major could find resources for their work in Sweden.

For McCammon, the program has strengthened her application for medical school and is equipping her with valuable skills. In science, theres always a right answer and a wrong answer. But in the humanities, you think a lot about complexities and comparisons, and those are good skills to practice, she says. Studying language is studying people.

The program has helped Kaitlyn Sarver (Interdisciplinary Humanities 28) bridge her past with her educational pursuits. She grew up learning about Scandinavia from her father, who also enrolled in the program as an undergraduate, and she experienced the culture firsthand during her mission in Finland. The program, she says, has broadened her understanding of the world. It combines my love for Scandinavia that Ive had since I was a kid with my goal of making a difference in any community that Im a part of.

Sarver finds value in learning about the social infrastructures of Scandinavian countries. Theres something really valuable about Scandinavian studies, because the Scandinavian countries are often thought of as having good systems that every community can learn from, she says. The Scandinavian countries have top-notch education, gender equality, and so many things that I can draw into whatever Im doing.

She enjoys being in the program because its cool to get involved in any kind of cultural experience you can, Sarver says. BYU is super unique in being able to have those available, so its a very special opportunity.

Learn more about the Scandinavian studies program on the Center for Language Studies website and the Scandinavian studies minor through the Kennedy Center website.