University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Syllabus: Social Change & Development in Denmark
SocCD 333
Fall 2004

 

Instructor: Dr. Lynn Walter     Course Schedule: MWF 1:00
Office: MAC B308                  Class Room: MAC 223  
Phone: 465-2474                   Course Page: www.uwgb.edu/walterl/denmark   
Office Hours: 11-12 MWF
Email: walterl@uwgb.edu
Class email: mailto:c9865@uwgb.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines several themes of international interest raised by studying social change and development in Denmark. These themes include the social welfare state; social democracy and economic democracy; multi-party, parliamentary politics; egalitarian values and programs; class and gender consciousness and the labor and women's movements; nationalism and national identity; and European integration. We will explore these themes in a seminar format with some lectures.

TEXTS AND HANDOUTS:

Borish, Steven M. 1991. The Land of the Living.
Handout: Rasmussen, Halfdan "Something about Heroes"
Keillor, Garrison "The Tidy Secret of Danish Freedom"
Rifbjerg, Klaus "Oh, to be Danish,"

 

ARTICLES: (All the articles listed below are on e-reserve, except those that are available through one of Cofrin Library on-line databases or though the web.)

Arendt, Hannah "Denmark and the Jews"

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen and Lene Arnett Jensen 1994. "Socialization and Risk Behavior in Two Countries: Denmark and the United States" Youth & Society 26 (1): 3-22.

Bjøl, Erling 1986. "Denmark: between Scandinavia and Europe" International Affairs 62 (4): 601-617. (available on-line through Academic Search Elite)

Buckser, Andrew 2001. "Rescue and Cultural Context During the Holocaust: Grundtvigian Nationalism and the Rescue of the Danish Jews" Shofar 19(2): 1-17

Christiansen, Niels Finn and Klaus Petersen 2001. "The Dynamics of Social Solidarity: The Danish Welfare State, 1900-2000. Scandinavian Journal of History 26(3): 177-197. (Full text available through Academic Search Elite.)

Einhorn, Eric & John Logue 1986. "The Scandinavian Democratic Model" Industrial & Labor Relations Review, Vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 193-208.

Einhorn, Eric & John Logue 1989. "Scandinavian Welfare States and their Critics" in Modern Welfare States, New York: Praeger.

Enoch, Yael 1994. "The Intolerance of a Tolerant People: Ethnic Relations in Denmark" Ethnic and Racial Studies, 17 (2): 282-200. (Full text available through Academic Search Elite).

Goodman, Myrna 1998. "Foundations of Resistance in German-Occupied Denmark" in Resisting the Holocaust, Ruby Rohrlich, ed., Berg: Oxford, NY, pp. 213-36.

Levine, Daniel  1978. "Conservatism and Tradition in Danish Social Welfare Legislation, 1890-1933: A Comparative View" Comparative Studies in Society and History 20 (1): 54-69. (Full text available on-line through JSTOR Arts and Sciences)

Matthiessen, Poul Christian. 1993. "Family Formation in Denmark" in Welfare Trends in Scandinavian Countries, Erik Jorgen Hansen, et. al, eds., Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, pp. 320-326.

Ministry of Social Affairs 2002. Social Policy in Denmark

Polakow, Valerie 1997. "Who Cares for the Children? Denmark's Unique Public Child-care Model" Kappan 78(7):604. 

Tham, Henrik. 1993. "Crime, Drugs, and Suicide in the Scandinavian Countries" in Welfare Trends in Scandinavian Countries, Erik Jorgen Hansen, et.al, eds., Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, pp. 320-326.

Walter, Lynn 2003. "Denmark" In Women's Issues in Europe, Lynn Walter, ed., Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Walter, Lynn 2004 "The Redstocking Movement: Sex, Love, and Politics in 1968

Yahil, Leni 1991. "National Pride and Defeat: A Comparison of Danish and German Nationalism" Journal of Contemporary History 26 (3-4): 453-478. (Full text available on-line through JSTOR Arts and Sciences).

Østergård, Uffe  2000. "Danish National Identity: Between Multinational Heritage and Small State Nationalism. In  Denmark's Policy towards Europe after 1945. Hans Branner & Morten Kelstrup, eds. Odense: Odense University Press, pp. 139-84.

ALSO ON RESERVE:

Goldberger, Leo ed. 1987. The Rescue of the Danish Jews, New York: New York University Press.

Borish, Steven 1991. The Land of the Living, Nevada City: Blue Dolphin.

Jones, W. Glyn 1986. Denmark, A Modern History, London: Croom Helm.

REQUIREMENTS AND DUE DATES:

        Requirements    Percent of Grade                  Due Dates
Paper Topic                            Paper Topic Sept. 17
Bibliography             5%  Bibliography Oct. 11
Web links               10%  Web links      Oct. 18       
Annotations            15%  Annotations Oct. 25
Term paper             25%  Research Paper Nov. 12
Presentation            10%  To Be Arranged                      
Class participation   10%                 
Final exam              25%  Final Exam Dec. 20, 1-3pm

Quizzes The instructor may give unannounced quizzes on the reading for the day.

Web links

Find five web links that you think are especially interesting and useful on Denmark in general and/or your paper topic in particular. In an in-class session in the computer lab, pick one of these to demonstrate to the rest of the class. Do consider web sources with international data (e.g. from UN, EU, OECD) that may also have useful information on Denmark.

Term Paper

Choose a topic, in consultation with the instructor, and construct a bibliography on this topic of at least 10 items. Order all of those items on your bibliography through interlibrary loan and do an annotated bibliography. Develop a thesis, in consultation with the instructor and class and write a paper based upon these sources. Present the paper in written form via email to the rest of the class and lead a discussion of your paper in class.

Class Participation

Everyone is expected not only to have read the assignment but also to contribute to the discussion. In cases in which a student's grade is between two marks, good class discussion participation will raise her/his grade to the higher one.

THEMES

Danish Culture
The Nation State: Race, Ethnicity and National Identity
The Folk High Schools, Cooperatives and Farmers
The Rescue of the Danish Jews
The Development of Social Democracy and the Welfare State
Welfare State Programs
Family, Gender and Welfare in Denmark
Denmark and Europe

SCHEDULE

Week 1 Sept. 3-10: Introduction to the Course: Why Study Denmark?

            Introduction to Denmark: Language, Geography, Demography.

            Reading: Borish, Parts I & II.

             Film: "Approaching Denmark"

Week 2 Sept. 13-17: Feudal Peasants to Capitalist Farmers: The Role of Education and Religion

 *****Sept. 17: Paper Topic Due

              Reading: Borish, Part III

              Film: "The Bell of Freedom"

Week 3 Sept. 20-24: Meet in Computer Lab A of General Access Lab IS 1129A

Week 4 Sept. 27-Oct. 1:  Danish Culture

             Reading: Borish, Part IV & V.
                           Rifbjerg            
             Film: "Babettes Gaestebud"

Week 5 Oct. 4-8: The Rescue of the Danish Jews

            Reading: Arendt
                          Handout: Rasmussen
                          Goodman or Buckser
                          Yahil

Week 6 Oct. 11-15: The Nation State: Race, Ethnicity and National Identity

            Reading: Østergård, pp. 159-184. (note that the assignment is the second half of the article)
                          Enoch

***** Bibliography due on Oct. 11.

Week 7 Oct. 18-22: Week 8 Oct. 25-29: Social Democracy and Danish Political Culture

            Reading: Einhorn & Logue, "The Scandinavian Democratic Model"

***** Weblinks due on Oct 18

Week 8 Oct. 25-29 The Welfare State

            Reading: Ministry of Social Affairs, Social Policy in Denmark
                          Christiansen and Petersen  
*****Annotations due on Oct. 25 

Week 9 Nov. 1-5: Family, Gender, and Welfare

            Reading: Walter 2003 or Walter 2004
                          Polakow  

Week 10 Nov. 8-12: Nov. 15-19: Problems in the Social Welfare State

            Reading: Einhorn & Logue, "The Scandinavian Welfare States and their Critics"
                          Tham or Arnett and Jensen
                          Matthiessen
*****Term paper due on Nov. 12

Week 11 Nov. 15-19  Presentation of Research Papers begins

Week 13 Nov. 22-24:  The Culture of Social Democracy

            Film: "Danzen med Regitze"      

 Thanksgiving Break Nov. 25-26

Week 13 Nov. 29-Dec. 3:  Presentation of Research Papers continues

Week 14 Dec. 6-10:          Presentation of Research Papers 

Week 15 Dec. 13-15:        Presentation of Research Papers 

Final Exam: Monday, Dec. 20, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

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