Literature opens up for known and unknown places, real and imaginary. In this course, discover comparative perspectives on European literature through in-depth analysis and close readings of texts written by modern and classic writers. On our short Study Tour, we seek out the literary voices of Copenhagen and the island of Fanø in the North Sea. On the week-long Study Tour to Berlin, we read literature, on-site, that was originally written in and about this important metropolis, to explore how the city influences our reading and vice versa.
You only take one Core Course per semester, and each Core Course includes two Study Tours: one Short Study Tour to a nearby destination for three days, and one Long Study Tour to another European country for six days.
Led by your faculty, Study Tours take you into real-world settings where you will apply what you’ve learned outside the classroom.
MA (Russian Language and Literature, University of Copenhagen, 2012). Teacher of Danish Language and Literature, Saint Petersburg University of Telecommunication, 2006. Assistant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of European Neighborhood and Russia, 2006-2009. With DIS since 2008.
Birgitte Duelund Pallesen
M.A. Comparative Literature, University of Copenhagen (2013). BA studies in European Literature, Film and Philosophy, UCL, London, UK. Birgitte has previously worked with cultural journalism and publishing and done editorial work for Gyldendal (2009-14) and Litteraturnu.dk (2009-2017). Areas of Interest: Comparative literature (19th-20th century British, Francophone and German literature); Critical and Cultural Theory; Postcolonial Studies; Literary Geography; Medical Humanities/Narrative Medicine. With DIS since 2015
Long Study Tour
About this tour
On this week-long Study Tour, we explore one of the most complex, lively, and literary cities in Europe. We read and discuss selected texts on site and explore how the city influences our reading and vice versa.
Berlin is a city of grand modernist experiments as well as a recent past of horrific atrocities and suppression. Throughout the 20th century, Berlin has undergone tremendous transformations and abrupt changes. The aftermaths of The Third Reich, WWII, and The Cold War are still very visible in Berlin’s urban landscape and the historical wounds and cultural voids are present in the minds of the Berliners. From our theoretical perspectives of place, text, and memory, we study how artists and writers have responded to the changing political situations. We see how authors of Berlin have helped shape the city’s imaginaries and how the city has been a driving force for the creation of literary text throughout changing times.
After the fall of the wall and the reunification of Germany, the controversies of how to remember such a recent and troubled past have thrived in the capital. We study how Berlin tries to come to terms with its past and how place is still contested and negotiated in relation to the reunited city’s memorial culture. We examine how these controversies are reflected in the urban landscape, political debates, and literature.
Learning outcomes
Explore Berlin as a place both real and imaginary
Experience and analyze the double movement between text and place when reading on site: What influence does the literary text have on your sense of place and how does the place where you are reading affect your perception of the text?
Gain an inside perspective on the complexities of contemporary and historical Berlin through the theoretical perspectives of place, text, and memory
Possible activities
Eisenmann’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe reading Paul Celan’s Todesfuge or Alexander Platz reading Alfred Döblin’s East of Alexanderplatz
The Stasi Headquarter and Treptower Soviet memorial reading Anna Funder’s Stasiland
A stroll in Tiergarten reading Walter Benjamin’s Childhood in Berlin
Short Study Tour
About this tour
Core Course Week, including the short Study Tour, allows us to delve into the theme of Contemporary Danish Literature. We will have two days in Copenhagen where we explore the interrelation between the city of Copenhagen and its modern literature, before we travel to rural Western Denmark on a three-day study tour to meet with writers who have chosen to move away from the city. Together, we will explore the ties that can be established between isolation, boredom, and inspiration.
Learning outcomes
Gain an understanding of the interrelation between place and narrative through specific literary and visual examples of Copenhagen and the island of Fanø
Meet with contemporary Danish writers, and discuss their inspirations
Develop your own sense of place and explore how new places can affect your writing
Possible activities
Workshop with contemporary Danish writers
Visit to the North Atlantic House and discuss Denmark’s relationship to Greenland, and its role in contemporary literature
Visit an art exhibit to explore visual narratives of Denmark as place
