Finnish Culture Studies

The course introduces the key aspects of the development of Finnish culture from prehistory to modern times. The students will learn about the formation of the country, it’s languages, the nation as an idea, and the development of Finnish cultural identity in the 20th century. The course introduces the theories of identity, memory and nation connecting them to the historical processes and materials.

The course "Contemporary Finnish Literature" offers an overview on Finnish literary life and literature of the past couple of decades. The course consists of lectures and discussions. 

Introduction to Finnish Culture and Society (Autumn 2023)

How is cultural heritage present in our cultural environment? How are the remnants of the past transformed to cultural heritages? What methodologies are currently applied in the cultural heritage studies, what is their theoretical background, and how are they applied in practice? This course is part of the 10-point module of Cultural Memory. During the course, the students will become familiar with the dynamics of heritagization and the social process of cultural heritage and get practical training in one research method of cultural heritage studies.

The course is taught by several teachers, and based on ongoing research projects. The thematic teaching highlights the current questions and approaches of cultural heritage studies, and the applying part of the course gives particular attention to the methodological practice of cultural heritage studies.

The course explores how sea and nature have interwoven with Finnish culture and the way of everyday life during the course of time. It reveals how the Baltic Sea, Finnish archipelago, and the lakes and forests have inspired Finnish people. The course also demonstrates how the concrete relationship between human and non-human nature has altered in Finland. In this way, it will also introduce the theories of human-animal studies and posthumanism.