UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies
BA Module Outline for 2013/14
Module Title: Finland: Environment, Society and Culture
Module Coordinator: Daniel Abondolo, Essi Viitanen
Module Code: SEEF2003
Academic Level: Intermediate
Course Prerequisites:
Course Unit Value: [0.5/1.0/2.0]
Runs in (2013/14): Terms 1 and 2
Weekly Contact Hours: 2
Compulsory for: [Programme titles]
Pass required for: [Where a pass is required for progression or a specific degree title, this should be stated here]
Open to: All UCL undergraduates, subject to timetable and resourcing constraints
Module Outline
This course seeks to provide a broad introduction to a small nation-state situated on the northern periphery of the continent of Europe.
The central theme of the course will be the question of national identity: how has it been achieved, and in what conditions and
circumstances? Answers will be sought by studying how the Finns live, what has shaped their style and manner of life, how they perceive
themselves and how others perceive them. Topics include history and politics, state and society, language, folk culture, literature and the
arts. Basic knowledge of Finnish language is required as the source material and documents used in teaching are mostly in Finnish.
At the end of the module you should have fulfilled the following aims and objectives
Aims:

To provide a broad overview of Finnish society and culture

To provide an ability to understand and interpret Finnish culture through Finnish language texts

To give students an awareness of basic approaches to cultural and social analysis.
Objectives:

to provide knowledge of central themes, figures, and trends in Finnish history, society, and culture

to provide an ability to understand and interpret Finnish culture in its historical and social context

to provide an ability to situate Finland into a wider Nordic, Baltic, and European framework.
Assessment Style: Examination
Assessment Methods
Examinations: 3 hour
Assessment Weighting:
Examination: 100%
Feedback
Coursework: Written feedback on assessed coursework, Verbal/written feedback on presentations and non-assessed coursework.
Examination: Students will normally receive generic feedback on examination papers and/or model answers and be permitted access to
markers comments on individual scripts in line with the SSEES Policy on Examination Feedback.
Preliminary Reading
Griffiths T (2004) Scandinavia. London: Hurst & Co
Kirby, D (2006) A Concise History of Finland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press