Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

In the early Middle Ages, Norse peoples (popularly called Vikings) surged out of Scandinavia and established themselves as settlers and rulers across Europe. Beyond their political and territorial gains, they raided and traded even more widely. These major achievements were commemorated and celebrated in an extensive corpus of historical and fictional texts, many available in English translation. With a Viking Studies Minor, students explore this history, language and literature, and archaeological record from an interdisciplinary perspective, and gain an appreciation for the period and its long-term consequences. The minor encourages combining coursework abroad and locally, allowing students to take advantage of Cornell's unique resources, such as the Fiske Icelandic Collection.

Minor Requirements

Complete four approved Viking Studies courses.

Complete one capstone course.

All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.

Before the end of the final semester of the degree, submit a brief 300-word exit statement that articulates the intellectual interests developed in work done for the minor.

Below is a sampling of approved courses. For a complete list, see the website.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
HIST 1660	The Vikings and their World	4
HIST 2082	Of Ice and Men: Masculinities in the Medieval North	4
ENGL 3110	Old English	4
ENGL 3120	Beowulf	3

Capstone Course List

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ENGL 3080	Icelandic Family Sagas	3
HIST 3200	The Viking Age	4
LING 3315	Old Norse I (if no Old Norse language courses have been taken among the four Viking Studies courses)	3
LING 3316	Old Norse II 1	3

¹

if only LING 3315 Old Norse I has been taken among the four Viking Studies courses