INQ-110 | Vikings and Farmers

Full Title: Vikings and Farmers

Topic Description:

How true is the stereotypical image of the marauding, blood-thirsty Viking? To what degree was life in medieval Scandinavia determined by trade and farming rather than raiding? This course examines Eddic poetry, Skaldic poetry, the Icelandic sagas, Scandinavian law texts, and Hollywood depictions of Vikings in order to separate fact from fiction by applying critical thinking to ancient and modern sources. In addition to analyzing the power and social structures of medieval Scandinavia, students will dissect the uses to which the modern age puts the image of Vikings.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: January 2009