Faculty of Arts & Science
2016-2017 Calendar

Finnish

Faculty


Professor Emeritus
B. Vahamaki, MA, Ph Lic, Ph D

Assistant Professor
Anu Muhonen, MA, Ph D

Introduction

A nation of five million people, Finland is situated between West and East, between Sweden and Russia, sharing for thousands of years religious, historical, political, social, and cultural influences and experiences with its neighbours and the different worlds they represent.

Finnish, a Finno-Ugric language related to Estonian and Hungarian, is spoken by 94% of Finland’s population, by 300,000 in Sweden, and by large numbers in Canada, the United States, and other countries. The other constitutionally recognized group, the Finland-Swedes, comprises over six percent of the population. The Finns have a strong commitment to their languages and to their culture. Their national epic, the Kalevala, compiled in the 19th century from old Finnish epic narrative poems and incantations, soon became a national symbol and continues to this day to inspire the growth and development of the country’s creative force. Today the entire world responds to Finnish achievements in music, literature, the arts and architecture, and celebrates the work of such outstanding figures as Jean Sibelius, Aki Kaurismäki, Alvar Aalto, and Eliel and Eero Saarinen.

Finnish studies at the University of Toronto are presently engaged in teaching the Finnish language - a three-year sequence - and in offering other courses on the literature and culture of Finland.

Finnish Programs

Finnish Studies Major (Arts program)

(6 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+ level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)

1. FIN100H1, FIN110H1
2. FIN200H1, FIN210H1
3. FIN300H1
4. 4 FCEs from the following: FIN230H1, FIN235H1, FIN240H1, FIN250H1, FIN260H1, FIN305H11, FIN310H1, FIN320H1, FIN330H1, FIN 340H1, FIN350H1, FIN360H1, FIN400H1, FIN410H1, FIN415H1, FIN420Y1, FIN430H1
5. 0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

Finnish Studies Minor (Arts program)

(4 FCEs or equivalent, including at least one at the 300+ level)

Four FCEs from FIN-designated courses

Finnish Courses


FIN100H1    Elementary Finnish I[48P]

The Department reserves the right to assign students to courses appropriate to their level of competence in Finnish. An introductory language course for students with no knowledge of Finnish. The acquisition of a basic vocabulary and of an understanding of elementary structural features through practice in comprehension, speaking, reading and writing.

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN110H1    Elementary Finnish II[48P]

An introductory language course for students with no knowledge of Finnish. The acquisition of a basic vocabulary and of an understanding of elementary structural features through practice in comprehension, speaking, reading and writing.

Prerequisite: FIN100H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN200H1    Intermediate Finnish I[48P]

The four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) honed by discussion of Finnish literary texts as well as by compositions in Finnish about these texts, by a series of conversation exercises, and by analysis of morphology, syntax and word formation. Translation is used to aid in language learning.

Prerequisite: FIN110H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: FIN200Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN210H1    Intermediate Finnish II[48P]

The four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) honed by discussion of Finnish literary texts as well as by compositions in Finnish about these texts, by a series of conversation exercises, and by analysis of morphology, syntax and word formation. Translation is used to aid in language learning.

Prerequisite: FIN200H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN220H1    Introduction to Finnish Linguistics[12L/12S]

A survey of the linguistic structures of the Finno-Ugric languages including Estonian, Finnish and Hungarian with special emphasis on Finnish. Focus is to gain insights into workings of non-Indo-European languages. No prior knowledge of Finno-Ugric languages or linguistics required.

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

FIN230H1    Finnish Culture 1800 to Present[12L/12P]

FIN230H1offers an introduction to Finnish society, history and culture 1800 to present. The course examines the rise of Finnish nationalism in the 1800s, its main manifestations, particularly the developments of its cultural, educational and social institutions, its economic structures, its demographics, as well as the nations bilingual status.

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

FIN235H1    Finnish Literature 1800 to Present[12L/12P]

FIN235H1 surveys the major works in Finnish literature 1800 to present by examining its role in the implementation of the agenda of Finnish nationalism in the 19th and the 20th century. The major genres and periods in Finnish literature are studied.

Recommended Preparation: FIN230H1
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN240H1    Masterpieces of Scandinavian Literature[12L/12S]

Introduction to the greatest authors of Scandinavian literature and their greatest works, particularly August Strinberg, Henrik Ibsen, H.C. Anderssen, Knut Hamsun, Selma Lagerlof, Pr Lagerkvist, Aleksis Kivi, Sigrid Undset and Halldor Laxness, etc. These are situated in their Scandinavian context and in world literature. (Offered every two or three years)

Recommended Preparation: Some background in literature
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN250H1    Finnish Cinema[12P/24S]

Development of Finnish cinema from its parochial beginnings to its international recognition. The great pastoral tradition; the war memories (Laine, Kassila, Parikka); socio-political engagement of the 60s (Donner, Jarva), the paucity of the 70s (Mollberg); the universal outsider themes of the 80s (Aki and Mika Kaurismaki). Readings and subtitles in English. (Offered in alternate years)

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN260H1    Scandinavian Cinema[12P/24S]

Major developments of cinema in Scandinavia in the 20th and 21st centuries focusing on Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. In addition to "old classics," most important recent films are screened and discussed.  Film directors include Ingmar Bergman, Carl Th. Dreyer, Aki and Mika Kaurismaki, and many others. (Offered in alternate years)

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN300H1    Advanced Finnish I[12P/24S]

Advanced Finnish provides a continuation of FIN210H1 Intermediate Finnish.

Prerequisite: FIN210H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN305H1    Finnish Morphology and Syntax[12L/12S]

Finnish Morphology and Syntax is designed present the Finnish morphological system and the principles of Finnish syntax to students interested in general linguistics, morphology, syntax, or Finnish linguistics. The Finnish case system, the verb conjugation system and phenomena such as consonant gradation, vowel harmony and clitics will be explored.

Prerequisite: Introduction to linguistics or FIN110H1
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

FIN310H1    Finnish Folklore: The Kalevala[12L/12S]

An examination of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala: its relationship to the tradition of folk poetry; its quality as an epic poem; the mythological, religious, and cultural dimensions of its world view; its role in Finlands nation building in the 19th and 20th centuries. Readings in English. (Offered at least every alternate year)

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN320H1    The Finnish Canadian Immigrant Experience[12L/12S]

Major issues and dimensions of the culture and experience of the Finnish immigrants to Canada, including Finnish Canadian literature, theatre, and press. Conceptual and ideological contributions to working class culture, womens lives, religious and social attitudes and values. Readings in English. (Offered every three or four years)

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

FIN330H1    Regional Origins of Finnish Culture[12L/12S]

The course traces the construction of a unified Finnish culture over the centuries from subcultures and values which ultimately have their definitions in the regional diversity of the area now called Finland. It focuses on the main divisions into western and eastern Finland, but also explores the Swedish and the Sami (Lappish) heritage in the context of old cultural regions. The sources used are cultural history texts as well as Finnish literature.

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN340H1    Advanced Finnish II[12P/24S]

Advanced Finnish II provides a continuation of FIN300H1 Advanced Finnish I.

Prerequisite: FIN300H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN350H1    The Finnish Short Story[24S]

Historical, structural, and thematic study of the short fiction of Finland from the Romanticism of the 19th century to contemporary post-structuralism and post-modernism. Works of Runeberg, Topelius, Kivi, Canth, Aho, Jotuni, Lehtonen, Schildt, Sillanpaa, Haanpaa, Meri, Hyry, Salama, Mukka, Liksom, and others. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN360H1    Bilingualism in Finland[12L/12S]

Bilingualism in Finland as a case study in the sociology of language. A critical survey of the historical development of language politics in Finland as a bilingual society from 1800 until present.

Exclusion: FIN340H1
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

FIN400H1    Translation: Finnish-English[24S]

Written translation from Finnish to English. Students will apply their textual analysis skills in translating texts drawn from diverse sources and genres, while exploring the general theory of translation. Translation exercises will serve as the basis for training in comparative Finnish-English stylistics.

Prerequisite: FIN300H1 or permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: FIN305H1
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

FIN410H1    Finnish Literature 1700-1900 (in Finnish)[24S]

A chronological study of the development of Finnish literature, emphasizing outstanding writers, significant movements and trends, the emergence and transformations of the major genres and their relationship to Finnish folklore and to the national awakening. All readings in Finnish. (Offered as needed)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: FIN300Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN415H1    Finnish Literature in the 20th Century[24S]

This course examines the main literary works and genres of 20th Century Finland, especially Jotuni, Sillanpaa, Haanpaa, Meri, Manner, Linna, Tuuri and a sample of contemporary writers. All readings in Finnish.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: FIN410H1
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

FIN420Y1    Independent Study[TBA]

A year-long reading and research project of significant depth in a major area in Finnish language, literature or culture approved and supervised by an instructor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: None

FIN421H1    Independent Study[TBA]

A semester-long reading and research project of significant depth in a major area in Finnish language, literature or culture approved and supervised by an instructor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: None

FIN430Y1    Independent Study[TBA]

This year-long course offers students, primarily Finnish Studies majors and minors, an opportunity to design, together with the instructor, an individualized course of study in Finnish literature or language. Registration requires the permission of the instructor and the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: At least two years of university studies
Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: None