Click
here for the UCB Finnish Studies Website...
Finnish language classes are offered at beginning, intermediary, and advanced
levels at UCB (Scand 2a/b, 102a/b). They normally meet on Tues/Thurs and are
open to all students (as well as interested community members through the UC-Extension
concurrent enrollment option). Read
more...
The
Finnish Studies Program (FSP) was founded in recognition
of the importance
of Finland and Finnish-American
culture in the Bay
Area, California and the international community. The Finnish-American
community's history in Berkeley includes pioneering contributions
such as the co-op movement and the establishment of local halls
and churches. With a distinguished Scandinavian department,
many faculty in a broad range of disciplines with research
interests touching on Finland, and sizable library holdings,
UC Berkeley launched FSP following a joint agreement in
1995 with the Finnish government to promote scholarly exchanges
between Finnish academic institutions as well as the study
of the language, culture and society of Finland. Every
year, FSP sponsors a variety of lectures and an annual
conference. In 1999 conference on "Challenges
to the Network Society" drew more than 500 people. The
Finnish Ministry of Education provides partial funding that
allows the
instruction
of Finnish, the only EU language that was not previously
taught on a permanent basis in California. In the past, the
Institute provided seed using grant money from the Department
of Education's National Resource Center Title VI funds. Today,
the Finnish Ministry of Education with the University and specifically
the Scandinavian
Department support the teaching of Finnish.
John Lindow (Scandinavian
Studies)
Chair/Director
