Faculty of Philology

Chair of scandinavian languages

Head of the Chair,
     Associate Professor, Ph.D.
Sharapenkova Natalja Gennadjevna

Anohin str., 20, room #408
Tel.: (814-2) 711-091
e-mail: scandlang@petrsu.ru

Academic activity
International cooperation
Educational work
Personnel of the chair

Swedish language teaching, although now its is the reference direction for the Chair of Scandinavian languages, has begun long before the Chair of Scandinavian languages was founded, when within the period from the late 80-s to the early 90s of the last century this arduous labour was initiated at the Faculty of History, and later at the Faculty of Philology by such enthusiastic teachers of Swedish as Arcady Pautkin who is successfully teaching a few foreign languages now, Mayme Sevander and her daughter, Stella Sevander, and Shamil Hairov.

In 1997, after the first group of students started majoring in Russian Language and Literature and Swedish Language at at the Faculty of Philology, by the order of Rector of PetrSU the Chair of Scandinavian languages had been founded. The first teacher from Swedish Institute in PetrSU was Ilona Rinne.

Swedish Institute, the organization which has done a lot for development of Swedish language teaching at Petrozavodsk State University, is engaged in propagation of Swedish language and culture worldwide. The Chair supports long-lasting communication with Swedish Institute, receives information on programs, educational projects and appreciable cultural events of Sweden. Swedish Institute helps the Chair sending there educational and methodical literature, office equipment, and, the essentials, sends skilled Swedish language teachers to PetrSU.

Within the next six years Anders Ulsson was a teacher of Swedish. Due to his energy and pedagogical talent he recruited lots and lots of students and teachers of Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk Conservatory and Karelian Pedagogical University, and those interested in Swedish culture and history to study Swedish language.

Famous Swedish diplomat, nowadays businessman, Anders Hedman, who was the Information Office of Nordic Council of Ministers in St.-Petersburg Director, and interested employes of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Sweden, St.Petersburg payed their great part in formation of the Chair.

Another field of activity of the Chair of Scandinavian languages is teaching Norwegian and Danish languages. Barents Sekretariat in Kirkenes has been providing great political, technical and methodical support in development of Norwegian program.

Barents Sekretariat in Kirkenes is the state organization of Norway which actively supports development of cooperation between countries of the Barents region. Among directions of this cooperation there are development of industry, social and cultural sphere and education. Barents Sekretariat always supports Norwegian language programs in institutes of higher education of the Northwest of Russia.

The first teacher of Norwegian in PetrSU was Jan-Eirik Johnsen whose subsequently worked for a long time as Barents Sekretariat adviser in Kirkenes and has done a lot for development of Norwegian language and culture teaching in PetrSU.

Danish program has been initially supported by the Ministry of Education of Denmark and within a few years a few Danish lecturers could train Petrozavodsk students to come to take their place.

Academic activity

At the Chair their work 12 teachers, including 2 lecturers from Sweden and Norway. At present the main trend in the Chair 's work is increasing level of teaching Scandinavian languages and perfection of curriculums of practical and theoretical courses.

Swedish, Norwegian and Danish languages are taught on the basis of the Chair. 65 students of the Faculty of Philology study Swedish language as a major subject within their speciality Russian Language and Literature and Swedish Language. This major is offered since 1996.

Swedish language also is taught as a second foreign language at faculties of Philology, History and Political and Social Science. Norwegian and Danish are taught at faculties of History, Biology and Law.

Students studying Swedish language have many opportunities to improve both practical language skills, and knowledge of Scandinavian philology, culture and history in educational institutions of Sweden. Since the Chair was founded dozens of students have been to Sweden within one- or two-year training programs. About hundred students of PetrSU have taken summer courses of Swedish language.

International cooperation

International cooperation is an integral part of the Chair's activity, as except for historically important relations with the Swedish Institute, Barents Sekretariat and Nordic Council of Ministers, the Chair has been successfully cooperating with universities of Tartu, Tromsø and Umeå

From March 27 to March 29 in the anniversary year 2003 Swedish Institute together with Petrozavodsk State University and Embassy of Sweden in Moscow held Days of Swedish Language in PetrSU.

In the conference there participated about 40 teachers of Swedish language from many Russian universities. Monika Wirkkala (Swedish Institute), writer Cecilia Davidsson, phonetician Gabor Harrer (from the University of Malmö) and journalist Bo Levendal (Svenska Dagbladet) came from Sweden.

Thanks to initiative of students of the two universities and at the support of Nordic Council of Ministers cooperation between chairs of Scandinavian languages of Petrozavodsk and Tartu (Estonia) universities has begun. In summer of 2003 there took place language camp for students of both universities in Kurgjärve near Tartu.

The project of the Baltic cooperation (Baltiskt Samarbete) in which the Chair participates became continuation of the first experience of cooperation of the Chair of Scandinavian languages of Petrozavodsk State University and Institute of Scandinavian Philology of the University of Tartu.

Within the framework of this project students of participating universities study Scandinavistics during joint educational and research programs. In 2004 the project base was in the university of the city of Lund (Sweden), in 2005 center of the program was in Norway, in the University of Oslo. Participants of the BALSAM project are Chairs of Scandinavistics and Scandinavian languages of universities of Tartu, Copenhagen, Lund, Petrozavodsk, Vilnius and Latvia, and Oslo, as well as Latvian Academy of Culture.

Educational Work

Swedish Music Concerts

The Chair works a lot for propagation of culture and languages of the Scandinavian countries in the republic. In recent years our Chair organized concerts of Swedish music in which students studying the Swedish language took part.

Many people remember winter concerts of Swedish music in PetrSU devoted to St.Lucia's Day celebrated traditionally by all Swedes, in which organization and holding there took part up to 200 people.

The last concert performed in May was held for the fifth time. Audience of the overcrowded assembley hall of PetrSU enjoyed songs of such authors as Cornelis Vreeswijk, Ted Gärdestad and Staffan Hellstrand, as well as music of popular rock groups Kent and The Ark.

Group of the Academic chorus of Petrozavodsk State University under direction of Nikolay Matashin and university folk ensemble Toive (Musical Director - Igor Arhipov) with whom the Chair has been cooperating for a long time took part in these concerts.

Holding of these concerts was possible thanks to constant support rendered by the Swedish Institute, Stokholm.

Norwegian Holidays

For a few years Norwegian branch of the faculty has been celebrating National Day of Norway on the 17th of May, a great and important holiday for Norwegians.

At these soirees Norwegian music and Norwegian national fairy tales are performed by students studying Norwegian language and members of the Karelia-Norway Friendship Society. Teacher of Norwegian language Anna Marie Gelme was engaged in organization of these concerts within the past three years.

Swedish performances

For three years Swedish branch of the Faculty of Philology has been staging amateur performances of modern playwrights in Swedish language: in 2002 junior students together with their teacher Osa Brander have staged the play "Sarskorpor" written by Maria Blum; except for it, there have been staged plays of such authors as Stig Larsson "VD" ("Executive director"), Margareta Garpe "Barnet" ("Child"). Anders Ulsson was the true inspirer and organizer of most of performances.

Personnel of the chair:

1. Natalja G. Sharapenkova – Ph.D. in Philology, Associate Professor, Head of the Chair of Scandinavian languages
2. Anatoly G.Stikhin – Ph.D. in Philology, Associate Professor
3. Antonina M.Pautkina – senior instructor
4. Viktor Sundgren – instructor
5. Irina V. Dubenskaja – senior instructor
6. Oksana G. Abramova – instructor
7. Elena A. Afanasjeva – instructor
8. Zlata V.Kononova – instructor
9. Svetlana V. Krivoruchko – instructor
10. Irina V. Matvejeva – instructor
11. Ekaterina B. Semjonava – instructor