Teaching Ibsen’s Dramas
The Ibsen Society of America is interested in promoting good pedagogical practices in the teaching of Ibsen’s works in a variety of courses. In order to share ideas and successful teaching strategies, this section of the ISA website is set up as a repository of course syllabi and other teaching materials designed by ISA members. Since the courses range in purpose and fulfill a variety of different curricular functions, we think they will be useful as models for new course design and teaching methods. Useful syllabi include not only descriptions of courses in which Ibsen is the main subject (author courses), but also courses that are taught with attention to other playwrights or as period courses (comparative drama courses) in which there is nevertheless a significant discussion of Ibsen’s plays. Courses organized around a theme or topic in which Ibsen plays a role (thematic courses) are also of interest here.
The ISA welcomes submission of further syllabi and other teaching materials for consideration and inclusion here on this page. When editing a syllabus for submission, feel free to remove any boilerplate syllabus language that pertains only to your specific institution or classroom procedures; more interesting for this audience will be the course description, the particular plays and secondary literature chosen, how they are scheduled, what supplementary materials and resources you include, and the ways in which you evaluate the performance of the students. Also, please provide the basic information about the course (as shown below) to provide a quick overview, and submit the pdf by email to the current ISA President.
It is our hope that in this way the ISA website can contribute to a sense of shared best practices in the teaching of Ibsen.
Syllabus
Course Title: “The Drama of Henrik Ibsen”
Instructor: Dean Krouk
Course Type: Undergraduate author course
Kind of institution: 4-year public university (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Prerequisites: Junior standing
Target students: Scandinavian Studies, Theater, Literature in translation
Requirements fulfilled: Letters & Sciences breadth; major requirements for both Scandinavian Studies and Theater
UW Madison Ibsen Course (Krouk)
Syllabus
Course Title: “Ethical Issues in Ibsen”
Instructor: Dean Krouk
Course Type: Undergraduate author course
Kind of institution: 4-year private college (St. Olaf College)
Prerequisites: Completion of theological studies GE course; junior standing
Target students: Norwegian, Nordic Studies, Theater, English
Requirements fulfilled: GE EIN requirement (“Ethical Issues and Normative Perspectives”); major requirements for Norwegian
Syllabus
Course Title: “Great Literary Works of Norway: Henrik Ibsen”
Instructor: Melissa Gjellstad
Course Type: Undergraduate author course
Kind of institution: 4-year public university (University of North Dakota)
Prerequisites: None
Target students: Undergraduate majors/minors in Norwegian, Theater, English (but open to all)
Requirements fulfilled: Major requirements for Norwegian
Syllabus
Course Title: “Ibsen’s Houses”
Instructor: Mark Sandberg
Course Type: Undergraduate author course
Kind of institution: 4-year public university (University of California, Berkeley)
Prerequisites: None
Target students: Undergraduate majors in Scandinavian or Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (but open to all)
Requirements fulfilled: Letters & Science breadth requirement; major requirements for Scandinavian and TDPS.
Syllabus
Course Title: “Seminar in World Literature: Ibsen and Shaw”
Instructor: Rosemary Johnsen
Course Type: Graduate seminar
Kind of institution: 4-year public university (Governors State University)
Prerequisites: Graduate standing
Target students: Students doing graduate-level literary studies
GSU Ibsen-Shaw seminar (Johnsen)
Student Assignment
Type: Dramaturgy exercise (“The World of …”)
Instructor: Anne-Charlotte Harvey
Course Type: Graduate seminar
Kind of institution: 4-year public university (San Diego State University)