News

Portland State University (PSU) will be hosting the 95th annual meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS), May 5-7, 2005. The conference presents speakers from the U.S., Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, Austria and Holland, and is sponsored by PSU's Department of English, Department of History and Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

The conference will feature papers on a variety of Scandinavian subjects from Old Norse to Scandinavian Politics of today, from Nordic Cinema and Postmodernity to Comparative History of Nordic Literary Cultures, as well as papers on Sami, Baltic Countries and Nationalism, and Identity. All lectures will take place at PSU's Smith Memorial Student Union on the 2nd and 3rd floors, 1825 S.W. Broadway, Portland, Ore., 97201.

Inger Olsen, PSU professor of Danish language and literature, will serve as chair for the session on "Aspects of Contemporary Danish Literature," and Jeff Hammarlund, adjunct associate professor in PSU's Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, will present on the topic "Scandinavia and the Energy Syndrome: Can Scandinavia Help Europe Move Toward a Green and Renewable Energy Future?"

The cost for the conference is $150. For a complete schedule of presentations, to register for the conference or for more information, contact Inger Olsen at 503-725-9578 or visit www.sass.pdx.edu.

The Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study is an association of scholars and others interested in the cultures of the Nordic countries-Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It aims at promoting Scandinavian study and instruction in America by encouraging original research in the fields of Scandinavian languages, literatures, history, culture and society, and by fostering closer relations between persons interested in Scandinavian studies. For more information visit www.byu.edu/sasslink.