Home Page for

Terje I. Leiren

Sverre Arestad Endowed Professor
in Norwegian Studies

Department of Scandinavian Studies
University of Washington
Box 353420
Seattle, WA 98195-3420

Telephone: (206) 543-7233 / (206)543-0645
Fax: (206)685-9173
E-mail: leiren at uw.edu

Research:

My research focuses primarily on questions of culture, national identity, and society in 19th and early 20th century Norway and the cultural history of Scandinavian-America. I have published the biography Marcus Thrane: A Norwegian Radical in America and co-edited the volume Stage and Screen: Studies in Scandinavian Drama and Film with Lotta Gavel Adams in 2000. In 2007, the Norwegian-American Historical Association and the University of Washington Press published my Selected Plays of Marcus Thrane, six plays written and produced by Thrane in Chicago between 1866 and 1884. In addition, I have written extensively on Sigurd Ibsen, the son of Henrik and Suzannah Ibsen, a Norwegian writer and political commentator.

Travel:


Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland

I have traveled extensively throughout Scandinavia and northern Europe on personal as well as professional research trips. On some occasions I have also served as lecturer/host on trips sponsored by the University of Washington Alumni Association Alumni Tours. These tours have included excursions to the Arctic region of northwest Russia, Scotland, Ireland, the North Atlantic islands, Scandinavia, and the Baltic Sea region, as well as several countires in eastern and central Europe. (Photo courtesy: Hurtigruten.no)

Teaching:

I teach the broad scope of Scandinavian history courses at the University of Washington. These include the general survey courses of Scandinavian history (SCAND/HSTEU 380 and 381) and the History of the Vikings (SCAND/HSTAM 370). Occasionally, I teach a graduate seminar with varying topics: "SCAND 525: Topics in Scandinavian History." Recent topics have included "Travel and Tourism in Scandinavia," "Scandinavia During World War II," and "Biography in Scandinavian History." Finally, I teach third year courses in Norwegian language and culture.