Information about examination, schedule and learning outcome on the course page.
Hans Christian Andersen & Søren Kierkegaard: The Quest for Identity in Modernity
This course deals with questions on identity and transformation raised by Golden-Age writers, Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard.
The Quest for Identity in Modernity is an English course for all international students each semester.
The questions concerning personal identity and transformation raised by the two Golden Age writers, H.C Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard, are no less relevant today than they were almost 200 years ago. How is it that a person becomes himself? How does a person attain wholeness and truth?
“Searching for one´s identity,” refers to the process of self-examination, self-definition, and inner exploration. It aims at understanding one´s values, beliefs, passions, and purpose in life.
Together with Andersen and Kierkegaard, we will explore these themes in their connection to cultural, social, emotional, and personal dimensions.
We will read texts by Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard and explore what it is in their writings that merits such a prolonged actuality and such an extensive, modern appeal.
In addition to lectures, the course offers two exciting excursions that allow students to follow in the author's footsteps. The first excursion explores sites in Copenhagen connected to Søren Kierkegaard, while the second takes students to Odense to visit Hans Christian Andersen’s childhood home, which has recently been transformed into a modern museum.
Course code: HDCB01142U
Credits: 15 ECTS
Duration: 1 semester
Available: Autumn and spring semester.
NB. Please note that the course will change tutor in the Fall Semester of 2025. The content will still be classical Danish literature and philosophy, but the emphasis and concrete content will change. Please reach out to us for further information if you think about taking the course.