Descended from the fearsome Vikings, the people of this small Nordic country are among the most successful and happy in the world. Hygge, the Danish experience that includes the secrets to happy living, became part of American popular culture in the 2010s. This course will explore the history and societal and cultural reasons why the citizens of this small Scandinavian country have kept their top-three ranking for more than a decade.

Instructor: Sandy Lopez, a retired social worker/sociologist, has been going to Denmark since 2006, including a semester teaching American Culture as a Fulbright Visiting Lecturer. Her interest in all things Danish began when her son and his Danish wife met at graduate school in the United States. They and their three children have lived in Denmark since 2008.