OCCC recently hosted a screening of “The Northman,” a Viking revenge movie directed by the visionary Robert Eggers, as part of the latest series hosted by the OCCC Plus program.
Meant to inform those interested in learning about Icelandic culture in preparation for this summer’s study abroad trip to Iceland, the series included guided reading sessions on Icelandic sagas, in addition to the recent movie screening and follow-up discussion. The reading sessions were hosted by Chair of English Jeff Provine, while the post-screening discussion was guided by Jacob Nelson, the former chair of English who now serves as director of concurrent enrollment and school partnerships.
Nelson, who has been a part of the planning process for the program, said that the idea of having a movie be part of the program came from someone else, but that the specific movie idea came from him.
“We were going to do the Icelandic sagas, tying it into study abroad, and it was like ‘Okay, well, what else could we do?’” Nelson said. “Then someone brought up that we could do a film, and I was like, ‘Well, I know of one that takes place in Iceland, so let’s go for it.’”
Director of Concurrent Enrollment/School Partnerships
The movie is based on a tale called “Amleth,” which focuses on a Scandinavian prince who goes on a quest to avenge his father and save his mother. The story is also the direct inspiration for Shakespeare’s legendary “Hamlet.”
Nelson noted that, despite its Scandinavian origins, the film still fit with the program thanks to its writers and the way that the story was adapted.
“‘Amleth’ is a tale out of Denmark, and it’s this rather famous Viking Danish story,” he said. “But then, to have the writers of that film take it and apply it to Iceland – because one of the writers was from Iceland, and the director of the film, who was the co-writer, came up with the idea of the film while visiting Iceland – it very much is rooted in that idea.”
Nelson noted that one of his favorite parts about the screening was the discussion segment that took place afterward.
“I like to see different interpretations of it,” he said. “And how we can all watch the same thing and notice different things, different elements, I just really like that.”
The program also included the opportunity to earn a micro-credential, as have past offerings by OCCC Plus. Nelson noted that much of the inspiration for the micro-credential offerings came from the Office of Student Life.
“When we did OCCC Plus for the first time (last) spring with the Ralph Ellison project, there was a big push from Student Life to have a micro-cred,” he said. “And I was like, ‘Perfect, that’s great. Let’s do it.'”
Nelson also noted that the micro-credential offerings allow students to show that they put in extra effort.
“It’s just another thing to show that students can put on an application,” he said. “Like, ‘Hey, I did all this extracurricular stuff revolving around a particular book or series,’ just to show that they are doing extra work.”
By preparing those bound for Iceland earlier this summer while also presenting the chance to secure a micro-credential, OCCC Plus continues to offer students a way to prepare themselves for the future – and have fun while doing so.
