Scandinavian studies is an interdisciplinary academic field of area studies that covers topics related to Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, including their languages, literature, history, culture and society, in countries other than these.
The field of Scandinavian studies typically takes the broader definition to include Finland and Finnish language, even though the latter does not belong to the group of North Germanic languages. In Germany, however, "Skandinavistik" is considered a subfield of Germanic languages, with accompanying literature and culture, and "Fennistik" is the separate study of Baltic-Finnic languages.
