Scandinavian History

If you want to better understand Swedes, their history, cultural mindset and relations to their Scandinavian neighbors, you should take the course Scandinavian history. The course deals with the time period 1500 until today, and focus on nation- and empire building processes and social, economic and cultural developments from a comparative inter-Scandinavian perspective. Important continuities and changes, like the question of national languages, emigration to America, the impact of Industrialization, the emergence of the modern Welfare State, changing gender relations and the multi-culturalism of today, will be taught, discussed, exemplified and analyzed. The aim of the course is to identify and problematize processes and events that have characterized Sweden and the other Scandinavian societies from 1500 until today in order to create an understanding of Scandinavian sameness and divergence. The course consists of lectures, seminars and excursions (to Varberg, Gothenburg and Helsingor in Denmark).