Swedish and Comparative Politics

The course Swedish and Comparative Politics intends to give students a basic knowledge of the Swedish political system and compare it to other types of political system. Topics covered in the course include democracy and the state, authoritarianism, constitutions and courts, political culture, elections, executives and bureaucracies, sub-national levels of government and political culture. The course also introduces students to comparative methods, that is, how one might go about conducting a comparative analysis in political science. The course is conducted in English and although it has been designed with exchange students in mind, all students wishing to gain an overview of Swedish political system and comparative politics more generally are welcome to attend. The international composition of class usually makes for interesting points of comparison among political systems in our discussions. Whenever possible, the course includes a day trip to Stockholm to take a private group tour of the Swedish Parliament (Riskdag).