Draft Syllabus
History of Sweden in Europe and the World
Semester: Fall and Spring
Credits: 3
Location: Stockholm
Home Academic Program: European Humanities
Major Disciplines: History
Faculty Member: Madeleine Hurd
Dr. Phil. Madeleine Hurd, Ph. D. Harvard University (Modern European History), Adjunct at Harvard, New York
and City Universities, Assistant Professor University of Pittsburgh. Associate Professor Södertörn University.
With DIS since 2015.
Description of course:
This course focuses on Sweden's historical relationships to the Baltic Region, Europe and the US. We will look
at the Great Power Era, the poverty and mass emigration of the 19th century, the inter-war Middle Way,
World War Two, and, finally, the post-war era (with emphasis on post-1989 Sweden and Europe), in order to
understand Sweden's international profile and power, influencing, in turn, Sweden's national identity and
future.
We begin with the 1600s, when Sweden transformed the Baltic into a Swedish lake: the "Lion of the North"
was a European great power. Short-lived, however: by the 19th century, poverty-stricken Sweden was sending
much of its population to the US, establishing Swedes' long-lived love for America. Fortunes improved in the
twentieth century: Sweden's prosperous, social-democratic welfare state and war-time neutrality awarded
Sweden international moral authority. How did these strands come together during the Cold War; and how,
today, have changes inherent in immigration and economic globalization influenced Sweden's international
position and self-perception?
The course approaches Sweden’s modern history from three perspectives: political, economic, and cultural.
Field studies:
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The manor of Bo Kloster (train and bus) and/ or the Royal Castle at Drottninghom (ferry), both
excellent illustrations of high-elite life during the Age of Greatness (with guided tour in English).
Södertälje, "a different side of Sweden", including a visit to a synagogue, Orthodox Christian church,
and mosque (guided tour)
The course also includes visits to the following Stockholm museums:
The Military Museum and/or the Vasa Museum. Informative on the military and naval basis of Sweden's Age
of Greatness.
Skansen. An excellent way of seeing Sweden's "peasant" history, as well as the value that Swedes currently
place on that history.
This syllabus is subject to change.
History of Sweden in Europe and the World | DIS
Draft Syllabus
Approach to teaching:
The course will be a combination of lectures and seminars. Seminar discussion will be based on short writing
assignments as well as a minor research project, in which students can concentrate on a political, economic or
cultural aspect of Sweden they find of special interest.
Students and teacher will meet twice a week, for series of lectures and follow-up seminars. The lectures - well
illustrated with maps, cultural images and video clips - will (together with the course’s textbook) provide the
context and narrative that structures the course. The seminars, where students will discuss, present, report
and debate, will be based on short readings, either academic or cultural, that illuminate especially interesting
aspects of each week’s historical theme.
In order to encourage and promote discussion, we will ask each student to jot down a half-page or page of
discussion questions, based on that week’s readings. These will then form the basis for the class discussion.
Occasionally, in order to get an idea of how the students are responding to the readings, the teacher will
collect these half-pages and return them with comments.
Writing is an integral part of this course. Each week, a number of the students will write a two-page paper
discussing aspects of the readings. These are sent to the teacher and to other students 24 hours before class.
Complemented by presentations, the questions they raise will provide the backbone of class discussion.
Each student will, finally, be given time to look into an aspect of Swedish international history of particular
interest to her or him - using, e.g., fiction, film, newspapers, scholarly texts, interviews, and/or study trips. A
list of possible topics will be provided by the teacher, but students are also encouraged to formulate their own
projects. The final results will be presented in writing and orally during the last two weeks of the course.
Learning outcome
By the end of the course, the students should have a good overview of key facets of Swedish history, with
special understanding of how that history was and is shaped by Sweden’s relation to, influence on and
treatment by its Baltic Sea neighbors, Europe, Russia and the US. The students will be able, further, to show
how historical narratives and myths come into geopolitical play. Finally, students will develop their ability to
read, analyze, evaluate and summarize historical texts, both orally and in writing, to do their own research and
present their results to an audience.
Evaluation
Each student will write, in total, three two-page papers, plus one final research report of 5-7 pages. The short
papers will count for 35% of the grade; seminar participation, discussion questions and presentation, 25%; the
final research paper, 35%.
This syllabus is subject to change.
History of Sweden in Europe and the World | DIS
Draft Syllabus
General overview of course structure:
Session 1: Introduction
Session 2: Lion of the North: Sweden Becomes a Great Power
Excursion to Sko Kloster Castle, built during Great Power Era.
Session 3: Lion of the North: Sweden Becomes a Great Power – Part II
Session 4: The Baltic Bites Back: Sweden and Russia
Session 5: The Baltic Bites Back: Sweden and Russia – Part II
Session 6: The Great 19th Century Changes
Excursion to Skansen, the recreated 19th century: nostalgia and Swedish national identity.
Session 7: The Great 19th Century Changes – Part II
Session 8: Sweden in America - and America in Sweden
Session 9: Sweden in America - and America in Sweden –Part II
Session 10: Between the Wars: The Middle Way and Swedish Social Democracy
Session 11: Between the Wars: The Middle Way and Swedish Social Democracy – Part II
Session 12: The Dark Side of Swedish Modernity
Session 13: The Dark Side of Swedish Modernity – Part II
Session 14: World War Two, Neutrality and Moral Authority
Session 15: World War Two, Neutrality and Moral Authority – Part II
Session 16: Wealth, Cold War and Welfare
Session 17: Wealth, Cold War and Welfare – Part II
Session 18: Sweden in Europe
Session 19: Sweden in Europe –Part II
Session 20: Facing Globalization: Neoliberalism and Xenophobia
Session 21: Facing Globalization: Neoliberalism and Xenophobia – Part II
Session 22: Student presentations of individual research work
Session 23: Student presentations of individual research work and course conclusion
This syllabus is subject to change.
History of Sweden in Europe and the World | DIS