Course Syllabus

History of Scandinavia since 1720
Instructor: Guntis Šmidchens, guntiss@uw.edu
Pdf copy of syllabus, with meeting schedule Download Pdf copy of syllabus, with meeting schedule

This course will survey the history of northern Europe (today’s Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden) from the Enlightenment to today’s Welfare States. Emphasis will be placed on the history of democracy in the Nordic and Baltic countries: a transition from absolutist monarchy to rule of law, shared governance, and individual rights. 

Course Objectives

• Create a timeline of the rule of law in northern Europe
• Explain how governance transferred from hereditary monarchs to an increasing portion of the adult population.
• Connect your democracy timeline to the experiences of individuals in the past or present.
• Compare your findings to the research of the pathfinding scholars & journalists in our reading list
• Share your findings with colleagues in the class. 

Textbooks

• David G. Kirby. (2013). The Baltic world, 1772-1993 : Europe’s northern periphery in an age of change. Routledge. [e-book at UW Libraries Links to an external site.] [paper copies may be available at UW Bookstore]
• Henrik Berggren, L. T. (2022). The Swedish Theory of Love: Individualism and Social Trust in Modern Sweden (1st ed.). University of Washington Press. [e-book at UW Libraries Links to an external site.] [paper copies are on sale at UW Bookstore]
• Oliver Moody (March 2025). Baltic: The Future of Europe. London: John Murray Press [Kindle book, $13.99 at Amazon Links to an external site.] 

Grades

• What you know and remember (prepare for in-class discussions/essays 20%)
• What you can do (Research Assignment – see ‘course objectives’ above 30%)
• How you advance knowledge among colleagues (oral and online discussions and feedback 50%)

Course Policies

• Late work: If you are not able to submit work by the due date and time, 
  write to your instructor before it is due, to arrange for late submission. 
  
  
• Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available here: (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) Links to an external site..  Religious Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form Links to an external site.