Courses

Liberal Arts Courses

Students are free to choose any four courses. Each course is worth four semester hours of credit. Click on the course title to learn more and download the syllabus.

Fall Semester 2024

August 25–December 16

Please disregard dates/times listed on course syllabi. Regarding prerequisites, we will honor any AP course credit that has been accepted by your home institution.

Economics

This course studies the multiple links between the economy and the environment, and analyzes theoretically and empirically the set of policy instruments normally used to address modern environmental problems. It also considers environmental policy through a political economy lens, namely it analyzes political and societal factors that affect what policy instruments governments tend to choose. Typical questions that will be answered are: What are the most pressing environmental problems? How and why does economic activity create these problems? What are the policy instruments that governments and other relevant decision makers can use to protect the environment? What are the economics costs of environmental regulation and is there a case for a ‘’double dividend” from environmental policy? How do we determine the optimal level of environmental protection at the societal level? What are the economic effects of climate change and why does it prove particularly difficult to pass and implement climate policies?


Instructor: Pamela Campa & guest lecturer Elena Paltseva
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: Two courses in microeconomics and one course in calculus. A prior course in econometrics is recommended but not required.

This course deals with the economics of European integration. After a brief introduction and history of the European Union, we start with the microeconomics of European integration and examine the effects of moving towards a Europe outlined in the Treaty of Rome (1957) with free flow of goods and services, capital and people. We then turn to the macro-economics of European integration and examine benefits and costs of monetary integration and the adoption of the Euro. The course will give you the theoretical tools to understand various policy issues, ranging from the recent Greek crises to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) currently negotiated by the EU and the US.


Instructor: Pehr-Johan Norbäck
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: Two courses in microeconomics, two courses in macroeconomics, and one course in calculus. Students lacking one of these prerequisites in economics may be able to enroll with permission from the Executive Director. We recognize that courses at your home institution may be organized and titled differently but cover the same content suggested by our prerequisites. If you need help determining whether your prior coursework fulfills our prerequisites, please contact us at info@swedishprogram.org.

This course aims at providing a basic understanding of financial economics with emphasis on investment theory and practice. The goal of this class is to provide you with a structure for thinking about investment theory and show you how to address investment problems in a systematic manner. The topics include optimal portfolio choice, capital asset pricing model, market efficiency, financial derivatives, capital structure & risk management.

Students enrolling in this course are advised to bring their own calculator.


Instructor: Marcus Opp
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: Two courses in macroeconomics, two courses in microeconomics, one course in statistics, one course in finance, and a GPA of at least 3.5 in prior economics courses. We recognize that courses at your home institution may be organized and titled differently but cover the same content suggested by our prerequisites. If you need help determining whether your prior coursework fulfills our prerequisites, please contact us at info@swedishprogram.org.
Enrollment Limit: Limited to the first 10 Swedish Program students who register. Interested students are encouraged to apply early.

** This is a Direct Enrollment course offered by SSE. Students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester. Click here to learn more.

Public Policy, Sociology, and Political Science

In the middle decades of the 20th century, Sweden was often held up as a positive anomaly, proof that it was possible to have both robust economic growth and a strong welfare state. Today, talk of the Swedish Model has faded, even as Sweden’s economy and welfare state have continued to evolve. The question we will investigate in this course is whether the Swedish Model can survive in the 21st century in the face of economic restructuring, welfare state retrenchment, a changing electorate, and pressure from the EU and beyond. This investigation will begin by looking at the historical background that allowed the Swedish Model to emerge, and then proceed to a thorough examination of the rise and fall of that welfare state, and finally analyze the future prospects of the welfare state. Along the way, students will gain familiarity with the structure, mechanics, and major players in the Swedish political system, as well as with how Swedish politics compare to both Sweden’s immediate and more distant European neighbors, the role of labor unions and other social movements, Sweden’s role in the larger international system, and with the challenges faced by Sweden in a changing world.


Instructor: Jonas Brodin
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Sociology, Political Science, and History Departments.

* This Swedish Program course is also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.

The past few years have seen a powerful resurgence of both nationalism and populism. The goal of this course is to understand why that resurgence is happening and what it means for the future of democratic politics. The course will trace the historical origins and theoretical underpinnings of both nationalism and populism, as well as looking at recent examples of what can happen at the intersection of populist politics and ethnic nationalism—e.g., Yugoslavia and Rwanda—before moving on to examining the current wave of nationalist populism across the globe, from Brexit and the 2016 election in the U.S. to the rise of nationalist populist leaders in countries as diverse as Hungary, India, the Philippines, and Brazil. Because the recent resurgence of nationalism and populism is almost exclusively a right-wing phenomenon, the course will give particular focus to the rise of the radical right, but will also look at contemporary left-wing populism as well as past left-wing populist movements to help shed light on the present. The course takes an explicitly multidisciplinary approach, using economic, cultural, historical, and political perspectives to explain the nationalism and populist comeback—investigating, among other things, the role of social media, the global rise in economic inequality and its underlying causes, and the slow-motion collapse of the postwar system of international governing institutions. Nationalism and populism are not new phenomena, and this course aims to help students situate them in a larger context in order to better understand their current resurgence.


Instructor: Jonas Brodin
Credit: This course is typically given credit by International Relations, Political Science, and History Departments.

Sustainable development, as set out by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, broadened the understanding of companies’ roles and social responsibilities. The role of business in society will be examined focusing on the interdependence between policy makers, civil society, and business. Meeting the UN’s Sustainable Developmental Goals requires understanding the intersection of environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability. By integrating sustainability into core business strategies, organizations can simultaneously create social and corporate value on a sustainable basis—they can create what has been dubbed “shared value” to business and society.


Instructors: Örjan Sjöberg & Susanne Sweet
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Sociology and Political Science Departments.
Prerequisite: One course in Sociology.
Enrollment Limit: Limited to the first five Swedish Program students who register. Interested students are encouraged to apply early.

** This is a Direct Enrollment course offered by SSE. Students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester. Click here to learn more.

How we organize a space shapes how we act in that space. A monumental concrete plaza is a less inviting place to spend a leisurely afternoon in the company of friends than a lush neighborhood park. Because it encourages some behaviors and actions while discouraging others, the organization of space carries power, even ideology: the built environment structures social relationships, and in doing so, helps to set in stone particular configurations of injustice and inequality. In this course we will explore that relationship between the organization of space and the organization of injustice and inequality. We will begin with an introduction to theories that help us understand how space reinforces unjust social structures, before moving on to examine some of the concrete ways that injustice and inequality manifest themselves in the built environment. Each class session will tackle a different aspect of spatial injustice, and will blend theory with empirical case studies. Some of the topics we will discuss are environmental justice; zoning and housing segregation; homelessness and the right to the city; roads and infrastructure; liminal and exclusionary spaces; the policing of space and modes of spatial resistance; and public and private spaces. The course is structured as a research seminar, with in-class discussions providing a foundation for each student’s semester-long independent research project. All of the written assignments are formative and help build toward the final research paper; there will also be in-class workshops where students will receive help and ideas for their projects from their peers.


Instructors: Jonas Brodin
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Sociology and Political Science Departments.
Prerequisite: One course in either Political Science, Sociology, or Public Policy.

Psychology

Psychological well-being among undergraduate students is a growing research topic among scientific psychologists. Stress and anxiety about friendship, love, financial security, pandemics, and the future of the planet occupy the minds of many university students (and others). Such is the focus of this course.

We will examine the research in social psychology which analyzes current societal conditions in many western societies which are creating an increase in stress and anxiety among young people. In addition, we will examine psychological coping strategies and address the research on what makes most people content or happy, and thus, promotes mental health and general well-being. Health and wellness issues will be examined in relation to different gender and ethnic identities, as well as in the context of cultural notions of success and failure, in school, work, leisure, and in personal relationships. Attention will also be given to how the use of social media—from Instagram to dating apps—among young people can psychologically affect ones sense of personal identity. Our comparative lens will be on the empirical research in social psychology which examines the mental health and well-being among college-aged populations in the U.S. and Sweden, underscoring both differences and similarities in mental health indicators.


Instructor: Miriam Zehnter
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Psychology Departments.
Pre-requisite: One course in psychology.

* This Swedish Program course is also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.

During this course, we will examine selected topics in health and social psychology with a main focus on work and organizational psychology. In our discussions, we will be moving from a person-oriented to an organization-oriented perspective. The course consists of two modules:

  1. A person and a situation: work environment, stress, burnout, motivation and goals of an individual, and how are these influenced by the work environment.
  2. A team and an organization: leadership, teamwork, climate, culture, organizational processes, and how to initiate a change.

The goal of this course is to examine and reflect on questions about human behavior at work. You will become familiar with current research findings in organizational psychology, and based on this knowledge, you will be asked to form your own evidence based arguments and recommendations for solving real-life problems at the workplace. We will also examine relevant case studies in the field of work and organizational psychology.


Instructor: Marta Roczniewska
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Psychology Departments.
Pre-requisite: One course in psychology.

* This Swedish Program course is also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.

Humanities

This course is an examination of the cultural history of modern Scandinavia with a unique focus on art and architecture. We will look at how cultural forces, such as religion, geography, and views of community and nature have shaped the ways in which Swedes have created urban space and other images of their society, i.e., art. The class will incorporate visits to Stockholm’s well-known museums into the structure and methodology of the course.


Instructor: Peder Fallenius
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Art History Departments.

* This Swedish Program course is also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.

The purpose of the course is to provide students with a basic knowledge of the tradition of Swedish crime fiction, and to stimulate interest and critical reflection on this subject. A selection of acclaimed Swedish crime novels is the main material of the course, but the students will also get acquainted with famous film adaptations in the genre, as well as critical analyses of important works and discussions of the genre in the book market.

The course takes its starting point in the influential author-duo of Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, creators of emblematic character Martin Beck. The works of Sjöwall & Wahlöö can be seen as the incitement to the way many Swedish authors use crime fiction as a genre where societal problems and political issues can be highlighted. The genre of Swedish crime fiction will be discussed from several points of view, but special attention will be directed towards the relationships of literature to society (e.g. issues concerning class, gender, and how Sweden as a nation is (re)presented in these texts).


Instructor: Tim Berndtsson
Credit: This course is typically given credit by English and Comparative Literature Departments.

Swedish Language 1

Study of the Swedish language for beginners. The course contains the following: pronunciation, reading and listening comprehension, descriptive grammar, semantics, written and oral practice. The emphasis will be on communicative and conversational skills, listening comprehension and pronunciation. The content is based on the course literature as well as authentic texts, songs, games, study visits and other activities related to Swedish culture and everyday life.

Swedish Language 2

Study of the Swedish language for students with a background in Swedish. The aim is to raise the student’s level of oral and written proficiency in Swedish and the course is adjusted to the individual student’s language skills and needs. The course contains the following: pronunciation, reading and listening comprehension, descriptive grammar, semantics, written and oral practice. The content is based on the course literature as well as authentic texts, songs, games, study visits and other activities related to Swedish culture and everyday life.

Swedish Language, Advanced

Study of the Swedish language for students with a strong background in Swedish. The aim is to raise the student’s level of oral and/or written proficiency in Swedish and the course is adjusted to the individual student’s language skills and needs. The content is based on the course literature as well as novels, articles, poems, songs, movies, study visits and other activities related to Swedish culture and everyday life.


Instructor: Erik Cardelus

* These Swedish Program courses are also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.
** These are Direct Enrollment courses offered by SSE. Students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester. Click here to learn more.

Spring Semester 2025

January 13–May 5

Please disregard dates/times listed on course syllabi. Regarding prerequisites, we will honor any AP course credit that has been accepted by your home institution.

Economics

This course studies the multiple links between the economy and the environment, and analyzes theoretically and empirically the set of policy instruments normally used to address modern environmental problems. It also considers environmental policy through a political economy lens, namely it analyzes political and societal factors that affect what policy instruments governments tend to choose. Typical questions that will be answered are: What are the most pressing environmental problems? How and why does economic activity create these problems? What are the policy instruments that governments and other relevant decision makers can use to protect the environment? What are the economics costs of environmental regulation and is there a case for a ‘’double dividend” from environmental policy? How do we determine the optimal level of environmental protection at the societal level? What are the economic effects of climate change and why does it prove particularly difficult to pass and implement climate policies?


Instructor: Pamela Campa & guest lecturer Elena Paltseva
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: Two courses in microeconomics and one course in calculus. A prior course in econometrics is recommended but not required.

This course deals with the economics of European integration. After a brief introduction and history of the European Union, we start with the microeconomics of European integration and examine the effects of moving towards a Europe outlined in the Treaty of Rome (1957) with free flow of goods and services, capital and people. We then turn to the macro-economics of European integration and examine benefits and costs of monetary integration and the adoption of the Euro. The course will give you the theoretical tools to understand various policy issues, ranging from the recent Greek crises to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) currently negotiated by the EU and the US.


Instructor: Pehr-Johan Norbäck
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: Two courses in macroeconomics, two courses in microeconomics, and one course in calculus. Students lacking one of these prerequisites in economics may be able to enroll with permission from the Executive Director. We recognize that courses at your home institution may be organized and titled differently but cover the same content suggested by our prerequisites. If you need help determining whether your prior coursework fulfills our prerequisites, please contact us at info@swedishprogram.org.

In this course, the students will learn the basics of Econometrics (for cross-sectional data) and receive an introduction to Machine Learning (ML). This course also includes further essential mathematical methods that are used in economic and financial analysis. The importance of data science to businesses and economic analysis is discussed. Guest lectures will include relevant professionals from the Swedish industry. The course covers important econometric concepts such as: random sample, central limit theorem, estimation, inference (hypothesis testing), regression models, causality, randomized experiments, as well as the ML concepts: supervised learning (prediction and classification), unsupervised learning (clustering). This course also introduces some mathematics: integration, topics in financial mathematics, and matrices. In this course, the program R is used to facilitate the learning of Econometrics and ML. The students will use different R-packages for the analysis of regression models, causality, randomized experiments, prediction, classification, clustering, etc., and students will also learn how data and results can be visualized.


Instructor: Rickard Sandberg
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: One course in both macroeconomics and microeconomics, one course in calculus, one course in statistics, and working knowledge of the statistical software R. Students lacking one of these prerequisites in economics may be able to enroll with permission from the Executive Director. We recognize that courses at your home institution may be organized and titled differently but cover the same content suggested by our prerequisites. If you need help determining whether your prior coursework fulfills our prerequisites, please contact us at info@swedishprogram.org.
Enrollment Limit: Limited to the first ten Swedish Program students who register. Interested students are encouraged to apply early.

In order to tackle economic and social challenges, we need to understand how individuals and firms behave and how they respond to policy changes. Economic theory provide ways to think about how agents act. Data allow us to quantify these relationships and test competing hypotheses. This course teaches how economic theory can be used to deepen our understanding economic and social problems, and how data can be used to test the predictions derived from theory. The core part of the course covers the most common methods economists use in empirical research, with a particular focus on causal inference. The empirical methods will be organized around a number of economic and social problems. For each problem, the basic theoretical apparatus required to form testable hypotheses are introduced followed by the econometric techniques used to test the hypotheses. Seminars will focus on applying the theory and econometric techniques using real data.


Instructor: Robert Östling
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: One course in microeconomics, one course in statistics, working knowledge of the basics of econometrics, working knowledge of the statistical software R, and a GPA of at least 3.5 in prior economics courses. Students lacking one of these prerequisites in economics may be able to enroll with permission from the Executive Director. We recognize that courses at your home institution may be organized and titled differently but cover the same content suggested by our prerequisites. If you need help determining whether your prior coursework fulfills our prerequisites, please contact us at info@swedishprogram.org.
Enrollment Limit: Limited to the first five Swedish Program students who register. Interested students are encouraged to apply early.

** This is a Direct Enrollment course offered by SSE. Students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester. Click here to learn more.

This is a 300 level direct enrollment course. The field of Behavioral Finance deals with how psychological factors influence consumers’ decision making and its implications for financial markets. The goal of the course is to provide students with sufficient understanding of both optimal and actual decision making by individuals and how this impacts markets. We will analyze predictable decision errors, and discover where we are most susceptible to them. Students will examine a case study and use interactive games to enhance interactive learning.


Instructor: Marieke Bos
Credit: This 300-level course is typically given credit by Economics Departments.
Prerequisites: Two courses in both macroeconomics and microeconomic, one course in statistics, and a GPA of at least 3.5 in prior economics courses. Students lacking one of these prerequisites in economics may be able to enroll with permission from the Executive Director. We recognize that courses at your home institution may be organized and titled differently but cover the same content suggested by our prerequisites. If you need help determining whether your prior coursework fulfills our prerequisites, please contact us at info@swedishprogram.org.
Enrollment Limit: Limited to the first five Swedish Program students who register. Interested students are encouraged to apply early.

** This is a Direct Enrollment course offered by SSE. Students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester. Click here to learn more.

Public Policy, Sociology, and Political Science

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine shocked the world, not least the member states of the European Union (EU). It forced these member states to recalibrate their perceptions of the stability of the norm of territorial integrity and the role of the EU in providing security for the continent. Alongside various other significant factors and events, including the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, China’s progressively assertive and coercive foreign policy, and the election of Donald J. Trump in 2016 and his America First policy, European security is arguably facing its most uncertain period since the conclusion of World War II.

In this course, we will study the impact of this new security situation in Europe and the new challenges it has created for the EU, and for Sweden in particular. The overarching aim of the course is to understand and assess the past, present, and future of European security. To do so, the course will draw upon perspectives developed in International Relations and European Studies. We will investigate the motivations behind the diverse positions of European states through an exploration of historical, cultural, and geopolitical factors. Additionally, we will identify the roles of EU institutions, NATO, and the transatlantic relationship in the development of the EU as a foreign policy actor.


Instructor: August Danielson
Prerequisites: One course in political science.
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Political Science Departments.

Health care systems are embedded in economic, political, and social structures and reflect a country’s cultural values. This class will look at the historical development of health care systems in Sweden and the US, medical education, and the type of institutional settings in which health care is provided. We will also look at the role of the health care consumer in each country and how factors such as race, class, and gender impact citizens’ access to and experience in the health care system.


Instructor: Jonas Brodin
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Sociology and Political Science Departments.

People move from one place to another—and always have. Migration might be voluntary and economic—in search of a better life—or forced and political—simply to save one’s life. Whatever the nature of the migration, it always has consequences that go far beyond the simple increases and decreases in population—for example, the current migrant crisis in Europe has strengthened far-right populism and isolationism, seen most dramatically in Britain’s decision to withdraw from the EU. It should come as no surprise, then, that migration is perpetually at the center of our political discourse. In this course, we will investigate migration and its consequences from a number of different perspectives. The first section of the course will take a historical perspective, looking at past migration flows and the many ways in which those flows have transformed the places that migrants leave, pass through, and settle in. The next section examines the migrant experience from multiple angles—from how the rhetoric surrounding immigration influences public policy, to the barriers and policies related to the integration of immigrants in different areas—culture, the labor market, and criminal justice. The final section of the course will critically examine current migration debates and case studies. At the end of this section—and the course—students should be able to analyze those debates and case studies and understand the consequences of migration more fully.


Instructor: Jonas Brodin
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Sociology and Political Science Departments.

* This Swedish Program course is also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of impactful entrepreneurship in the context of some of the global challenges the world faces today. Students will be introduced to tools that can be used to address societal problems through business and other types of organizations as a way to enhance their understanding. In addition to learning how to generate and evaluate potential innovative venture ideas to address global challenges, students are also expected to learn how to holistically and critically evaluate societal needs and to develop plans for action that have a large potential impact on sustainability.

Throughout the course, students will be introduced to for-profit solutions but also to non-profit ones. The course includes concepts such as social change, innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate intrapreneurship and also covers the key elements of stakeholders, resources, impact, sustainable business models for value creation and change-making strategies. It also elaborates on the potential negative external effects of innovations – for example, we visit the ‘dark side’ of impactful entrepreneurship.


Instructor: Paraskevi Dimakou
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Sociology and Political Science Departments.
Prerequisites: One course in either political science, sociology, or economics.
Enrollment Limit: Limited to the first five Swedish Program students who register. Interested students are encouraged to apply early.

** This is a Direct Enrollment course offered by SSE. Students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester. Click here to learn more.

Psychology

The nature of prejudice has been a topic of study in psychology, sociology, anthropology and other sciences for over a century. The understanding of prejudice has changed drastically. It was first considered an unnatural anomaly and pathology, a form of ‘social cancer.’ It is now thought to arise from processes as common and normal as the general human tendency to categorize and simplify in an attempt to make sense of experiences and observations. In this course, we will look at prejudice, its origins and consequences (discrimination), focusing on the emperical research in cognitive and evolutionary psychology, as well as on the social mechanisms that contribute to bias against others. At the end of the course, students should have a deeper understanding of how prejudice is born and promoted at both the individual (micro) level and at the (macro) level of societies and organizations. The course will also address current research on the topic of prejudice prevention.


Instructor: Marta Zakrzewska
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Psychology Departments.
Prerequisite: One course in psychology.

During this course, we will examine selected topics in health and social psychology with a main focus on work and organizational psychology. In our discussions, we will be moving from a person-oriented to an organization-oriented perspective. The course consists of two modules:

  1. A person and a situation: work environment, stress, burnout, motivation and goals of an individual, and how are these influenced by the work environment.
  2. A team and an organization: leadership, teamwork, climate, culture, organizational processes, and how to initiate a change.

The goal of this course is to examine and reflect on questions about human behavior at work. You will become familiar with current research findings in organizational psychology, and based on this knowledge, you will be asked to form your own evidence based arguments and recommendations for solving real-life problems at the workplace. We will also examine relevant case studies in the field of work and organizational psychology.


Instructor: Marta Roczniewska
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Psychology Departments.
Prerequisite: One course in psychology.

* This Swedish Program course is also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.

Humanities

This course is an examination of the cultural history of modern Scandinavia with a unique focus on art and architecture. We will look at how cultural forces, such as religion, geography, and views of community and nature have shaped the ways in which Swedes have created urban space and other images of their society, i.e., art. The class will incorporate visits to Stockholm’s well-known museums into the structure and methodology of the course.


Instructor: Peder Fallenius
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Art History Departments.

* This Swedish Program course is also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.

The purpose of the course is to provide students with a basic knowledge of the tradition of Swedish crime fiction, and to stimulate interest and critical reflection on this subject. A selection of acclaimed Swedish crime novels is the main material of the course, but the students will also get acquainted with famous film adaptations in the genre, as well as critical analyses of important works and discussions of the genre in the book market.

The course takes its starting point in the influential author-duo of Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, creators of emblematic character Martin Beck. The works of Sjöwall & Wahlöö can be seen as the incitement to the way many Swedish authors use crime fiction as a genre where societal problems and political issues can be highlighted. The genre of Swedish crime fiction will be discussed from several points of view, but special attention will be directed towards the relationships of literature to society (e.g. issues concerning class, gender, and how Sweden as a nation is (re)presented in these texts).


Instructor: Tim Berndtsson
Credit: This course is typically given credit by English and Comparative Literature Departments.

This interdisciplinary course examines the intersection of language, history, culture, and Swedish society. The focus will be on how language is shaped by, and in turn, shapes our understanding about social relationships, personal identity, and our perception of others. The course begins by touching upon the origin of the Swedish language in the sixteenth century and quickly moves to examining how modern (post-1945) historical changes in Sweden have shaped the development of Swedish. We then turn to examining how the emergence of multiculturalism in Sweden has given rise to linguistic diversity and how this development has led to changes in government policies, ranging from education to requirements for citizenship. Lastly, we will study the ways in which language — how we speak and write — embodies cultural norms/values around power and personal identity. In this context, we will examine the concept of gendered discourse; how gender equality and inequality is reflected and reinforced in language and linguistic transformations. Lastly, we will examine the intersection of the Swedish language and popular culture, including social media, advertising, music, and film.


Instructor: Erik Cardelus
Credit: This course is typically given credit by Language, History, Sociology, and Linguistics Departments.
Prerequisite: One course in any of the following: history, linguistics, sociology, gender studies, or a language course.

Swedish Language 1

Study of the Swedish language for beginners. The course contains the following: pronunciation, reading and listening comprehension, descriptive grammar, semantics, written and oral practice. The emphasis will be on communicative and conversational skills, listening comprehension and pronunciation. The content is based on the course literature as well as authentic texts, songs, games, study visits and other activities related to Swedish culture and everyday life.

Swedish Language 2

Study of the Swedish language for students with a background in Swedish. The aim is to raise the student’s level of oral and written proficiency in Swedish and the course is adjusted to the individual student’s language skills and needs. The course contains the following: pronunciation, reading and listening comprehension, descriptive grammar, semantics, written and oral practice. The content is based on the course literature as well as authentic texts, songs, games, study visits and other activities related to Swedish culture and everyday life.

Swedish Language, Advanced

Study of the Swedish language for students with a strong background in Swedish. The aim is to raise the student’s level of oral and/or written proficiency in Swedish and the course is adjusted to the individual student’s language skills and needs. The content is based on the course literature as well as novels, articles, poems, songs, movies, study visits and other activities related to Swedish culture and everyday life.


Instructor: Erik Cardelus

Independent Study

This course option is only open to full-year students in their second (spring) semester.

Independent studies can be arranged in most disciplines. Past topics have included medical ethics, theater, statistics, philosophy, and photography. Your independent study must be approved by the chair of the relevant department at your home institution and our Executive Director. Please download our Independent Study Proposal Form for more information.

There is an additional course fee of $950 to arrange an independent study. If you receive financial aid but your aid doesn’t cover this expense, you can request a fee waiver during registration.

* These Swedish Program courses are also open to SSE students, so you may share the classroom with Swedish and international students.
** These are Direct Enrollment courses offered by SSE. Students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester. Click here to learn more.

Direct Enrollment Courses

Our selection of direct enrollment courses offered by the Stockholm School of Economics (marked ** above) provide full immersion into the Swedish classroom.

You will experience cultural differences in pedagogical philosophy (more emphasis on group/collaborative work), course structure (fewer exams or in some cases, just a final exam), and general expectations of what is required from each student.

Your classroom experience will likely be different from what is familiar – and that is precisely why taking a direct enrollment course is so rewarding. The value of these differences parallel the important value of your overall study abroad experience. Don’t expect things to be the same. Embrace and respect the cultural differences!


Course structure

Direct enrollment courses are equivalent in credit hours to our other four-credit courses but follow the Swedish academic calendar, which means the same amount of coursework is concentrated into eight weeks of instruction rather than 12 weeks. Thus, students who are considering a direct enrollment course should understand that they will have an additional workload during the first eight weeks of the semester. Conversely, their workload will be much lighter during the last four weeks of the semester when the direct enrollment course has ended.

Due to this concentrated schedule, students may register for only one direct enrollment course per semester.


Enrollment

Please review the prerequisites and enrollment limits noted in each course description. All direct enrollment courses have enrollment limits, so interested students are encouraged to apply early.

SSE and Stockholm University announce their course schedules 1–3 months before the start of the semester. Consequently, you will be notified at that time if any of your chosen courses have a scheduling conflict.


Grading

Grades for SSE direct enrollment courses are based on the following grading scale:

A: 75–100     B: 65–74     B-: 60–64     C: 50–59     F: Below 50

All SSE students who fail a course are allowed to take the final exam again. This opportunity will also apply to Swedish Program students taking an SSE direct enrollment course. SSE will announce a specific date for re-examination which cannot be changed. You will likely have already returned home when you would be entitled to take this exam. In order to take the exam again, you must return to Stockholm at your own expense and take the exam at the assigned time and place. There can be no exceptions to this requirement.