Norwegian Culture and History - An Introduction

Introduction

The purpose of the course is to give the students an insight into Norwegian history, culture and society with an emphasis on politics, economics and culture from 1814 until today. The course gives a broad overview of important dimensions of Norwegian history. Norwegian culture means both an attempt to understand Norwegian approaches to politics and the economy as well as culture in a traditional sense, with in-depth studies of selected topics such as literature, music, architecture and visual art. There will also be excursions to Norwegian heritage sites.

Course content

The course consists of the following topics:

• Introduction
• Norwegian History: 800-1814
• Democracy in practice, 1814-1931
• A model democracy? 1931-today
• Making Norwegian Culture
• Field trip to Norsk folkemuseum
• Cultural representations
• Ibsen and modernisation
• Democratic capitalism
• Coastal Norway
• The egalitarian tradition
• Norway's oil economy
• Gender Equality in Norway
• Wrap up