Course Syllabus

World of the Vikings

Semester & Location:	Fall 2025 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Core Course - 3 credits
Study Tour:	Sweden and Iceland
Major Discipline:	History, Literature, Religious Studies
Related Disciplines:	Anthropology
Faculty Member:	Kim Bergqvist, (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Monday & Thursday 8:30-9:50 Classroom: 1D-409

 

Course Description

In this course, we study the history and worldview of pre-Christian Scandinavians as reflected in medieval textual sources and in poems and artefacts from the Viking Age (793­–1066 CE). We examine Norse society, political structures, and gender ideals, and you learn about Viking expansion, colonies and conquests. Essential parts of this interdisciplinary course are dedicated to the religion and mythology of pre-Christian Scandinavia, and to the medieval Icelandic Sagas. Analyzed as historical anthropological source material, as well as literature, these provide further glimpses into the culture and values of the Vikings. Studies of how Vikings are portrayed in modern public history and contemporary popular culture complete the course.

 

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course, students will have achieved

Knowledge and understanding of:

• the Viking Age, its material culture, and its legacy in the history, literature and landscape of Scandinavia
• the social, political, and cultural structures of the Norse peoples, including their gender aspects
• Viking Age mythology, religion, and conversion to Christianity
• sources to the Viking Age and how scholars in different disciplines go about creating knowledge of this remote period
• Icelandic sagas and other Norse literary texts from a literary and historical anthropological perspective
• how the Vikings and their legacy live on and a critical attitude to how they are used in contemporary culture

Skills and competencies in:

• applying historical source criticism
• comparative religion
• anthropological approaches to the sagas
• using literary analysis and theory

 

Faculty 

Kim Bergqvist

PhD Candidate in History, Department of History/Centre for Medieval Studies, Stockholm University. MA (2010) and BA (2008) Stockholm University, both with a major in History, minors in Comparative Literature and Spanish. Visiting Scholar to Columbia University (2016), Cornell University (2014) and the University of Navarra, Spain (2012–13). Taught medieval history at Stockholm University 2012–2023. ​Publications have appeared in The Medieval Chronicle and Collegium Medievale. Areas of specialization: medieval Scandinavia; medieval Iberia; comparative history; medieval literature, genre and fiction; political culture; gender history; the history of emotions. With DIS since 2018.

Email: kim.bergqvist@disstockholm.se

 

Readings

Textbooks

• Abram, Christopher, Myths of the Pagan North: The Gods of the Northmen (Continuum, 2011). [Selection of chapters]
• "Gisli Sursson's saga", translated by Martin S. Regal, in Gisli Sursson's Saga and The Saga of the People of Eyri, edited by Vesteinn Olason (Penguin, 2004).
• King Harald's saga: Harald Hardradi of Norway, from Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, translated by Magnus Magnusson & Hermann Pálsson (Penguin, 2005).
• Snorri Sturlusson, The Prose Edda, translated by Jesse Byock (Penguin, 2005).
• The Poetic Edda, translated by Carolyne Larrington (Oxford UP, 1996). [Selection of eddic poetry]
• Winroth, Anders, The Age of the Vikings (Princeton UP, 2014).

Articles and excerpts

• Aberth, John, Contesting the Middle Ages: debates that are changing our narrative of Medieval history (Routledge, 2019). [Excerpt]
• Barreiro, Santiago, "Feud", in The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas, edited by Ármann Jakobsson and Sverrir Jakobsson (Routledge, 2017).
• Blanck, Dag, "The Transnational Viking: The Role of the Viking in Sweden, the United States, and Swedish America," Journal of Transnational American Studies 7:1 (2016): 1–19.
• Brown, Harry, "Plastic Pagans: Viking Human Sacrifice in Film and Television", Studies in Medievalism 23 (2014): 107-122.
• Byock, Jesse L., Viking Age Iceland (Penguin, 2001). [Excerpt]
• Evans, Gareth Lloyd, Men and Masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders (Oxford UP, 2019). [Excerpt].
• Hedenstierna-Jonson, Charlotte & Anna Kjellström, "The urban woman: on the role and identity of women in Birka," in Kvinner i vikingtid, edited by N. L. Coleman & N. Løkka, pp. 187–208 (Scandinavian Academic P, 2014).
• Hedenstierna-Jonson, Charlotte et al. "A female Viking warrior confirmed by genomics," American Journal of Physical Anthropology 164:4 (2017): 853–860.
• Höfig, Verena, "Vinland and White Nationalism," in From Iceland to the Americas: Vinland and Historical Imagination, ed. Tim W. Machan and Jón Karl Helgason (Manchester UP, 2019), pp. 77-100.
• Jarman, Cat, River Kings: A New History of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads (William Collins, 2021). [Excerpt]
• Jesch, Judith, Women in the Viking Age (Boydell, 1991). [Excerpt]
• Jesch, Judith, The Viking Diaspora (Routledge, 2015). [Excerpt]
• Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir, "Gender", in The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas, edited by Ármann Jakobsson and Sverrir Jakobsson (Routledge, 2017).
• Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir, Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World (Bloomsbury, 2020). [Excerpt]
• Montgomery, James E., "Ibn Fadlan and the Rūsiyyah," Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies 3 (2000): 1–25.
• Price, Neil, The Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings (Allen Lane, 2020). [Excerpt]
• Sanmark, Alexandra, "Women at the Thing," in Kvinner i vikingtid, edited by N. L. Coleman & N. Løkka, pp. 89–105 (Scandinavian Academic P, 2014).
• Shutters, Lynn, “Vikings Through the Eyes of an Arab Ethnographer: Constructions of the Other in The 13th Warrior,” in Race, Class and Gender in "Medieval" Cinema, edited by L.T. Ramey and T. Pugh, pp. 75–87 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).
• Smiley, Jane, ed., The Sagas of Icelanders (Penguin, 2005). [Excerpt]
• Somerville, Angus A. and R. Andrew McDonald, eds., The Viking Age: A Reader (U of Toronto P, 2020). [Excerpts]

 

 

Field Studies

Wednesday August 20: Field study - Visit to the Museum of Wrecks (Vrak). The exhibition "Vikings Before Vikings" showcases the finds from the Salme ship burials excavated on Saarema, Estonia, dated to c. 750.

Monday September 8 (during core course week): Field study - Visit to the Swedish History Museum (Historiska museet), Narvavägen. The national history museum of Sweden houses the largest Viking exhibition in the world with over 2,000 objects. It is home to a number of picture stones from Gotland, Viking Age silver treasures, and Vendel Age grave finds that will help us explore how Scandinavia came to enter its Viking Age.

 

Guest Lecturers (may be subject to change)

1) Sophie Bønding (PhD in History of Religion, Aarhus University 2020)

2) Martin Rundkvist (PhD in Archaeology, Stockholm University 2003)

 

Study Tours: Sweden and Iceland

Short study tour: Lund (September 10-12)

On the short study tour during core course week, we will take our newfound knowledge of the Viking Age and examine its continued presence in the southern Swedish landscape: in archaeological excavations, museums, among runestones and at reconstructed Viking sites. Explore parts of Sweden which used to be central to the Danish Viking Age Empire. Outside Lund, at Uppåkra, archaeologists are examining the remains of a hall building where chieftains resided, and the cultic temple building where the Norse gods were venerated for centuries, to understand the worldview and the political and religious rituals of the Viking Age. At Trelleborg, a Viking Age fortress was located, and it is now possible to visit a reconstruction of that monumental building, alongside a museum and Viking farm.

Lund University, one of the oldest universities in Scandinavia, founded in 1666, is home to a historical museum which exhibits the rich finds from Uppåkra, the largest and most long-lasting settlement in Viking Age Scandinavia. With historians from Malmö University, we will discuss the modern construction of the Viking Age, its connection to ideologies of nationalism and race, and the role of the Viking in historical reenactment and cultural heritage story-telling.

Week-long study tour: Iceland (October 6-11)

Iceland is a country rich with history and full of natural beauty. First settled starting in the 870s, mainly by Norwegians, Iceland has retained a strong connection to its Viking past. Drawing upon our class discussions and readings of primary texts, medieval sagas, and poems of the Viking Age, we will visit important museum collections and saga manuscript exhibitions. We will visit Viking landmarks and historical sites, providing a glimpse into the culture and values of the Viking Age, and bring the Icelandic sagas to life as we follow in the footsteps of the colorful characters.

In addition to its storied past, Iceland boasts stunning landscapes and an intriguing modern culture. With its glaciers, spouting geysers, volcanoes, and magnificent waterfalls, the island’s varied scenery can be described as ‘otherworldly.’ We will experience the natural beauty of Western Iceland, Reykjavik, and the surrounding areas, as we explore how the landscape affected Viking culture and how history continues to influence modern Icelandic philosophy.

 

Approach to Teaching

I want to transmit and stimulate an enthusiastic approach to the history, literature and culture of the Viking Age from a wide and multidisciplinary perspective, and above all curiosity and a thirst for learning. I will not expect students to have prior knowledge of the subject at hand. However, I anticipate students’ active engagement with the material in classroom discussions, group discussions, debates, and presentations. We will tackle the readings and the sources together in a collective and interactive learning experience, advancing our knowledge of the Viking Age.

Assignments are geared towards allowing flexibility of choice in topics in order to promote intrinsic motivations for student engagement.

Expectation of the Students

Students are expected to read the materials for each class and actively participate in discussions. Students should come prepared to class with questions and points for discussion. When posing questions or participating in discussions, students should strive to refer to the readings to support the points they are making.

All classes, field studies, and study tours are mandatory. Absences (both expected and unexcpected, e.g. in case of illness) should be communicated to the instructor as soon as possible.

Late arrival policy: Students are expected to be present and on time for classes, field studies and study tour activities (i.e. all scheduled events within the course). Repeated, unexcused, or significant late arrival will result in grade point deductions off of the participation grade (Engagement). Please strive to be punctual.

 

Evaluation/assessment

In order to receive a passing grade, you must complete all the assignments.

“Engagement” is your responsibility, so it is up to you what grade you receive in this area. This grade is awarded for active participation in the course. Consider how often you discuss, comment or ask questions in class; how many absences you have during the course, how often you complete all the readings for class; how often you check your phone or Facebook or other non-class related media during a single class meeting. The use of laptops in class will be allowed, provided they are only used for taking notes during lectures or presentations.

Late submission/extension policy: Late submission of an assignment without previously agreed extension will result in a 5 percent grade point deduction per day. If a submission is more than one week late, it will receive a zero, unless otherwise agreed.

Students may be able to request extensions for legitimate reasons, such as illness or unforeseen circumstances. Please communicate with your instructor as early as possible. An approved extension allows students to submit their work without penalty.

There is additionally a one-time 48-hour blanket deadline extension. This means you can use the extension for one assignment, without penalty and without the need to communicate a reason. This extension policy is intended as a tool to manage unforeseen circumstances and ensure students can complete work within a reasonable timeframe and to provide students with the flexibility to manage their workload more effectively across all their courses.

 

Grading

Assignment	Percentage
Engagement	25%
Group presentations	30%
Analytic essay	20%
Final paper	25%

Description of Assignments

Written assignments should have a title, use 1.5 point-spacing, 12 font. Students may refer to the MLA Handbook or a writing manual from their home universities. Just be consistent when using citations, footnoting, etc., regardless of which referencing system you decide to use.

AI policy: You may not submit any work generated by an AI program as your own. All written work needs to be your own and formulated by you. If you include material generated by an AI program, it should be cited like any other source. You may use AI to brainstorm, get input, or help bounce ideas, but not to produce your work (cf. discussing an assignment with a peer). If you are unsure where the line is between collaborating with AI and copying from AI, we recommend the following heuristics:

• Never hit “copy” within your conversation with an AI assistant. You can copy your own work into your conversation, but do not copy anything from the conversation back into your assignment. Instead, use your interaction with the AI assistant as a learning experience, then let your assignment reflect your improved understanding.

Group presentations (case studies) and analytic essay

You will prepare two graded presentations (each worth 15%, for a total of 30% of your grade), in small groups. These will be case studies on the expansion of the Viking world and on myths from Norse mythology respectively. More details on topics and formal requirements will be provided in class.

You will write one essay - in addition to the final paper - during the course, worth 20% of your grade. This paper should be either on Norse mythology or examples of Viking expansion/diaspora. It will be approx. 3 to 4 pages (between 1000-1400 words in total).

Final research paper

For the final, individual, paper (worth 25% of your grade), you may choose to do one of the following:

• An academic essay or research paper (5-7 pages) on a theme of your choice, possibilities ranging from archaeology and history, through mythology and saga literature, to public history and popular culture. Requirement is 1700–2500 words in total. Use at least three outside sources.
• An icelandic saga analysis (4-5 pages), using a theoretical perspective of your choice. Must be around 1400–1700 words in total.
• A debate article or opinion piece (3-4 pages), discussing the uses and abuses of the Vikings in contemporary society (popular culture and/or public history). Must be 1000–1400 words in total. 
• A museum exhibition review and reflection (3-4 pages), critically analyzing current exhibitions on the Viking Age in museums you have visited. Must be around 1000–1400 words in total.

A wide range of topics are possible for the paper, as long as it is related to Viking Age studies.

See further details under "Assignments".

You are welcome to discuss possible topics with your instructor at any point during the semester.

 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading  
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org