Course Syllabus

 

Course Description

The course explores how Europe has repeatedly sought and failed to build a lasting security order. Beginning with the war in Ukraine, students examine the competing frameworks of Realism and Liberalism before tracing their evolution through two centuries of crisis, from the nineteenth-century balance of power to the Cold War and the uncertain present. Each historical moment reveals a different attempt to balance power and principle, deterrence and cooperation, in a continent where stability has always been temporary. Through lectures, investigations, case studies and role-play simulations, students test these theories in practice by re-enacting decisions that shaped wars, alliances, and institutions and discover how every new order has inherited the dilemmas of the last. By the end of the semester, they will recognise that Europe’s security remains an unfinished project, its current fractures echoing the same tensions that have defined it for generations.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Analyse how major theories of international relations, especially Realism and Liberalism, have developed through Europe’s historical security crises and continue to shape contemporary policy debates.
2. Evaluate how different periods in European history, from the nineteenth-century balance of power to the Cold War and beyond, have redefined what “security” means and how it can be achieved.
3. Apply theoretical perspectives to real policy dilemmas through debates and simulations, demonstrating critical thinking and effective communication in both oral and written form.

Faculty

PhD (Modern History, Northwestern University, 2007). MA (Modern History, Northwestern University, 2002). BA (Modern History, Oxford University, 2001). For two decades, I have taught courses in modern history at Northwestern University in the United States and Qatar in the Middle East. My teaching emphasises creative approaches to learning that build bridges to the past. I am passionate about bringing history to life and introducing students to new places, people and ideas through innovative, student-focused pedagogy. Secretly, my goal is to turn all students into historians! I am continuing my academic journey in Denmark as a teaching and learning specialist and a faculty member focusing on 20th-century Europe at DIS. 

Readings

• Douglas Brommesson et al, Sweden's Grand Strategy: Predicaments of a Small Liberal State in a Hostile World (2025)
• Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 (2013)
• Robert Kagan, The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperilled World (2018/2021)
• Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century (1998)
• John J. Mearsheimer, The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities (2018)

Additional Readings

• University Press. Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?” (1989)
• Tom Long, A Small State’s Guide to Influence in World Politics (2022)
• Stephen Walt, “What Would a Realist World Have Looked Like?” (2016)
• Stratfor, “The Geopolitics of Sweden: A Baltic Power Reborn” (2009)

Approach to Teaching

“What would I have done?” remains the most important question you can ask about the past. In this course, which sits at the intersection of history and political science, my teaching focuses on building bridges that allow students to step out of the present and into the worlds, decisions, and constraints of earlier periods. Our aim is to reconstruct the past through primary sources while also engaging with the analytical tools of political science that help explain power, institutions, and strategic choice.

To support this approach, I avoid traditional lecturing and instead rely on discussion, structured investigations, roleplaying, and other interactive formats. These methods place students inside major historical and political moments, requiring them to think as both historians and analysts. The goal is for students to inhabit the perspectives of the actors we study, to understand their dilemmas, and to develop the capacity to interpret events with historical depth and political insight.

DIS Accommodations Statement 

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupport@disstockholm.se

Evaluation

Participation – 20%

Active engagement is central to this course. Participation grades reflect consistent and thoughtful involvement in both classroom and online activities.

Students are expected to:

• Contribute actively to class discussions and simulations (not including roleplay scenarios).
• Engage in collaborative annotation of assigned readings using Hypothesis to connect historical and theoretical insights. 

Swedish Case Study - 10%

In the first weeks of term, students will investigate whether Sweden's accession to NATO represents a break with its historical security tradition or the continuation of a longer grand strategy. Drawing on course readings and class discussions, students will deliver an individual presentation analysing Sweden's evolving approach to security from the twentieth century to the present. Further details will be provided in class.

Case Study Analysis – 50%

Throughout the semester, we will investigate seven historical case studies examining major European security dilemmas. Each case study explores the historical development of a security dilemma while introducing key concepts from International Relations (IR) theory to help explain why events unfolded as they did and how alternative decisions might have led to different outcomes.

Students are required to complete five of the seven case study reports. Each report is worth 10% of the final course grade (50% in total) and is due one week after the completion of the relevant case study.

The reports follow a common analytical framework throughout the semester, allowing students to build on feedback from earlier submissions and progressively strengthen their historical analysis, use of IR theory, and counterfactual reasoning. Further details and submission requirements are provided in the individual Canvas assignments.

Final Project – 20%

The final project is a scaffolded research assignment completed throughout the semester. Students will identify and investigate a European security dilemma from the twentieth or twenty-first century that builds on one or more of the historical case studies examined in class. The project must be closely connected to the course themes and analyse the chosen case using International Relations theory.

Significant class time will be devoted to developing the project through workshops, discussions, and instructor feedback.

The project consists of three stages:

• Topic Exploration (ungraded): Identify and refine a suitable European security dilemma connected to the course case studies.

• Research Proposal (pass/fail): Outline the research question, explain the historical relevance of the topic, identify the relevant IR framework, and provide preliminary sources.

• Final Case Study Analysis 20%: Submit a research-based analysis that examines the historical development of the security dilemma and evaluates it using International Relations theory, drawing connections to course case studies where appropriate.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an important part of contemporary academic and professional practice. In this course, you are encouraged to use AI purposefully and responsibly to support your learning.

Think of AI as a scholarly sparring partner, not a co-author. A good sparring partner helps you explore ideas, clarify concepts, compare perspectives, challenge assumptions, and strengthen your reasoning. The intellectual work of analysing evidence, developing arguments, exercising critical judgement, and communicating your conclusions, however, must always remain your own.

The appropriate use of AI will vary across assignments according to their learning objectives. Each assignment on Canvas includes specific guidance outlining the role AI may play in supporting your work.