Course Syllabus

Scandinavia in the Middle Ages: from Viking Warriors to Christian Knights

Semester & Location:	Fall 2020 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Discipline:	History
Related Discipline:	Literature
Faculty Member:	Kim Bergqvist
Program Director:	Andreas Brøgger - abr@dis.dk
Academic Coordinator:	Mark Peters - mpe@disstockholm.se
Time & Place:	TBA

Description of Course

This course focuses on the development of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden as kingdoms in the Middle Ages, both in terms of internal relations and contact, conflict, and exchanges with continental Europe and the wider world. We examine state building and law-making, Christianization and church organization, feuds, rebellions, and warfare, the Baltic crusades and forced conversion of pagans, literary and cultural developments, as well as migration and border-crossing. The aim of the course is to consider these phenomena in the intersection between cultural adaptation and domestic creativity; to what extent does Scandinavia adapt to wider European trends, and to what extent are they independently formed?

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of the course, students are expected to have acquired:

Knowledge and understanding of

• Political, social, and legal developments within the Scandinavian kingdoms in the Middle Ages
• Religious dimensions of the transformation of Scandinavian societies during the medieval period
• Europeanization and cultural change
• Literary developments in medieval Scandinavia, in Latin as well as the Nordic vernaculars

Skills in

• Comparative history
• Literary analysis of historical texts

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). Teaches medieval history at Stockholm University since 2012. ​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@historia.su.se 

Readings

Textbooks

• Bagge, Sverre (2014). Cross & scepter: the rise of the Scandinavian kingdoms from the Vikings to the Reformation. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Christiansen, Eric (1997). The northern Crusades. 2nd, new ed. London, England: Penguin.

Sources in translation (Excerpts)

• Carlquist, Erik & Peter C. Hogg (trans.) (2012). The Chronicle of Duke Erik: A Verse Epic from Medieval Sweden. Lund: Nordic Academic Press.
• Kalinke, Marianne (ed.) (2012). Norse Romance. Arthurian Archives. Woodbridge: D.S. Brewer.
• Morris, Bridget (ed.) (2006). The revelations of St. Birgitta of Sweden, Vol. 1: Liber Caelestis. Books 1-3. Trans. Denis Searby. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Saxo Grammaticus (1998). The history of the Danes: books I-IX. Ed. Hilda Ellis Davidson. Trans. Peter Fisher. Woodbridge: D.S. Brewer.
• Snorri Sturluson (2015). Heimskringla, Vol. 3: Magnús Óláfsson to Magnús Erlingsson. Trans. Alison Finlay and Anthony Faulkes. London: Viking Society for Northern Research.

Articles and excerpts

• Bagge, Sverre (2007). 'Aims and Means in the Inter-Nordic Conflicts 1302-1319.' Scandinavian Journal of History 32:1: 5–37.
• Bampi, Massimiliano (2008). 'Translating Courtly Literature and Ideology in Medieval Sweden: Flores och Banzeflor.' Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 4: 1–14.
• Ferrari, Fulvio (2008). 'Literature as a Performative Act: Erikskrönikan and the Making of a Nation.' In Lärdomber och skämptan. Medieval Swedish Literature Reconsidered, ed. Massimiliano Bampi & Fulvio Ferrari. Uppsala: Svenska fornskriftssällskapet.
• Georgieva Eriksen, Stefka. (ed.) (2016). Intellectual culture in medieval Scandinavia, c. 1100–1350. Turnhout: Brepols.
• Helle, Knut (ed.) (2003). The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, Vol. 1: Prehistory to 1520. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Layher, William (2010). Queenship and Voice in Medieval Northern Europe. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. [Excerpts]
• Line, Philip (2007). Kingship and state formation in Sweden, 1130-1290. Leiden: Brill. [Excerpts]
• Oen, Maria H. (ed.) (2019). A companion to Birgitta of Sweden and her legacy in the later Middle Ages. Leiden: Brill.
• Orning, Hans Jacob (2008). Unpredictability and presence: Norwegian kingship in the High Middle Ages. Leiden: Brill. [Excerpts]
• Sawyer, Birgit (2003). The 'civil wars' revisited. Historisk tidsskrift (Oslo) 82:1: 43-73.
• Skovgaard-Petersen, I. & Damsholt, N. (1994). 'Queenship in medieval Denmark.' In Medieval Queenship, ed. John Carmi Parsons, 25–42. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Approach to Teaching

I want to transmit and stimulate an enthusiastic approach to the history, literature and culture of the Scandinavian Middle Ages, and above all curiosity and a thirst for learning. I will not expect students to have prior knowledge of the subject at hand. Nonetheless, I do anticipate and expect 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 medieval period in Scandinavia.

Expectations

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.

Evaluation

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. 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. The use of laptops in class will be allowed, provided they are only used for taking notes during lectures or presentations.

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Engagement	30%
Reflection Paper	15%
Midterm Exam	20%
Final Paper	35%

Description of Assignments

Written assignments should have a title, be double-spaced, 12 font with approximately 350 words per page. Students may refer to the MLA Handbook or a writing manual from their home universities. Just be consistent when using citations, footnoting, etc.

Reflection Paper

You will write a reflection paper on a theme that we have discussed in class or a field study we went on. The analysis should be 3 to 4 pages in length, 12 font and approximately 350 words per page (i.e. around 1000–1400 words in total).

Midterm Exam

The midterm exam will be taken in class. The midterm will test what we have learned during the first half of the semester through readings, class lectures, and discussions, and on field studies. The midterm will consist of several brief answer questions (of important dates, keywords, concepts, relevant terminology, and identifications) and one essay question.

Final Paper

For the final paper, you will write an academic essay or research paper (6-7 pages), using a theoretical approach or perspective of your choice. Approx. 350 words per page, one-inch margins, 12 font (i.e. around 2000-2500 words in total). Use at least two outside sources (scholarly books or articles not among the required reading for the course). A 300-word abstract is due two weeks before the final deadline.

You are welcome to discuss possible topics for your paper with your instructor at any time 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
• Attendance
• Coursework, Exams, and Final Grade Reports

 

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