Course syllabus

A yellow-orange sunset at a field.

 

Welcome to the course Swedish Society and Everyday Life

This course is coordinated by Jakob Löfgren. Contact the teacher if you have questions about the course and the teaching.

For questions about admission, registration and the like, please contact our course administrator Angelika Holm.

 

About the course

The course will provide broad insights into Swedish culture and everyday life by examining areas like quotidian habits, modernity, ethnicity, work-place culture, youth culture and the cultural impact of globalization and new economies.

The aim of the course is to introduce an ethnological analysis and understanding of Swedish society, past and present. The course deals with aspects of cultural and historical change from peasant society through modernity to contemporary society. Images of Swedishness, family and gender, cultural heritage and the impact of globalization are central themes in the course. All lectures and course materials are in English.

 

On completion of the course, the student is expected to possess knowledge of:

  • Ethnological research, methods and perspectives on Swedish society and culture
  • The cultural context of modern and societal change
  • Folk tradition and social organisation in early modern Swedish society
  • The development of the Swedish welfare state
  • Debates and issues in contemporary Sweden

 

Lectures and seminars

The instruction consists of lectures, seminars based on readings as well as assignments and excursions. All instruction and literature are in English.

The course is structured according to a number of themes. Most of the themes will be introduced by a lecture, followed by a seminar (variations in the schedule may occur). Lectures will relate thematically to the course literature in order to place it in a broader context.

 

Attendance requirements

All lectures and seminars are compulsory and absence requires supplementary assignments.

 

Don't forget to register yourself on the course

To start the course, you need to be registered. Go to Ladok for students to register. It is not enough that you are only admitted to the course. On the page Admissions and registration there are instructions on how you do this. The registration periode is open December 11 2025 until January 11 2026.

 

Study Support

If you need special support in your studies, you need to obtain a certificate to receive it, a so-called NAIS certificate. You can read more and apply for support on our student page Study Support. If you have questions, contact Uppsala University’s coordinators for targeted study support. Apply as early as possible after you have registered on the course. That way you will get help the fastest.

 

Preparations for seminars and lectures 

Read the texts. Try to identify the common theme that the authors address. In what different ways have they chosen to approach the theme? What are their arguments? On what kind of data do they rely? Do you find their analyses agreeable? In what way do the articles help you understand your experiences of everyday life in Sweden?

Absence from lectures/seminars requires a supplementary assignment to be submitted at Studium under Assignments / Supplementary assignments. The assignment is to write a reflection paper of 800 words on the readings for the missed lecture or seminar. Use the questions above as guidelines.

 

Course start

The course starts with an introductory lecture on Monday the 19th of January 12:15 - 14:00 in 2-0024, Engelska parken. 

You will encounter engaged and knowledgeable teachers throughout the course who gave a myriad of current research topics and contemplations on Swedish Society. 

 

Welcome!