Nordic Politics

SA210S

This course presents and compares the political systems of the Nordic countries. It starts out with a presentation of the common liberal democratic foundation the Nordic political systems are built upon, followed up by a brief historical sketch of the political development from the 1800s and up to the present political institutions. It then moves on to The Nordic Model of Government, dealing with central aspects like parliamentarism, consensual democracy, corporatism, welfare state, political party system, regional and local government and international relations concerning both the EU and High North issues. Through the course Norway and its political system is used as the starting point and the main example.

Admission occurs based on general study competence (university entrance) according to current Norwegian regulations.

Knowledge and Understanding

The student should:

demonstrate an understanding of the liberal foundation the Nordic political systems are built upon
have knowledge about the political development and the political institutions of the Nordic societies
be able to make comparisons between different parts and different levels of the political systems of the Nordic Countries
be familiar with concepts central to the political systems of the Nordic countries, like Social Democracy, the Welfare State and Consensual Democracy Corporatism
have basic knowledge about the foreign policy and security policy of the Nordic countries, especially regarding EU and High North issues

Skills

The student should:

have developed skills for critical analysis of political institutions and political organization

General Competence

The student should:

be able to compare the Nordic countries to other nations regarding political institutions and solutions to social challenges

No costs except semester registration fee and syllabus literature.

Compulsory for the Bachelor of Circumpolar and Nordic Studies. Elective course for other students at Nord University

On campus and online lectures, seminars and compulsory written assignments (answer to module questions).

Annual evaluations which are included in the university´s quality assurance system.

Written assignments and individual home exam:

The written assignments (answers to module questions) are preliminary examinations, and have to be successfully completed, together with the home exam, in order for the student to be able to receive the formal grade and credits.

Successfully completed preliminary examinations are valid the two subsequent terms after first attempt.

The exam consists of an individual take-home examination There will be one final grade using the regular Norwegian grading system (A-F).

The exam must be answered in English.

All means including course literature, internet, library, etc. but no artificial intelligence.

Generating responses using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT or similar, and submitting them entirely or partially as one's own work is considered cheating.

At least one year of undergraduate studies, preferably within the field of social sciences, or the core courses of the Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies.

Overlap refers to a similarity between courses with the same content. Therefore, you will receive the following reduction in credits if you have taken the courses listed below:

SA210S-2 - Scandinavian Politics - 10 credits

SA210S-001 - Take-home examination - 6 credits

SA210S-002 - Portfolio assessment - 4 credits

Curriculum literature

Leganto

Course language

English

Credits

Study location

Bodø

Responsible faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Course coordinator

Information about the course coordinator for the selected semester is no longer available. Please contact the current course coordinator.