Social Studies 2C - International history

SAM2005

The 20th century was a century characterized by war, conflict and genocide. How are we to understand the long historical lines and the international political situation that lead to the outbreak of two world wars, followed by a cold war that divides the world into two blocs? And how can the seeds of genocide and persecution in the 20th century be traced back to colonialism and imperialism in the 19th century?

The course addresses key events, developments and phenomena in international history from the 20th century to the present day. It has a particular focus on war and conflicts - how this arises, how it unfolds and how it challenges democracy and human rights. The subject also addresses how international conflicts, as well as globalization and increased international interaction, affect Norway

Admission to the study programme.

Knowledge

The student:

Has knowledge of key wars and conflicts in the 20th century and up to the present day.
Has knowledge of how war, conflict and genocide have challenged democracy and human rights.
Has knowledge of how central international trends and actors have influenced Norway.
Has knowledge of central didactic challenges linked to teaching on this topic.

Skills

The student:

Can apply knowledge of the subject matter in independent analyses.
Can reflect on key didactic challenges and opportunities linked to teaching about the subject's subject matter.
Can use and assess different working methods that stimulate students' awareness of time, space and processes in international relations.
Can work with values and attitudes in the school's social studies to promote critical reflection and action competence in the students.

General competence

The student:

Read and analyze specialist literature
Use sources in a scientific manner

There are no fees apart from the semester fee and the cost of curriculum literature. It is expected that the student has access to a laptop.

Elective

Weekly campus-based teaching, consisting of lectures, group work and self-study. There are various work requirements, both individual and in groups, and of different forms (oral presentations, written submissions, digital products, etc.).

The study program is evaluated annually by the students through course evaluations and study program evaluation. These evaluations are included as part of the university's quality assurance system.

Composite assessment. All parts must be approved/passed before you get a grade.

Compulsory attendance at teaching. Requirement of minimum 80% participation. Assessed asapproved/not approved.

Coursework requirements (AK) in the form of 2 assignments. Further requirements and information will begiven in the semester plan for the course. Assessed as approved/not approved.

Written school exam (6 hours). Grading scale A-F. Counts 100/100 of the grade.

None

Generating an answer using ChatGPT or similar artificial intelligence and submitting it wholly or partially as one's own answer is considered cheating

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:

SAM2002 - Social Science 2B, 5-10 - 7.5 credits

SAM1007 - Social Studies 1, 5-10 - 7.5 credits

Course language

Norwegian

Credits

7.5

Levanger, Nesna

Teaching semesters

Spring 2026

Responsible faculty

The Faculty of Education and Arts

Course coordinator

Associate Professor

Eirik Julius Risberg

eirik.j.risberg@nord.no