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History & Literature

The Vikings and Medieval Norway

When:

30 June - 25 July 2025

School:

University of Oslo – International Summer School

Institution:

University of Oslo

City:

Oslo

Country:

Norway

Language:

Norwegian

Credits:

10 EC

Fee:

255 EUR

Interested?
The Vikings and Medieval Norway

About

Course content
This course surveys the history and culture of Norway during the Viking Era (ca. 750-1030) and the Medieval Era (ca. 1030-1536), including mutual influences and interactions with neighboring regions and peoples. The course includes a focus on Norse mythology and covers the social and political contexts of Viking expeditions, national unification, and conversion to Christianity. It covers the medieval Kingdom of Norway’s period of relative peace and prosperity in the 1200s, and then the Black Death and Kalmar Union. Reading focuses on skaldic and saga literature (especially Icelandic and Norwegian) and other historical primary sources. Also included in this course is consideration of how the memory of the Vikings and Medieval Norway have influenced political and cultural trends in Norway over the past few centuries.

Target group

Undergraduate level: Bachelor's course

No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.

Course aim

Learning outcome

1. Knowledge:
After this course you will have knowledge about:
-Norwegian geography
-The basic prehistory of Norway
Norse mythology
-Social and political conditions in Norway during the Viking Era and Middle Ages.
-The causes, effects and broad narrative of the Viking expeditions.
-The processes that led to significant changes such as conversion to Christianity, national unification, economic diversification, and international unions.
-Medieval Icelandic and Norwegian literature.

2. Skills:
After having completed the course, you will:
-Read primary and secondary historical sources with good comprehension.
-Apply reading, writing, and thinking methods such as critical source assessment, interpretation, corroborating, and contextualizing.
-Analyze complex information in written responses.

3. General competence:
After completing the course, you will:
-Be better prepared to understand and appreciate the historical-cultural environment of modern Norway and neighboring countries.

Fee info

Fee

255 EUR, Fee for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens

Fee

1560 EUR, Fee for international students (except EU/ EEA/Swiss citizens)

Interested?

When:

30 June - 25 July 2025

School:

University of Oslo – International Summer School

Institution:

University of Oslo

Language:

Norwegian

Credits:

10 EC

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