Course Description

Sweden is a modern Social Democratic country, going through several gut-wrenching changes. What was true in the recent past, what Sweden was famous for, no longer seems commonplace. In this new Lecture-Discussion format, several key issues will be examined: Rising socio-economic inequality in a majority middle-class society; gun violence and illegal drugs in a traditional law-abiding culture; right-wing extremism growing in a heavily left-wing political arena; the newly developing preference for private medicine in place of socialized-medicine; applying to join NATO after more than a century of strict foreign neutrality; and a growing rejection of new immigrants in a nation having accepted the highest per capita influx of migrants in Europe. The session, divided equally between a power-point lecture and a guided discussion, will explore and analyze current trends in Swedish society. Note: Kahn has visited Sweden many times, studied the Swedish language via Stockholm University, and currently has family living in the country. Space is limited.