What is Denmark? On the front page of danmarkshistorien.dk, there is a special welcome to the international course participants who are either studying Danish history or merely curious about the small northern European country of Denmark. It is now possible to study the country’s history closely – in English. The texts are written by 13 members of staff from the Department of History and Classical Studies and were first published in Danish in 2020. The course was designed for first-year history students, but it is suitable for all adults with an interest in Danish history. Now it is also available in English, which should benefit even more people around the world who are interested in history. Mette Frisk Jensen, who has been a project manager for the website, explains:

“The new course in English will be used when teaching exchange students at Arts, but it will hopefully also benefit other international students and staff at Aarhus University. It is also expected to be used at the many departments of Nordic and Scandinavian studies around the world, as well as anyone using Google to find information about Danish history.”

From the Viking Age to a welfare state

The English course is entitled: Open Online Course in Danish History: A History of Denmark from the Viking Age to the 21st Century.

As the title suggests, it spans chronologically more than a 1,000 years and focuses on the most important economic, social and cultural events that have shaped Denmark. The courses shed light on complex issues such as Denmark’s relationship with its Nordic neighbours, the origins of the current border with Germany and the historical development of the Danish welfare state. The online courses consist of nine modules, which include a combination of text and a number of short films in which researchers talk about important aspects of development in the individual periods in history. For those who are interested in history but not tied to a syllabus, the course form is very flexible, Mette Frisk Jensen explains:

“You can decide when you want to take the course, and whether you want to take all the lessons or just some of them, for example if you are more interested in the Middle Ages than 20^th-century history – or vice versa.”

As mentioned above, the course is free, and you do not need a special login to participate. It can be accessed here: https://danmarkshistorien.dk/en/open-online-course

Also in book form

All the texts from the English version of the course have just been published as a book by Aarhus University Press. It was edited by three professors from the Department of History and Classical Studies: Mary Hilson, Bjørn Poulsen and Thorsten Borring Olesen. The Danish texts were published in 2022. The English book is approx. 500 pages and can be acquired through Aarhus University Press: https://unipress.dk/udgivelser/a/a-history-of-denmark-from-the-viking-age-to-the-21st-century/

Contact:

Mette Frisk Jensen, leader of danmarkshistorien.dk
Email: hismfj@cas.au.dk
Mobile: +45 25566682