Sweden Åk 8 Curriculum - History

Course Description: History helps us understand the past, present, and future. It teaches how societies and cultures have changed over time and how these changes affect our lives today. Students will learn about historical events, people, and processes, and how to analyze historical sources. They will also learn how history is used in different contexts and how it can influence our identities and values.

Course Objectives:

• Develop historical consciousness and understanding.
• Gain knowledge of historical events, figures, and processes.
• Develop an understanding of historical concepts and long-term historical trends.
• Develop the ability to question, interpret, critically examine, and evaluate historical sources.
• Develop the ability to reflect on how history is used in different contexts and for different purposes.

Central Content:

Grade 7-9:

Societal Transformations: The Rise of Civilizations and Industrial Societies:

• The rise of advanced cultures in different parts of the world, for example, in Africa, America, and Asia.
• Antiquity, its characteristics as an era and its significance for our time.
• European colonization and the slave trade. The consequences of this for people and cultures, and for the increased global trade between Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.
• Industrialization in Europe and Sweden. Different causes of industrialization and its consequences for people and the environment.
• Revolutions and the emergence of new ideas, social classes, and political ideologies.
• Interpretation of historical sources from a given time period and examination based on source-critical criteria.
• Evaluation of the relevance of sources based on historical questions.
• Analysis of the use of history related to a given time period, for example, how different actors use history to create or strengthen national identities.

Imperialism and World Wars, circa 1850-1950:

• European nationalism, imperialism, and the emergence of different forms of democracy and dictatorship.
• The two World Wars, their causes and consequences. Oppression, displacement of peoples, and genocide. The Holocaust and the Gulag. People's resistance to oppression.
• Interpretation of historical sources from the time period and examination based on source-critical criteria.
• Evaluation of the relevance of sources based on historical questions.
• Analysis of the use of history related to the time period, for example, how different actors use history to create public opinion or legitimize power.

Democratization and Increased Globalization, circa 1900 to the present:

• Democratization in Sweden and the emergence of the welfare state. The formation of political parties, new popular movements, for example, the women's movement, and the struggle for universal suffrage for women and men. Continuity and change in views on gender, equality, and sexuality.
• The conflicts of the Cold War, as well as new power relations and challenges in the world after the end of the Cold War.
• Continuity and change based on long-term historical trends related to living conditions, migration, and power.
• Interpretation of historical sources from the time period and examination based on source-critical criteria.
• Evaluation of the relevance of sources based on historical questions.
• Analysis of the use of history related to the time period, for example, how individuals and groups use history to criticize contemporary phenomena and influence our perceptions of the future.