Each summer, between eight and 20 students have the opportunity to participate in a faculty-led study abroad program in Stockholm, Sweden.

Terry Royed and Ted Miller, professors in the political science department, are teaming up with Dan Riches, an assistant professor in the history department, for the first time this summer to add another dimension to the program.

“The program was started by us and another political scientist in 2009,” Royed said. “This is actually our first year expanding it to history, and Dr. Riches specializes in Sweden. That’s his area of research, so we’re kind of excited to make it multidisciplinary and bring in his expertise.”

Students will take six credit hours in history and political science while in Stockholm. The courses focus on Sweden itself, as well as Sweden’s relationship to the rest of Europe. Riches, whose class will look at the history of Scandinavia in foreign relations, has spent a year researching in Stockholm. He said that Sweden’s location makes its place in European history interesting to study.

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“Sweden represents, for someone who is interested in history, a really fascinating story of a place that is peripheral to the main currents of European history as people normally understand them,” Riches said. “But that also offers a kind of window into the ways in which these big currents of Europe have played out in a very poignant kind of way.”

Students also have the chance to study Swedish domestic and foreign policy. Royed explained that Sweden, as well as the other Scandinavian countries, are wealthy capitalist countries with large welfare states. Miller said this seemingly unusual combination makes Sweden an appealing location to political scientists.

“There’s a good opportunity to compare those histories and think about why, in spite of the left-leaning welfare state, the monarchy is still really popular,” Miller said.

The differences between Swedish and American politics provide students with a chance to compare and contrast the two systems. Kelly LaForge, a senior majoring in political science and public relations, studied in Stockholm during summer 2013.

“It totally changes your perspective on our American system, just the content of our debates and the fact that we even have debates between two parties,” LaForge said.

While in Stockholm, students have the chance to explore what they are learning firsthand. For example, groups take field trips to the Vasa Museum, which houses an early 17th-century Swedish warship and is one of the most popular museums in Stockholm.

Students also get to visit the Royal Palace, which students study in Miller’s political science course, as well as Parliament and City Hall, home to Nobel Prize ceremonies.

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An added bonus for American students studying in Stockholm is that the majority of the native people speak English. Royed said this might make some students feel more at ease studying abroad.

“That’s maybe one of the advantages of our program for somebody wanting to do study abroad,” Royed said. “A lot of the programs here are language programs. Our program focuses on the social sciences, so it’s kind of nice that you can get along very, very well without having to worry about the language. The vast majority of people speak English, and they speak it very well.”

Another way instructors try to make students feel more comfortable abroad is through bonding within the group. Sweden, sometimes called the Venice of the North is made up of many different islands. One excursion the group takes is to a popular Swedish recreation spot on one of these many islands. The trip serves to bond the group and show students another view of Swedish culture.

“It’s a way of letting them experience Swedish culture outside of the city,” Royed said. “We have always done it early on in the program, and so we also find it’s just a good way to kind of build a sense of community or solidarity among the students.”

“And it’s a good way to see how Swedes recreate,” Miller said.

The UA in Sweden program will take place during the Summer II term, July 8 to Aug. 1.

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