Critical Studies on Gender Equality Policy and Diversity

The course is a freestanding course.

The course is a part of the following programme: Gendering Practices, Master's Programme.

Bachelor's degree or equivalent.

The aim of the course is for students to acquire theoretical and methodological tools for developing a critical approach to work against discrimination and excluding norm formation in various fields of politics, among authorities and administration, voluntary organizations, public sector and enterprises. A special focus is on intersectional theory construction and training of skills in intersectional analyses of excluding and including norms.

After completion of the course the student should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• independently relate gender theory and methodology to work with equality and diversity in various concrete contexts,
• make use of results and discussion coming from the intersectional research field in independent analyses,
• relate intersectional theory construction and debates to problems of equality and diversity,

Skills and abilities

• carry out critical, intersectional text and image analyses of different forms of public documentation, such as documents concerning core values, information material from authorities and organizations, policy documents on equality,
• communicate, orally and in writing, about problem areas important for work with equality and diversity,
• in collaboration with others, analyse and discuss problems of equality and diversity,

Judgement and approach

• independently discern and present generic competences enabled by the course, such as oral and written presentations, analytical and critical examination as well as discussing and relating these competences to concrete examples of contemporary work with equality and diversity,
• take a self-reflexive attitude towards various forms of public material, such as core value documents, information material from authorities and organizations, policy documents on equality.

Lectures, seminars and workshops.

Language of instruction: Swedish and English

The course will be examined through active participation in seminars, an independent essay and an oral presentation. An absent student may be asked to fulfill supplementary requirements in the form of additional assignments in order to achieve a Passing grade.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The grading scale comprises: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U).

The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.

Aspects of gender equality and equal treatment will be considered in the content, the literature, the teaching, and the evaluations of the course.

The course will be given in English, unless all students admitted to the course are Swedish-speaking, then the course language can be Swedish.

This is a translated version of the Swedish original. In case of differences between the Swedish version and the English translation, the Swedish original shall prevail.