Course Syllabus

Gender, Equality, and Sexuality in Scandinavia

Fall 2017

Location: Stockholm

Credits: 3

Core Course: Uppsala

Study Tour: Berlin

Related Disciplines: Gender Studies, Sociology, Anthropology

Program Director: Iben de Neergaard, idn@dis.dk

Program Coordinator: Sara Gjermandsen, sgj@dis.dk. Mark Peters, mpe@disstockholm.se 

Faculty Member: Anna Cavallin

Time: Mondays & Thursdays, 14:50 – 16:10

Location: 1E510

 

 

 

                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                     

Description of course:

Sweden is one of the most gender equal countries in the world and is well-known for its progressive culture supported by forward-thinking laws and legislations. Legalized prostitution (but illegal to purchase sexual services), paid parental leave for all parents, a very strong representation of women in leadership positions, progressive sex education, and equal rights for homosexuals are among the hallmarks of all Scandinavian societies. However, Sweden also has one of the most gender-divided workplaces in the Western world and gender equal policies do not automatically lead to gender equal behaviors.

 

This course explores how concepts of gender, body, sexuality and race intersect in current debates about changing family structures, children’s rights, and new ethical dilemmas in a changing Scandinavia. For example, some of the recent initiatives discussed in Swedish media and worldwide – a gender neutral approach to children and the recognition of a gender-neutral pronoun “hen” in the new Swedish dictionary, Sweden’s first LGBT pool, implementation of a norm-critical approach to teaching and learning, just to mention a few. We will follow public debates on various burning issues and compare and reflect on the differences observed between the United States, Sweden, and Scandinavia, as well as question norms and traditional ways of thinking about gender and sexuality.

 

By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

  • Employ methodologies from critical gender and sexuality studies to analyze the assumptions about gender and sexuality, which inform studies about us as individuals, societies, cultures, etc.
  • Focusing on Scandinavia and the US, examine how societies’ construction of gender and sexuality intersects with ethnicity, race, class, age, dis/ability, etc.
  • Be familiar with the most “burning issues” in Scandinavian debates about gender and sexuality.

 

Faculty: Anna Cavallin

B.A. (Comparative Literature and French Literature, Stockholm University). M.A. (Comparative Literature, Stockholm University). Planned PhD on Sweden in the late 19th century: gender, consumption and power in 2017 (Department of Literature, Stockholm University). Current instructor and lecturer at the Department of Gender Studies, Stockholm University. Taught several courses on Swedish culture, literature, and gender for The Swedish Program Study Abroad Program located in Stockholm. Fields of research include a special focus on literary analysis contextualizing gender perspective.

 

Panels/Guest lecturers:

  • PhD Karin Milles, researcher and lecturer specialized in language from different aspects of gender perspective.

 

Field Studies:

  • Aug 23: Hallwylska palatset: A guided tour of one of Stockholm’s private palaces from early 20-th century, created by one of the most remarkable, eccentric and unusual women of her time.
  • Oct 25: Sex education in Sweden – a workshop with RFSU, a non-profit organization that works for and with an open, positive view of sex education and relationship issues.
  • Dec 6: The Police Museum, the exhibition “We and Them – on hate crime in Sweden”, a guided tour of an exhibition with a special focus on the situation of hate crime in Sweden, its origins and how questions of difference play into this.

 

Movies

  • Something has to break/Nånting måste gå sönder, 2014, Sweden.
  • Sex on the map, 2012, RFSU & UR, Sweden.

   

 

 

 

COURSE SPIRIT AND POLICIES:

Mutual learning atmosphere: The course is based on a student-centered approach with a strong emphasis on class discussions. My role as instructor is to facilitate the course and learning process during, but all of us are responsible for creating the most beneficial atmosphere and environment for creation of knowledge. Different learning activities will occur during the course, such as group work, workshops, reflection tasks, field studies, movie- and text analysis and more. In addition to this, you will also be given the opportunity to add your own research and to get insights into the contemporary public debate.

Everyone’s opinion counts: Some of the topics covered in this course could be seen as controversial and sensitive. You should feel comfortable in expressing your personal opinions regarding issues discussed in class, and we are all responsible for creating the discussion climate where this is felt by all participants. In order to attain this, also be prepared to be open to other points of view than your own, and always express disagreement in a respectful and constructive way. See this as an opportunity to broaden your perspective by listening to other opinions. The concept of safe space will be addressed and rules concerning this will be talked through during our first class session.

Attendance and lateness: You are expected to attend all DIS-classes when scheduled. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in case of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note. You are also expected to arrive to class on time. Multiple late arrivals are considered an absence.  

Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

Laptop and phones: Attention in class is to be focused on the learning process, on class discussions and learning activities. Laptops and/or phones can be used if allowed by instructor for course purposes. Considerations will of course be taken, if you have special needs for a computer for note taking. In these cases, see the teaching & learning Center at DIS for a letter to give to the instructor.

 

Format and Evaluation Criteria: You will be evaluated in several ways. Each assignment will let you meet course objectives. All work – including in-class assignments – has to be completed in order to pass the class. Late papers or projects will be marked down with 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late.

 

Disability and resource statement:   Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Sean Green (sg@dis.dk) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

 

ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION

FORMAT

EVAL.

CRITERIA

DEADLINES

Participation

20%

Includes attendance and in-class participation: engaged listening, speaking up in productive ways, participating actively in the learning activities, small group discussions, group work etc.

The grade will include the following parameters:

Active and verbal participation in class discussions and field studies. This includes formal presentation of a burning issue or a dilemma and participation in debates during the semester

Throughout the course

Reflection paper I

10%

A personally based 1-2 page reflection paper, where you respond to a class activity (reading, guest lecture, field trip etc) and communicate your own thoughts and opinions as you reveal the thought process which led you to these conclusions.

 September 28

Reflection paper II

30%

A personally based but theoretically informed written paper (4-5 pages) reflecting on your experiences with gender and sexuality in Sweden compared to the US. This should not be autobiographical or your own personal/family story but an analytical paper where you rely on some of the concepts brought up and discussed in class but put into perspective with your own experiences. The paper could also include images to be analyzed.

October 26

Final project*

40%

Final research paper (5-9 pages) or project (youtube-movie, audio or visual montage, parody, magazine, oe maybe a queer political manifesto?). Creative projects must be accompanied by a 2-3  page academic reflection.

-The final research paper or project should include a question around gender and sexuality. You are expected to answer that question in an academic manner using the theory and material from class.

Thur Dec 7

*Detailed information about the assignments will be presented in class

 

 

 

 

Guidelines for the written assignments: All assignments must be double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins. At DIS, one page equals 300 words.

You are expected to use correct citing formats (either APA or MLA) on all assignments.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due