General provisions

The course is included in the Master's Programme in Religion in Peace and Conflict.

Entry requirements

University studies of at least 180 credits where the main field of study consists of at least 90 credits in Theology, History, Philosophy, Linguistics, Educational Science, Social Science or the equivalent.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

• critically analyse different types of biography;
• problematise the importance of individuals for social change;
• apply the insights of previous generations of activists to current social issues;
• compare different writers' and researchers' portrayal of the same people and events and take a position on different kinds of explanation;
• independently identify historical and contemporary figures of significance in peace and justice efforts;
• search for material in archives and on the Internet and use it with a high level of source-critical awareness;
• plan and carry out one or more interviews;
• reflect on and discuss in a nuanced way ethical problems relating to biographical studies;
• communicate the results of the study to two different target groups.

Content

The first part of the course starts out from a number of biographies on Gandhi and, based on these, discusses different ways of describing, explaining and taking a position on movements and people who work or have worked for peace and justice. The course presents different theoretical perspectives from History, Literary Studies, Psychology, Anthropology and Religious Studies on biography as a genre and on the question of the individual's significance for social change.

In the second part of the course, each student will conduct a study of an individual who is or has been committed to peace and justice. The student will search for information on the individual and/or the movement in public or personal archives and process the material using established methods of source criticism. The student will also carry out one or more interviews with one or several individuals who have been involved in peace work. The results of the study will be presented to two different target groups (for example researchers, youths, politicians or radio listeners). Students will discuss in a seminar the different ethical considerations that a biographer is faced with.

Instruction

The course can be taken as a distance-learning course. There are a few days of compulsory attendance on campus. Contact between teachers and students takes place via a course portal online.

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of active participation in seminar discussions and through oral and written assignments.

Transitional provisions

Students who have studied according to this course syllabus may be examined according to the same syllabus within two years of the course date. In special circumstances, a retake may also occur at a later date. Normally, teaching according to an older course syllabus will not be offered.