General provisions

The Centre for Gender Research is responsible for this course. This course is obligatory for students reading the Master's programme in the Humanities - Gender Studies.

Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Learning outcomes

Following successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain and discuss different understandings of identity, and the place of the concept of identity within the framework of theory/criticism in various fields of research and aesthetic expressions;
• Discuss and contextualize identity as theoretical concept, political perspective and social practice, with a starting point in different dimensions of power, especially sex/gender, ethnicity, class and sexuality;
• Independently identify a theme relevant to the area of study, and then author and discuss a written assignment on this topic.

Content

Taking a selection of relevant critical perspectives as their points of departure, students on this course examine and problematise identity as a critical concept, political tool and lived practice. Theories formulated within the field of Gender Studies are particularly central, and theories of sex/gender, sexuality, ethnicity and race are all covered during the course. Theories of identity as socially constructions are central and the course addresses both contemporary and historical perspectives on identity. The course includes an independent writing assignment.

Instruction

The course is delivered through a series of lectures and/or seminars.

Assessment

All seminars are part of the examination and include written and oral assignments. In addition students are expected to complete a written paper based on the theme of the course. All written submissions will undergo a plagiarism check.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.