Text

Course syllabus - Gender and Politics

Scope

7.5 credits

Course code

SKA211

Valid from

Autumn semester 2024

Education level

First cycle

Progressive Specialisation

G2F (First cycle, has at least 60 credits in first-cycle course/s as entry requirements)

Main area(s)

Political Science

Organisation

School of Business, Society and Engineering

Ratified

2024-01-18

Literature lists

Course literature is preliminary up to 8 weeks before course start. Course literature can be valid over several semesters.

    • Ratified date: 2024-10-30
    • Latest update: 2025-05-27

    Books

    Waylen, Georgina

    The Oxford handbook of gender and politics

    ISBN: 0199751455

    LIBRIS-ID: 13593073

    Oxford, Oxford University Press, xi, 872 p.

    Mandatory

    Other materials

    Work materials will be added during the course.

Objectives

The purpose of the course is to give the students an insight into gender theory with a connection to the political science field and to give an orientation on political representation linked to gender and in gender equality policy. Furthermore, the course aims to translate gender and political science theory into practice and increase the student's understanding of the conditions of gender equality policy.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

  1. Explain some of the central theories and concepts in gender theory that relate to feminism, citizenship, political representation, political leadership and political communication.
  2. Describe women's representation in politics and the development of gender equality policy and its implementation

    Skills and ability
  3. Apply gender theories in a practical political science context
  4. Independently formulate and report reflections when course content is discussed at seminars or in written assignments
  5. Demonstrate skills in academic writing and good linguistic presentation

    Evaluation ability and attitudes
  6. Reflect on the relationship between gender theory and its practical applications
  7. Show in-depth and applied scientific critical approach

Course content

The course gives students basic tools to analyze both theoretical and empirical questions about gender and politics from a historical and global comparative perspective, with a certain emphasis on Sweden. Students are offered an introduction to central theories and concepts in gender theory relating to feminism, citizenship, political representation, political leadership and political communication, with a focus on power and influence at both societal and individual levels. The empirical parts of the course give the students concrete examples of how such concepts and theories can be used to analyze politics from a gender perspective. For example, we examine the representation of women in terms of its historical development and significance for the development of democracy and politics, as well as global trends in how female politicians are portrayed in the media. In addition, we discuss various policy instruments (family policy, quotas, etc.) to achieve gender equality.

Specific requirements

60 credits of which 30 credits are in Political Science

Examination

Paper (PM01), 5.5 credits, grades: Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with distinction (VG) Learning outcomes 1-7.

Written assignment (INL1), 1 credits, grades: Fail (U) or Pass (G) Learning outcomes 1-7.

Seminar (SEM1), 1 credits, grades: Fail (U) or Pass (G) Learning outcomes 1-7.

A student who has a certificate from MDU regarding disability study support, can request adaptions for the examination. It is the examiner who takes decisions on any adaptions, based on the certificate and other conditions.

Grade

Three-grade scale