University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education
2015
Course outline,
PDG084, Gender & Education, 7,5 hp
Autumn 2015
Department of Education and Special Education; Faculty of Education,
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Course Coordinator: Dr Petra Angervall
Email: petra.angervall@ped.gu.se
PDG084 Gender and Education is an elective course that provides studies on relations
between gender and education in Sweden, as well as from various international
perspectives. The course concerns different aspects on gender in education, e.g. how to
understand and use gender theories, how gender is part of knowledge production,
activities, rules, and insights. We also intend to analyse how activities, relations,
symbols, in different educational contexts, are constructed from/by other power
relations.
At the end of the course students are expected to have acquired basic knowledge and
understandings about gender and education, the capacity to use this knowledge in
various contexts and the ability to critically compare issues of equality from an
international perspective (see course syllabus).
Content
The subject will cover the following topic areas; gender theories, relations in education
from an international perspective, gender equality conditions in different education
systems, history and education, identity and inter-sectionality (see schedule).
Lectures and seminars
The course includes five seminars and five lectures. The first seminar is to be seen as an
introduction to the course and its students. The students are assigned a task to prepare
(see specific hand-out). At four of the seminars we discuss and analyse the course
literature. The students need to come prepared. They are expected to actively
participate, by reading specific parts of the literature and to bring two prepared
questions for each seminar. We intend to create an open discussion on various topics
taken from these texts. The lectures are structured to follow the course themes, are also
intended to open up for various interpretations of these topics and give the students
additional references in order to go further in their understandings.
Final exam
The final exam is an individually written paper, max five pages (information on GUL 15
Oct). This exam is in November. See schedule for dates. After the seminar on the 14th,
you will be given written directions on the final exam. You hand in the written paper the
same morning as the oral examination (by e-mail or by using GUL – specific folder).
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University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education
2015
SCHEDULE
Day and Time
Place
Teacher
Theme
9 Sep
A1 311
AS
Introduction
AH
Gender Equality,
measurement and
the Swedish
Education System
PA
Seminar: Student
assignments
3-4.30pm
4.45-6pm
16 Sep
3-6pm
A1 316
A1 318
23 Sep
Literature
3-4pm
A1 311
AH
Lecture: Gender and
history
4.30-6pm
A1 311
PA/a
A1 316
AS/b
Seminar: Course
literature
Harding, Brah &
Phoenix
30 Sep
3-6pm
B1 116
PA
Lecture: Gender
Theory
Connell, Harding,
Paechter
7 Oct
3-6pm
A1 334
PA
A1 336
AS
Seminar: Course
literature
Paechter
(intro+chp 2,4,5,6)
3-4pm
A1 311
AS
Lecture: Gender and
institutions
4.30-6pm
A1 311
AS/a
A1 318
PA/b
Seminar: Course
literature
14 Oct
Ferfolja, Godley
Paechter (chp 3, 7, 9)
Also see hand out!
(also see GUl for
examination)
21 Oct
3-4pm
A1 318
AS
Lecture: Gender and
identity
Epstein
4.30-6pm
A1 318
AS
AK2 134
PA
Seminar: Course
literature
Epstein, Osler,
Paechter (chp 8)
22 Oct
3-4 pm
A1 311
PA
Supervision
28 Oct
3-7pm
A1 311
PA
AS
Examination
A1 316
PA: Petra Angervall , AS: Angelica Simonsson, AH., AnnSofie Holm
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University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education
2015
LITERATURE
Brah, A. & Phoenix, A. (2004). Ain’t I A Woman? Revisiting
Intersectionality. In Journal of International Women’s Studies.
Epstein, Debbie (1998). Real boys don’t work: “underachievement” and
masculinity and the harassment of “sissies”. In D. Epstein, J.
Elwood, V. Hey and J. Maw (Eds), Failing boys? Issues in gender and
achievement. Buckingham: Open University Press.
(Private copy)
Ferfolja, T. (2007). “Schooling cultures: institutionalizing
heteronormativity and heterosexism”. International Journal of
Inclusive Education, 11:2.
Godley, A. (2006). “Gendered borderwork in a high school English
class”. English Teaching: Practice and Critique.
Harding, Sandra (1994). Feminism and theories of scientific
knowledge. In M. Evans (Ed), The woman Question. London: Sage.
(Private copy)
Osler, Audrey (2006). Excluded girls: interpersonal, institutional
and structural violence in schooling. Gender and Education, 18, 6,
pp. 571-589
(PDF-file on GUNDA, University library)
Paechter, Carrie (1998). Education the other: gender, power and
schooling. London: The Falmer Press.
(book)
Paechter 2, Carrie (2006). Masculine femininities/feminine
masculinities: power, identities and gender. Gender and Education,
18, 3, pp. 253-263
(PDF-file on GUNDA, UL)
Wright, Cecile, Weekes, Debbie & MacGlaughlin, Alex (2006). Genderblind racism in the experience of schooling and identity formation.
In M. Arnot & M. Mac an Ghaill (Eds), Gender and Education. NY: The
RouthledgeFalmer Reader.
(book)
Öhrn, Elisabet (2009). Challenging Sexism? Gender and Ethnicity in
the Secondary School. Scandinavian Journal of Education Research.
Vol. 53, 6. pp 579-590
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University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education
2015
Additional references:
Connell, R.W. (2002). Gender. Oxford: Polity Press
Grahn, K. (2012). “Youth athletes, bodies and gender: gender
constructions in textbooks used in coaching education programmes in
Sweden”. Sport, Education and Society, 2012, 1-17.
Hellman, A. (2010. Have you ever seen a Pinkt Batman? Negotiating
Boyishness and Normality at a Pre-school. Gothenburg: Acta Universitatis
Gothoburgensis, Summary pp. 225-232
Holm, A-S. (2008). Relations in School. A study of femininties and
masculinities in the 9th grade. Gothenburg: Acta Universitatis
Gothoburgensis, Summary pp.
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