Education at the Centre for Gender Research

How are people’s lives affected by power relations, expectations and norms tied to, for example, gender, sex, sexuality, class, ethnicity, age? How do people “do gender” in everyday life, in the media, in close relations, in politics, or at work?

Gender studies is an interdisciplinary field of research that has developed from the feminist and women’s critical studies of gender and power. Within the field of gender studies there are many orientations, such as feminist studies, equality research, masculinity studies, women’s studies, postcolonial studies, queer studies and sexuality studies, to name a few.

The education in gender studies focuses on how sex and gender are socially and culturally constructed, experienced, and understood both locally and globally. One central focal point is the power asymmetries that historically, culturally, and socially have defined women’s and men’s social roles and status. However, gender studies also problematises the conventional binaries of male/female and masculine/feminine, and investigates other identity categories. The subject explores and questions societal norms around, for example, sexuality, queer, ethnicity, racialisation, class, age, and functionality. Gender studies also entails reflecting critically upon concepts such as power, politics, normality, agency, and work.

The first semester of undergraduate study (Genusvetenskap A) offers breadth in terms of current theoretical concerns, and (cross/inter)disciplinary perspectives. The second (Genusvetenskap B) and third (Genusvetenskap C) semesters contain more in-depth study of selected thematic and theoretical perspectives, method and methodology, and academic writing. We also have a couple of distance learning courses. Our undergraduate courses are only offered in Swedish.

The MA level offers a Master's programme in gender studies. The programme is taught in English. MA courses are also available to students enrolled in other programmes on the advanced level, as well as to PhD students across disciplines.