KRIM4953 – Criminological Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality and Violence
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course addresses gender, violence and sexuality through presenting and discussing literature, analytical perspectives and empirical case studies on sexual violence.
The course critically addresses criminalization processes and presentations of gender, sexuality and violence in research, policy and media. The course crosses disciplinary boundaries and emphasizes a variety of approaches to the issue, although with a criminological starting point.
With the course literature as a point of departure, each lecture will present and discuss the historical development and current status of theory and empirical research on sexual violence. This will include – but not be limited to – relevant research questions, dominating and alternative approaches and research challenges relevant to the overall thematic.
Learning outcome
The course emphasizes the special contribution that criminological gender research can offer to the understanding of violence and sexuality, and the relation and intersection between these at individual, symbolical and institutional levels. National, transnational and international contexts are addressed, with a primary focus on gender and sexuality (re)presentations in research on and debates about sexual violence.
Knowledge:
At the end of the course, students are expected to:
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have a thorough understanding of the central discussions and positions in contemporary social scientific research on sexual violence.
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know how sexual acts, relations and violence have been met by law and society
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know and be able to discuss the contributions of different theoretical perspectives on sexual violence
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know how presentations of violence, perpetrators and victimization processes are often gender-specific and be able to reflect on potential consequences such gendered understandings may have.
Skills
At the end of the course, students are expected to:
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be able to apply central concepts, theories and empirical examples in analysis of sexual violence
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be able to discuss and problematize central themes addressed through the course
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be able to critically discuss how gender and sexuality constructs intersect and affect social and legal responses to sexual violence
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be able to present and discuss historical trends and developments addressed in lectures and literature
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be able to reflect around the relationship between theory and empirical data.
Competences
At the end of the course, students have:
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enhanced their respect and understanding for social scientific critical thinking and inquiry
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learned what it entails to interpret, analyze and discuss scholarly texts from a gendered perspective
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developed their capability to critically reflect on the meaning and intersection of gender and sexuality constructs in relation to violence and in relation to the ways in which societies and policies address such violence.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
General knowledge of gender and crime is recommended.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with KRIM2953 – Criminological Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality and Violence
Teaching
Teaching on the course is given in the form of eight lectures. The students are also encouraged to form study groups and the teachers will facilitate this during the first lecture.
Examination
Final home exam: Students are graded on the basis of a final 4-day take-home exam.
Size: Maximum 4000 words. Front page, contents page (optional) and bibliography are not included. If footnotes are used in the text (at the bottom of each page), they are included in the 4000 word limit. Papers that exceed the word limit will be disallowed.
Any exam at the University of Oslo is being checked for both correct word count and incidents of cheating.
Use of sources and rules for citing
You must familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to exam support materials, and the use of sources and citations. If you violate these rules, you may be suspected of cheating or attempted cheating. You can read about what the university considers cheating, and the consequences of cheating.
General rules on cheating and plagiarism apply during all exams. You must provide a reference whenever you draw upon another person’s ideas, words or research in your answer to the exam question(s). You cannot copy text directly from textbooks, journal articles, court judgments etc. without highlighting that the text is copied. Verbatim quotes must be put in quotation marks, italicised or otherwise highlighted to clearly mark that they are not the candidate’s own words. Failure to cite sources or highlight quotes in your exam answer constitutes a breach of exam regulations and will be regarded as cheating.
Submit assignments in Inspera
You submit your assignment in the digital examination system Inspera. Read about how to submit your assignment.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English.You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Marking criteria
This guide is used by examiners for grading this course.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.