Tools for the analysis of gender, equality and diversity

This course offers analytical perspectives and tools that are relevant to the student's master project. We begin where the methodology course ended: students find categories, codes and key words in their empirical material and learn about a variety of analytical approaches relevant to cultural studies: thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and discourse analysis. The reading list includes both descriptions of the analytical perspectives and practical examples in the form of empirical analyses. The work in this course is closely related to the work on the master thesis.

The aim of this course is for students to learn how to analyze gender, equality and diversity from a cultural-analytical perspective, to learn how to undertake cultural analysis that can be applied to the study of cultural change, and to learn how to apply theoretical/ analytical concepts.

Students taking this course will gain knowledge about:

• a variety of approaches to the cultural analysis of social categories such as gender, class, race, ethnicity and sexuality
• the analytical potential of a broad range of theoretical concepts

Students taking this course will gain competence in:

• selecting and applying theory for a variety of analytical aims and purposes
• communicating their knowledge orally
• writing texts based on independent reflection about theoretical/analytical concepts

The course places emphasis on both practical assignments and theory. Classes are organized around students working hands-on with analyzing their own research material.

Compulsory work: At the start of the semester, students produce a report where they account for their empirical material. In addition, the student must submit two assignments (an oral presentation and a written text) Students may receive supervision on the written text. This supervision is restricted to assignments which have not been approved in earlier attempts.