Life courses in a Scandinavian welfare state
Lågaregradsemne
- Studiepoeng
- 15
- Undervisningssemester
- Vår
- Emnekode
- SOS109
- Talet på semester
- 1
- Undervisningsspråk
- English
- Ressursar
- Timeplan
Emnebeskrivelse
Mål og innhald
SOS109 is an in-depth course related to one of the Department of Sociology's key research areas: Welfare, inequality and life course. The objective of our in-depth courses is to give students the opportunity to explore the theory traditions, research problems and discussions of our key research areas.
The course will provide an introduction to the life course perspective, and use this to address some of the challenges currently facing welfare states. Case studies from Norway will be used to illustrate wider historical developments and contemporary debates. The main focus will be on the variety of institutional contexts in which welfare is provided in different phases of the life course and how these contexts have changed over recent decades, influencing peoples' lives in different ways depending on age, gender, ethnicity and social class. The course will challenge individualistic and simplistic conceptions of welfare by examining patterns of interdependence and care work in different phases of life. The demographic challenges facing welfare states will be addressed based on a life course perspective on intergenerational relations.
Læringsutbyte
A candidate who has completed his or her qualification should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
Knowledge
Upon completion of the course the student is able to
- outline central features of the life course perspective
- differentiate between different meanings of the term welfare
- point out the main contexts in which welfare is provided in different phases of the life course, and indicate how these contexts have changed over recent decades
- give examples of interactions in childhood, adulthood and old age between formal and informal care, public support systems and private support systems
- discuss the concepts of dependency, independence and interdependence with reference to concrete historical contexts
- describe different meanings of the concept of generations and discuss these in relation to contemporary claims about generational conflict
Skills
Upon completion of the course the student is able to
- present written accounts of issues related to welfare and life courses using sociological concepts and perspectives
General competence
Upon completion of the course the student is able to
- understand and discuss concrete social phenomena
Studiepoeng, omfang
Studienivå (studiesyklus)
Undervisningssemester
Krav til forkunnskapar
Tilrådde forkunnskapar
Studiepoengsreduksjon
Krav til studierett
Arbeids- og undervisningsformer
- Lectures: 20-24 hours
- Seminars: 20-24 hours
Obligatorisk undervisningsaktivitet
Mandatory term paper (3000 words +/- 10 percent).
The essay will be commented and must be approved before the student can take the written exam.
Approved compulsory assignment is valid for 2 semesters.
Vurderingsformer
6 hour written exam
The exam will be given in the language in which the course is taught.
The exam can be submitted in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish