KRIM2953 – Criminological Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality and Violence

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 know:

  • central discussions and positions in contemporary social scientific research on sexual violence
  • how sexual acts, relations and violence have been met by law and society
  • different theoretical perspectives on sexual violence
  • that presentations of violence, perpetrators and victimization processes are often gender-specific

Skills

At the end of the course, students are expected to:

  • be able to account for central theoretical themes and empirical examples addressed during the course

  • be able to identify how gender and sexuality constructs and ideals intersect in the construction and understandings of violent offenses

  • be able to discuss how gender and sexuality ideals affect social and legal responses to sexual violence

Competences

At the end of the course, students have:

  • enhanced their respect and understanding for social scientific critical thinking and inquiry

  • learned what it entails to interpret, analyze and discuss scholarly texts from a gendered perspective

  • developed their capability to critically reflect on the meaning and intersection of gender and sexuality 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.

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.

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 3-day take-home exam.

Size: Maximum 2500 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 2500 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

You may write your examination paper 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.

Facts about this course

Credits
10
Level
Bachelor
Teaching
Spring 2024
Examination
Spring 2024
Teaching language
English