THE SCANDINAVIAN WELFARE STATE: A GENDERED PERSPECTIVE
On-campus class followed by four weeks in Denmark
Director: Professor Ulla Grapard, Department of Women's Studies
On-campus course: Spring 2010
Tentative travel dates: May 12 - June 9, 2010
Course credit: One credit
Prerequisites: See below
Course objective
This extended study course explores how a Scandinavian society (primarily Denmark) negotiates the relations among working life, family life and public policy. The course focuses partly on the historical development of these relationship and partly on the current renegotiations taking place as a result of economic, political and cultural change (technological change, globalization, changing labor markets, immigration, changing class structure, the women's movement, democratization of higher education). We will be particularly interested in understanding how gender structures the labor market, and how family life is affected by the activist intervention of the state. Through the contrast with European examples, this extended study also enhances students’ understanding of the gendered economic, social and political environment of their own country.
Copenhagen has a rich and active cultural life, and we will take full advantage of the opportunities to enjoy this side of springtime in Denmark.
Participants and prerequisites
The course, WMST 324 ES, is designed for 12-14 sophomores and juniors. The exceptional first year student may occasionally be admitted. Seniors cannot participate. There are no prerequisites. The course is interdisciplinary in nature, and course material comes from across the social sciences and women's studies.
Students will be expected to take both the on-campus and the off-campus component of the extended study. Students who have not taken the on-campus component cannot join the off-campus extended study component segment in Denmark.
Academic program
On campus, the class will meet once a week for 90 minutes at a time that fits all students’ class schedule. In Denmark, students will attend classes led by the instructor four or five days a week for three weeks in Copenhagen. Danish social scientists who have developed expertise regarding questions of gender, social policy, and the welfare state will complement our regular classroom lectures and discussions. We will also visit several institutions in Copenhagen: Kvinfo, the center for information on women and gender; The Workers’ Museum; Dannerhuset, a shelter for battered women; a nursery school; an elementary and middle school; an alternative community, Christiania; and several art museums in and around Copenhagen.
There are several regional universities deeply involved in gender and public policy research - each with a somewhat different research program and profile. We will travel to universities in Roskilde, Aarhus, and Aalborg where Colgate students will have an opportunity to talk to a number of scholars directly involved with research of gender and the welfare state. The research produced by some of these scholars is part of the curriculum we study during our on-campus component, and this part of the program is truly exciting; we will also have a chance to exchange ideas, concerns, interests, and expectations with Danish students. A visit to the Theological Faculty at Aarhus University gives us alternative perspectives on the role of Islam and immigration in Denmark.
The trip includes an overnight visit to Skagen, the northernmost tip of the Jutland peninsula, where we will study the work and the environment of the 19th century Danish Skagen-painters Anna and Michael Anker (Danish Impressionists.)
Course credit
The extended study course with an on-campus component will receive 1 course credit. It will be listed as a Women’s Studies course, WMST 324. It will count toward graduation credit and it will count as concentration credit for students majoring or minoring in women’s studies.
Course requirements
On campus: The course will be run as a seminar. Students will prepare 1-2 page response essays based on the readings and they will bring a set of questions for each class. Students will be responsible for presentations and discussions in the classroom. Towards the end of the semester, students will write a 5-page Prospectus that focuses on a particular area of research to be pursued in Denmark. Each student will formulate a set of questions and discuss possible methods for finding answers. To the extent possible, projects will be coordinated with the research areas represented by the group of scholars and practitioners we will meet in Denmark.
In Denmark:
For each meeting, selected students will present highlights from the assigned readings and prepare a short list of questions for class discussion. All students will write a daily journal that will be turned in at the end of each week and that will be evaluated as part of the work for the course. In addition, an 8-10 page Final Report on each student’s special project will be evaluated by me at the end of the extended study. During our travels and site visits, students whose project give them a particular background and interest in the subjects under discussion will take on the role of ‘primary investigator’ in our interaction with our speakers or hosts.
Classrooms and housing
In Denmark, we will borrow a classroom from the Department of Sociology in the center of Copenhagen. Students will stay in bed and breakfast accommodations within 20 minutes walking distance of the classroom. Public transportation is also convenient.
Financial aid
For details about financial aid in relation to this extended study, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
Estimate of student costs for the Denmark Extended Study is not yet available.
Application
Interested students will attend an informational meeting prior to pre-registration. All students who want to register for the course will be put on a waitlist and will only be allowed to register for the course after a successful application and personal interview with the director.