A psychological perspective on socioeconomic inequalities at work, home, and school

Can be taken as a single subject course

The aim of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of gender and socioeconomic inequalities in different domains of everyday life. The course applies a psychological perspective on a broad range of domains. We critically examine empirical research in the field, based on scientific findings from social, cultural, and work psychology. Students learn how to critically evaluate research (e.g., in relation to publication bias, over interpretation of statistical findings, validity of research designs, and reliability of findings) and will gain confidence and fluency with the critical evaluation of empirical articles during group discussions. The course will be split up in two blocks that shed light on gender and socioeconomic inequalities in different domains: In Block 1, we will focus on the home domain and the school context; Block 2 will feature the work context.

Content learning: Students will explore classical and contemporary literature on gender and social class/socioeconomic inequality in the domains of work, home, and school. In Block 1, this includes the literature on both gender and social class stereotypes, causes of stereotypes from various theoretical perspectives such as social identity theory and social role theory, and learning about the implications of stereotypes in domains such as performance, motivation, identity formation and psychological well-being. In Block 2, we will focus on diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality in the work context, gender and leadership, LGBTIQ issues and associated stigma.

Successful completion of the course will lead to the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge:

Students will learn to

• situate gender and socioeconomic inequalities in a cultural context within different domains of everyday life
• outline theoretical perspectives on the origins of gender and social class stereotypes
• describe and define the concept of stereotyping and its broader implications
• describe research on how people perceive, justify, and reduce gender and socioeconomic inequalities

Skills:

Students will develop in their skills to

• critically evaluate empirical studies on gender and social class/socioeconomic inequalities across different domains
• identify gaps in research on gender and social class/socioeconomic inequalities
• transfer questions about gender and social class/socioeconomic inequalities into applied contexts
• write academically

Competencies:

Students will have developed skills that are transferable to other modules (and future employability), such as their ability to

• communicate scientific findings from research to a group
• critically evaluate scientific evidence and its relevance to real life and interventions, for instance applied in evidence-based management
• relate issues originating from gender and social class inequalities to real life contexts (e.g., work life, political initiatives)

Language of instruction and examination

More info about the coursework requirements

Coursework requirements: Students must

• attend 80% of the seminars
• read the literature for each class and prepare answers to the assigned questions
• give at least one oral presentation in order to take the exam.

More info about the oral exam

Re-sit examination