HIF-2300 Diversity, Gender, and Equity: Leadership for Transformative Change in Institutions - 10 stp

The Nordic countries are largely known for their strong commitments to gender equality and their top rankings on global equality surveys. Both the pathways and the various achievements are highly commendable and can serve as models for policymaking in a wide range of geographical, administrative, and institutional contexts in and beyond the Nordic countries. This course is designed to provide students from different backgrounds with a thorough introduction to key debates and analytical perspectives within gender, sexuality, critical race, decolonial, and critical disability studies. It encourages them to explore these topics in their respective (future) equality and diversity work. In addition, it provides feminist perspectives on leadership that embrace values of diversity, equity, and transformative change.

The course is grounded in conceptual understandings and critical discussions of central themes that are examined under the lens of both historical developments and forward-oriented challenges. While the course focuses primarily on the Norwegian context, it also includes comparative and international perspectives. The syllabus comprises theoretical, empirical, and methodological research-based texts from different disciplines in which gender equality and inequality constitute central analytical concerns. The course is research-based and examines how inequality may be studied across various societal domains, such as organisations, administration, family and work, education and schooling, local communities and places, as well as local, national, and global political contexts. The mitigation measures taken will be analysed, and potential pathways to transformative mitigation will be discussed. Teaching is organised around structured discussions and critical engagement with dilemmas related to gender equity in these domains.

In addition, the course integrates perspectives on equity work for future leaders through visits to relevant institutions and organizations and encompasses a mandatory online module on employers’, labour market organizations’, as well as public authorities’ mandatory duty to report their active gender and diversity work.

Higher Education Entrance Qualification (generell studiekompetanse) or prior learning and work experience (realkompetanse).

Students should have completed at least 120 ECTS prior to taking this course.

Application code: "9199 - Enkeltemner (ikke realfag), lavere grad" (Nordic applicants).

Upon successful completion of the course, students will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has knowledge of:

• Key questions, debates, concepts, and theories within gender, feminist, decolonial, critical race, and critical disability studies and diversity work
• Gender equity policy, equity challenges, and related dilemmas
• Dilemmas of equity and diversity in practice
• Principles of transformative leadership

Skills

The student is able to:

• Account for and apply concepts from gender, feminist, decolonial, critical race, and critical disability studies, both in written and orally
• Identify and access data and data sources relevant to equity and diversity
• Work with a variety of equity issues and transformative action in leadership contexts, and in society more broadly

General Competence

The student is able to:

• Engage in informed academic reflection on key concepts and theories in gender, feminist, decolonial, critical race theories, critical disability studies, and diversity work
• Communicate, both orally and in writing, key aspects of equity work
• Critically assess academic material from an equity perspective
• Apply the knowledge to lead transformative change in various contexts and sectors

The language of instruction and exam is English.

Upon application, students may write the exam in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language.

The course is session based, with three intensive sessions equivalent to 10-12 lectures and seminars. This also includes excursions and visits to relevant institutions or organizations.

The lectures are held together with the course HIF-1300.

Active participation from students is expected.