ASOA05066U Families in Crisis – the changing balance of power between men and women

Volume 2016/2017
Education

BA and MA

MSc Curriculum 2005 and BA Curriculun 2005

Specialiseringslinje: Kultursociologi

 

Content

This innovative course focuses on the major transformations in contemporary family relationships and parenting since the mid-twentieth century. First we move beyond rhetorical statements about the past from the viewpoint of the present, to compare family life and parenting practices across time and in different state societies. Second, we explore relationships between paid work and family life, integrating different sociological perspectives on changing femininities and masculinities. Third, we critically examine debates about the transformation of intimacy by focusing on the lust balance, the balance between the longing for sexual gratification and the longing for enduring intimacy. Fourth, we discuss intergenerational relations by looking at why young children have tended be excluded from debates about changes in family structure. Finally we propose a synthesis that is long-term, relational and comparative, based on changes in the balance of power between men and women.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge:

By the end of the course students will have developed knowledge to

- critically discuss the major theoretical perspectives that can be used to explain changes in contemporary family relationships

 

Skills:

Students will learn to

- Evaluate sociological debates about families

- discuss the 'family' as a central organising concept that addresses personal, public and political concerns.

 

Competences:

By the end of the course students will be able to

- Take responsibility and structure their own academic learning

  1. 1) R. Edwards and V. Gillies (2012) Farewell to family? Notes on an argument for retaining the concept Families, Relationships and Societies, 1, 1: 63–9

    2) A. Giddens, (1992) The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies, Cambridge: Polity Press

    3) J. Brannen (2004) Childhoods Across the Generations: Stories from women in four-generation English families, Childhood vol. 11, 4: 409-428

    4) R. Simpson, J. Hughes, N. Slutskaya and M. Balta, Sacrifice and distinction in dirty work: men’s construction of meaning in the butcher trade, Work, Employment and Society, published online 7 March 2014, pp.1-17

    5) J. R. McCarthy (2012) The powerful relational language of ‘family’: togetherness, belonging and personhood,

    The Sociological Review, 60, 1: 68-90

    6) N. Elias (2009), The changing balance of power between the sexes – a process sociological study: the example of the Ancient Roman state, in Essays III: On Sociology and the Humanities, Collected Works, vol. 16, Dublin: UCD: pp.240-265  

A combination of interactive lectures and student-led discussions. My aim is to inspire students so that they begin to ask challenging questions about the content of the course. I strongly encourage students to think about and share their experiences with one another, illustrating through concrete examples the application of theoretical concepts and their relevance to different societies.
Dette kursus har adgangsbegrænsninger. Kurset vil som udgangspunkt ikke blive udbudt igen. Du kan således ikke planlægge efter, at det udbydes i senere semestre, end hvad der fremgår af denne kursusbeskrivelse.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam Preparation
  • 61,25
  • Lectures
  • 15
  • Preparation
  • 61,25
  • Total
  • 137,50
Credit
5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Individual/group. Free written take-home essays are assignments for which students define and formulate a problem within the parameters of the course and based on an individual exam syllabus. The free written take-home essay must be no longer than 6 pages. For group assignments, an extra 3 pages is added per additional student. Further details for this exam form can be found in the Curriculum and in the General Guide to Examinations at KUnet.
Exam registration requirements

Sociology students must be enrolled under MSc Curriculum 2005 or BA Curriculum to take this exam.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Exam period

Submission dates and time will be available at KUnet, www.kunet.dk. Exchange students and danish full degree guest students please see the homepage of Sociology; http://www.soc.ku.dk/english/education/exams/ and http://www.soc.ku.dk/uddannelser/meritstuderende/eksamen/

Criteria for exam assesment

See learning outcome