The 21st Century Family: Gender, parenting and institutions

The course is designed for future professionals who would like to learn more about family and how it works in a Nordic context. Lecturers from psychology, social work, gender studies and sociology give their perspectives on the phenomenon of family and a historical background to its present forms in the Nordic countries. Students acquire tools to understand how a family works and study current research and theories in the disciplinary field. Special attention is paid to four areas: parenthood, gender, legislation and working with families. The focus on history, research and theories constitute a useful foundation for future work with families in schools, social services and social welfare work.