University of Oslo

This course presents the historical background, development, and present-day challenges of the Norwegian welfare state. It examines the role of values and norms in shaping the services offered by the welfare state, as well as how the structure of the state in turn shapes societal norms and values. The course follows how political debates concerning the country's welfare programs have shifted in response to accelerated immigration, changing gender roles, and shifting employment patterns. It pays special attention to universal welfare services, work-family balance, and the Introduction Programme (Norway’s integration package), as these are some of the distinctive features of the Norwegian welfare state. Additional modules on education, healthcare, childcare, corrections, and labor market policy demonstrate values and norms in practice, as well as highlight the challenges that increased globalization presents to a state welfare system. The course puts emphasis on classroom discussion and student participation with the aim of enabling students to make a comparative analysis of social structures and institutions in their own and other countries.

Students work with texts and exercises relating to daily life (family, home, work, shopping, food). The course includes extensive practice in communicative speech functions, such as greetings, asking for and providing information, and expressing opinions and feelings. Work with the main features of Norwegian phonetics and grammar is also central to this course. By the end of the course students are able to understand clearly spoken Norwegian; read textbooks and similar texts; and talk about subjects relating to everyday life; pronounce Norwegian in a way that does not interfere with communication; write about topics dealt with in the course; express thoughts and opinions, albeit simply; and know the basic rules of Norwegian grammar.

The course gives an introduction to the Nordic context and an overview of how the concept and implementation of gender equality has developed and is currently practiced in the Nordic countries. The main focus is on the period after the 1970s, and themes that are taught relate gender equality to: gender equality as a concept; the women's movement and state feminism; work-life balance and gender equality ideals; access to work and politics; Nordic gender equality in an intersectional perspective; men and masculinities: change and continuity; gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights; gender-based violence; gender, climate, and indigenous rights. Moreover, dilemmas and paradoxes concerning gender equality in the Nordic countries are a central theme, as well as the attempt to answer questions as: How can we understand changing gender norms in the Nordic countries, and to what extent is it possible to identify a Nordic model of gender equality?

New perspectives in Ibsen Studies selectively focuses on the latest topics and methods in the field of Ibsen Studies. This course builds upon the foundational understanding of Ibsen’s works and the methodologies in studying his works both as text and in performances. The course consists of the contemporary trends in the field of Ibsen Studies and applying these new perspectives in one’s own research.

This course covers the tumultuous history of the Soviet Union, as seen through the eyes of those who experienced it first-hand. Through English-language translations of primary sources, the course introduces students to the perspectives of the visionary actors who called for the creation of a revolutionary new society, following them into their participation in projects of vision and of violence, the perspectives of the many victims of revolutionary upheaval and their forms of opposition, and the ambivalent voices of the many who were caught in between. Our discussions address many of the prominent themes in the historiography of the Soviet Union: the relationship between state and society and center and periphery; forces of change and continuity in political, intellectual, scientific, social, and cultural life; the development of Soviet nationalities policy; revolutionary politics and the cultural revolution; Stalinism; mass mobilization during World War II; the development of Soviet influence in East-Central Europe and of the Communist world; the re-launch of the Soviet project under Khrushchev; stagnation and the rise of Russian nationalism in the late Soviet period; and the causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

This advanced introductory course in Norwegian language for international students at UiO takes place both online and in class. This is the second introductory Norwegian language course for international students taught in English in a series; though both Norwegian and English language is used in class. The students follow a MOOC online course (Introduction to Norwegian 2) for four weeks, and then four meetings are held on campus. In addition to getting an introduction to Norwegian language, the students become familiar with the student life and everyday life at UiO. After taking this course students are able to express themselves comprehensively on familiar topics, both written and oral; understand oral Norwegian about familiar topics when the interlocutor speaks clearly and slowly; understand written Norwegian about familiar topics; master Norwegian morphology and syntax reviewed during the course; and master basic Norwegian pronunciation reviewed on the course. The course requires students to have completed NORINT0105M - Introduction to Norwegian at UiO as a prerequisite.

The course provides a basis for understanding development in childhood and adolescence from a biopsychosocial perspective. The course focuses on interactions and associations between children’s genetic dispositions, neurocognitive, and psychological factors. Psychosocial development is understood as a complex interplay between the individual and the environment. Of particular interests is the focus on early adversity, family risks, and social relationship. The syllabus and lectures address topics such as contextualized and dynamic developmental models, gene x environment interactions, risk and resilience factors for emerging mental health problems, social influences on brain and psychological development, and development of risk-taking. A general theme through the course is on developmental mechanisms and transactional processes.

Problems in philosophical aesthetics, both historical and contemporary, are treated in this course. They may be approached as purely philosophical questions or as questions that arise in the meeting of philosophy with the arts. For example: What is beauty and what is its place among other things in the world? What is art and what is its place among other things and other activities? How is aesthetic quality judged? Texts and focus in the course vary.