Course Syllabus

Description of Course

What is a family? The family unit has long been considered by many to be the critical building block and pivotal societal institution. Over the course of many generations in countless cultures, the concept of family itself has been defined and redefined according to time, place, circumstance, and players. Notions concerning dating, marriage, and family are often controversial topics. With growing lifespans, shifts in paid work experiences, changing religious perspectives, technological changes, immigration patterns, shifting media representations, and innovative lifestyles, the concept of a traditional family is most certainly changing. From a sociological perspective, studying families is an integral part of the discipline. From a global perspective, studying families from a cross-national or comparative perspective is crucial in order to understand how social context influences family life.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to …

• Critically assess research literature on family studies;
• Recognize, define, and understand theoretical and methodological approaches to studying diverse families from a sociological perspective;
• Identify problems and frame research questions related to the study of the family;
• Examine families sociologically from a cross-cultural perspective;
• Apply course concepts to your own life experiences;
• Increase ability to work productively as a part of a ‘research’ group; and
• Demonstrate recognition and openness regarding diversity in family formation.

 

Readings

• Bach, AS & Breengaard, M (2024). The repro-paradox of sustainable reproduction - debating demographic anxieties in the Danish media (2010–2022). Biosocieties, online first

• Kroløkke, Ch., and Pant, S. 2012. ‘I only need her uterus’: Neo-liberal Discourses on Transnational Surrogacy, NORA: Nordic Journal of Women's Studies 20(4): 233-248.
• Kroløkke, C. (2009): Click a donor. Viking masculinity on the line. Journal of Consumer Culture 9(1): 7-30. 
• Lareaux, A. (2011): Concerted cultivation and the Accomplishment of Natural Growth, in Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life. University of California Press
• McDonald, L., Kragh, N. (2010, December) Is it better to bring up kids in Denmark? The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/01/uk-denmarkchildren-family-swap
• Morgan, D. (2011). 'The original argument', in Rethinking Family Practices. Palgrave
• Nordquist, P. (2021): Telling reproductive stories: Social scripts, Relationality and Donor Conception
• Palmer, C (2013): Companion animals. in LaFollette, H. (eds.): The International Encyclopedia of Ethics. 
  John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 
• Phoenix, A & J. Brannen (2014) Researching family practices in everyday life methodological reflections from two studies. International Journal of Social Research Methodology 17(1): 11–26
• Ponkilainen, M. Et al (2025): Changing Landscapes of Parenthood Childbearing Among Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples in the Nordic Countries. Stockholm Research Reports in Demography 

• Tan, C. et al (2021):  Becoming pet slaves in urban China: transspecies urban theory, single professional women, and their companion animals. Urban Studies 58(16): 3371–3387

• Wild, RJ. 2012): Reimagining Families of Choice. In S. Hines et al. (eds) Sexualities: Past Reflections. Future Directions. Palgrave
• Yngvesson, B. 2012. Transnational Adoption and European Immigration Politics: Producing the National Body in Sweden, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies Vol. 19 (1), 327-344.

 

Expectations of the Students

Mutual learning atmosphere: The course is based on a student-centered approach with a strong emphasis on class discussions and group activities. While my role is to facilitate the course, all of us are responsible for creating a learning space that results in knowledge creation. We will do so through many different individual and cooperative learning activities: reflection tasks, class discussions, group work, workshops, field studies, movie analysis and more.

Everyone’s opinion counts! Some of the topics that we cover in this course may be controversial and sensitive. You should feel comfortable expressing your personal opinions regarding issues discussed in class. Yet, to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, you must be open to different points of view and express your disagreement respectfully, i.e. in an academic tone. The opportunity to share these diverse perspectives enhances the learning environment!

Evaluation

* All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. Late papers or projects will be marked down with 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late.

 

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Participation	20%
Family in the News	20%
Interview assignment	30 %
Speculative fabulation lab: reimagining families	30%

Participation: 

Includes attendance and engaged in-class participation: engaged listening, speaking up in productive ways, participating actively in the learning activities, small group discussions, group work and demonstrating that you have read the assign materialetc.

Family in the News:

In small groups students will have to prepare short (10 min) presentations on the assigned topic.

Interview Assignment:

Interview a Dane on a selected topic, outline the design of your interview (research questions, interview type, interview questions), analyze the interview data and reflect on the interview experience. (4-6 pages).

Speculative fabulation lab - reimagining family life in the future:

In small groups, you will engage with the experimental method of speculative fabulation to (re)imagine what families and family life will look like in the future. Through a series of workshops and presentations we will critically discuss family politics by creatively composing narratives of the future. The assignment is a combination of group and individual work. Grades are individual, but also based on the group work. 

ChatGPT and other AI bots: 

We are entering a pivotal time with the introduction of ChatGPT and other AI bots and I am curious to explore how they can be helpful in our learning and not just used as an easy work-around. Feel free to use ChatGPT and other AI bots - for brainstorming and idea generation, language checks, etc. but remember to apply good academic practices: you need to cite sources of inspiration and the work has to be yours. So no AI generated papers please, unless specifically instructed that this is allowed. All papers need an AI-statement about whether and how AI was used. If I catch common AI mistakes, like fake quotes or a large amount of sources that don't exist (common AI mistakes), it will have an impact on your grade. In the end, the work should be yours but if ChatGPT and other AI bots can be your assistance in the process, excellent.