Purpose & Content

The aim of the course is to give a broad introduction to criminology. Criminology encompasses many different theoretical perspectives, and it intersects and overlaps practically and theoretically with the discipline of sociology. The course will introduce key theories within the field of criminology. This includes, among others:

• Central criminological perspectives including social learning theory, labelling theory, and control theory.
• Nils Christie’s perspectives on crime, punishment, and closeness.
• Michel Foucault’s perspectives on surveillance and punishment.
• Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson’s routine activity theory, which is central to crime prevention.
• Cultural criminology, a newer current from the beginning of the 1990’s which emphasizes crime and crime control as products of power relations and culture.

The class emphasizes understanding theory, and the exam will be an individual written exam.

The elective course in criminology can be relevant for many reasons. One reason is an interest in criminology itself. Another reason may be the growth of criminology as a field of practice and research in Denmark. A third reasons may be to familiarize oneself with the field before deciding whether to study in the first and only criminology education in Denmark at AAU.

Learning goals

Knowledge

• It is the aim that students achieve knowledge within the course area at a basic level.

Skills

It is the aim that students can:

• formulate, evaluate, and communicate central problems within the course area.
• discuss and analyze current problems within the course area from a criminological/sociological perspective.

Competencies

• It is the aim that students can independently reflect on central problems within the course area, including competing perspectives, methods, and applications. 

Teaching format

• The course is a theoretical course organized as a series of lectures.

 

Examination

• Exam name: Criminology
• Exam type: Written
  The course concludes with an individual written exam of 24 hours.
• ECTS: 5
• Assessment: 7-point grading scale
• Examination: Internal examination
• Assessment criteria: The assessment criteria are outlined in the university examination regulation.

Purpose

The purpose of this course is that students obtain a broad knowledge in the field of educational sociology, which enable them to apply different sociological theories to current issues on social inequality in education. During the course students are learning to reflect on and apply theories in relation to concrete analyses of education.

Content

This course will present various sociological aspects of education both theoretical and empirical. Despite large investments in the Danish education system, social inequality in education is still an issue. Although education is one of the sociological areas that theoretically and empirically is very well researched, it is still unclear what causes social inequality in education, and thus how to break the social inheritance. Likewise, there is a lack of consensus on the effect of social inequality in education on other areas (e.g. health) and later in life (e.g. job opportunities). In this course, we will examine the importance of education in a wide range of stages from kindergarten to university, with particular emphasis on causes and consequences at the various stages.

Learning Objectives

Knowledge

• It is the aim that students aquire knowledge within the area of the course at a basic level

Skills

It is the aim that students can:

• formulate, assess, and communicate central issues within the area of the course.
• illuminate, discuss, and analyse current issues within the thematic framework of the course in a sociological perspective.

Competences

• It is the aim that students is able to reflect on central issues within the theme of the course, including competing theoretical perspectives, methods, and areas of application.

Teaching format

• The module is a theoretical course module that is run as lectures.

EXAMINATION

• Exam format: Written
• The module concludes with an individual written exam lasting 24 hours.
• Exams are internally assessed on a 7-point scale.
• Assessment method: 7-point scale

Purpose & Content

The module will provide students with knowledge about and insight into the area of gender and global studies. It will include discussions of specific cases and case studies in which gender, equality and social justice can be understood from local, regional and global perspectives, including in the context of institutions such as the EU and the UN. Emphasis will be placed on the history of gender and equality policies within the fields of development and international relations, on possibilities and limitations of international law and human rights, on the role of gender and diversity in international organizational settings, and on analyses of gender and equality policies in various contexts and parts of the world. 

Learning Objectives

The goal is for the student to achieve knowledge in:

• theories, methods and practices within the field of gender and global studies
• key issues and themes within the field of gender and global studies and various approaches to the study of these themes

Key skills

• can apply knowledge within the module’s subject areas to select theories and methods that serve the analytical purpose and at the same time remain critical to these theories and methods
• can apply relevant theories and methods of the field to empirical cases

Key competences

• can reflect upon and analyze policies as well as processes and actors within the field of international relations from a gender perspective
• can reflect and argue on the basis of scientific knowledge.

The course will include lectures, exercises, group work and seminars with student contributions.

Examinasation

5 ECTS EXAM 
Type of exam: Active participation/continuous evaluation

The requirements for active participation will be determined by the module coordinator.

Any re-exam will be an 8-hour written exam. Maximum length: 3 standard pages.

Assessment: Passed/Not Passed

10 ECTS EXAM

Type of exam: Oral exam

The examination for Global Gender Studies is an internally assessed individual oral examination. The examination will take the form of a conversation between the student and the examiners about a question posed within the syllabus of the module.

Duration of examination: 20 min, including grading and announcement of result.

Assessment: Passed/Not Passed

Purpose & Content

The module includes themes within China’s socio-political transformation, including traditions in China’s political and social history and the transitions in Chinese society after the beginning of the reform period, thereby informing a discussion of Chinese self-perception, Chinese perceptions of the world and global perceptions of China. This is used as the basis for understanding Chinese foreign policy and China’s engagement in global institutions, applying Chinese as well as Western perspectives and theoretical frameworks, and discussing how digital platforms affect domestic and international political engagement.

Learning Objectives

The goal is for the student to achieve knowledge in:

• To provide students with a basic understanding of Chinese history, culture and contemporary political and social development and to introduce the students to a selection of relevant theoretical perspectives commonly applied in Chinese area studies
• To provide the students with a solid understanding of China’s foreign policy and international relations linking this to domestic socio-political development as well as contemporary Chinese self-understanding and worldview(s) and addressing how and why China has reached its status within the international system today
• To allow students to work independently with China-related issues and enable them to analyze contemporary Chinese society and international engagement from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Key skills

• Can apply their knowledge within the module’s subject areas to select theories that serve the analytical purpose and at the same time remain critical to these theories.
• Can identify and evaluate relevant English language information on contemporary Chinese politics and society including information from digital sources.
• Can analyse, interpret and contextualise China’s international engagement from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective

Key competences

• Can reflect and argue on the basis of scientific knowledge while respecting different perspectives
• Can use their understanding of contemporary Chinese society and global engagement to work professionally in a China-related context.

The module consists of lectures and seminars as well as exercises and student contributions.

Examination

5 ECTS EXAM 
Type of exam: Active participation/continuous evaluation

The requirements for active participation will be determined by the module coordinator.

Any re-exam will be an 8-hour written exam. Maximum length: 3 standard pages.

Assessment: Passed/Not Passed

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2024-2025/2022IR23

10 ECTS EXAM

Type of exam: Oral exam

The examination for Global China: Politics and Institutions is an internally assessed individual oral examination. The examination will take the form of a conversation between the student and the examiners about a question posed within the syllabus of the module. 

Duration of examination: 20 min, including grading and announcement of result.

Assessment: Passed/Not Passed

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2022-2023/2022IR7 

To participate in the module, students are required to have submitted the portfolios from the modules the ‘20th and 21st Century World History’ and ‘Introduction to International Studies: Disciplines, Issues and Approaches.

Project module [10 ECTS]

Description

The module is comprised of problem-oriented project work within the field of International Studies. Students should gain knowledge about a delimited topic within the field of International Studies on the basis of the project. The topic must derive from the two LISE-1 courses mentioned above. Furthermore, students should acquire skills in analysing and understanding cultural, social and political phenomena in relation to modern and current development processes as well as skills in applying fundamental knowledge about important political, cultural and social events and trends in western and global history of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Learning Objectives

Students should obtain competencies in:

• working independently and in groups,
• handling relevant theories and methods for the analysis of a delimited problem within International Studies, and
• presenting ideas, arguments and research results within International Studies in an appropriate academic form, both orally and in writing.

Supervision:

A professor will be allocated as supervisor during the project period.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2202 

ECTS: 10

Mandatory courses

20th and 21st Century World History [5 ECTS]

Course description

This course is intended to take students through a range of the major political events and cultural trends from roughly the First World War to the present. Combined with "Introduction to International Studies: Disciplines, Issues and Approaches”, this course helps form the background of the first-semester project. In the first semester, we are concerned to pin-down a number of essentials: knowledge of problem-based learning, the basic fields of international studies, and general historical knowledge. This course addresses the historical areas of the first semester areas. The course will be primarily lecture. However, we will hold a "pause" session in the middle of the course for questions and reflections. Also, in addition to readings from the text, there are links to podcasts and documentaries which you're asked to look at in preparation for different meetings. Students should be aware that we will not be following up on all subjects in the reading in the lecture, and some classes will focus on specific issues addressed in shorter form in the reading that the lectures will look at in extended form. Students are expected to use all material from the course -- reading, lecture and multi-media material -- to put together a broad picture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Multi-media material will also highlight certain specific issues or details worth thinking about. Students should not expect a repetition of the readings in class.

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of an exam portfolio, the precise contents of which will be determined at the start of the semester. A specific grade will be awarded.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2204 

Introduction to International Studies: Disciplines, Issues and Approaches

Course description

This course is an introduction to basic concepts and analytical tools useful for the study and understanding of International Studies.

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of an exam portfolio, the precise contents of which will be determined at the start of the semester. A specific grade will be awarded.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2203 

To participate in the module, it is required that the portfolios for ‘Contemporary International Conflicts’ and ‘Theories of International Relations’ have been submitted.

Project module [10 ECTS]

Description

The module consists of lecturer-supervised problem-oriented project work within the field of International Relations. Students should gain knowledge about a delimited topic within the field of International Relations on the basis of the project. The topic must derive from the two project courses above.

• Furthermore, students should acquire skills in:
  formulating a scientifically relevant problem within International Relations,
• applying relevant theories and methods for the analysis of the formulated problem
• communicating ideas, arguments and research results within complex problems in International Relations in a convincing, well-argued and precisely phrased academic form, both in writing and orally.

Learning Objectives

Students should obtain competencies in:

• • applying relevant theories and methods for the analysis of complex problems within
• International Relations, communicating ideas, arguments and research results within International Relations.

Supervision

A professor will be allocated as supervisor during the project period.

Assessment

A specific grade will be awarded.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2211 

ECTS: 10

Mandatory courses

Contemporary International Conflicts [5 ECTS]

Course description

The module deals with contemporary and/or recent historical international conflicts and comprises a relevant coursework, discussion sessions, and an individual portfolio.

Assessment

Portfolio, with a specific grade awarded.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2213 

Theories of International Relations

Course description

This course will provide knowledge and understanding of basic theories and methods within the field of international relations such as realism, liberalism, social constructivism and Marxism. It will also provide students with skills in analyzing and reflecting on basic theories of international relations as well as competencies in a) considering the relevance of basic theories within the field of international relations in relation to issues such as international conflicts, international cooperation, or the role played by state and non-state actors in world politics, and b) communicating about issues in international relations theory in a clear written English.

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of an exam portfolio, the precise contents of which will be determined at the start of the semester. A specific grade will be awarded.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2212 

To participate in the module, it is required that the exam portfolio from the module ‘Organization Studies: Theories and Methods’ and the take-home assignment from the module ‘International and Transnational Organizations’ have been submitted.

Project module [10 ECTS]

Description

The module comprises problem-oriented project work within the field of organization studies. The topic will derive from the project courses of the semester.

Supervision

A professor will be allocated as supervisor during the project period.

Assessment

The project is assessed on the basis of the written project report plus the oral defense. A specific grade is awarded.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2221 

ECTS: 10

Mandatory courses

Organization Studies: Theories and Methods [5 ECTS]

Course description

The purpose of Organization Studies: Theories and Methods is to become familiar with theories on the nature and functioning of organizations. The course seeks to achieve this by introducing students to key organization theories and by introducing numerous cases and examples illustrating theoretical ideas. The ambition is also that students should become familiar with relevant terminology and key concepts enabling students to analyze organizational phenomena in their projects. In order to address student interests, a broad range of organizations will be included as cases and examples. Most cases and examples, though, will be drawn from international governmental organizations (IGOs) and large NGOs.

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of an exam portfolio. A specific grade is awarded

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2222 

International and Transnational Organizations

Course description

The course evolves around questions relating to civil society, private and public international organizations, including non-governmental organizations, social movements and their significance to the international society. We will be discussing a number of theoretical perspectives as well as empirical cases during sessions, and I plan a high degree of student involvement in various types of group work and discussions throughout the course.

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of a lecturer-defined take-home assignment (max. 12 pages). A specific grade is awarded.

Curriculum: https://moduler.aau.dk/course/2023-2024/BALISE2223 

Admission requirements

Students must have relevant academic skills. Applications from exchange students will be evaluated by an academic evaluator.