Gender Certificate

A Gender Certificate documents the student's knowledge of gender and body research as fields of research and investigation, as well as the student’s ability to work with gender and body related issues in a scientific setting.

Students who wish to specialize in gender and body research must take courses equivalent to a total of 30 ECTS-credits in the subject area during his/her degree program. The student then receives a certificate as an evidence of specialization.

A number of cross-faculty courses in both Danish and English are offered within the initiative. The courses address current issues in body and gender research working across the disciplines of health, natural, social and cultural science and the student is free to choose between all courses that are affiliated with the Gender Certificate initiative. However, it is the student’s responsibility to get passed courses approved by the Study Board at his/her institute and transferred to his/her respective studies if courses are taken outside the home institute.

Procedure for regular students enrolled at the University (both graduate and undergraduate):
The student must take courses within the subject equivalent to at least 30 ECTS-credits during his/her studies. The total 30 ECTS-credits must be earned at the University of Copenhagen.

Procedure for visiting students and exchange students (Both graduate and undergraduate):
The student can obtain a Gender Certificate during his/her stay at University of Copenhagen if the student takes courses equivalent to at least 30 ECTS-credits within the subject while being enrolled at University of Copenhagen. The total 30 ECTS-credits must be earned at the University of Copenhagen.

The learning objectives for students include among other things to show an ability to:

• Understand and analyze relevant journal articles and other scientific writings on gender and body
• Use gender and body as analytical categories and work with these concepts both methodologically and theoretically in a Danish, Nordic and Global settings.
• Work trans-disciplinary with complex issues concerning body and gender
• Work critically with academic and scientific texts from a point of view that take the body and/or gender into account
• Convey and communicate insights and knowledge on the central issues in gender- and body research

On the page “Courses” you can find an overview of current and past courses that are affiliated with the certificate. The student can freely select and combine the following 4 types of courses:

1. Core courses: is a range of courses that are continuously offered and are a regular part of the Gender Certificate.
2. Topic courses: are the courses that are offered across faculties and hence are subject to change each semester. You can check which courses that are affiliated with the different departments in the Course Catalogue that is updated each semester by the Coordination for Gender Research
3. Ph.D.-courses / Master Classes: are courses, seminars and teachings for Ph.D. and MA students. The courses are offered by the different institutes or departments in collaboration with the Coordination for Gender research. Registration is obligatory.
4. Summer school courses: are transdisciplinary courses and seminars offered by different institutes and departments in collaboration with the Coordination for Gender Research.

In order to be accepted as a Gender Certificate course the following requirements must be met:

1. Courses that are part of the initiative have gender and/or body as the main focus or as a minimum gender and/or body act as key components in the course.
2. Courses must include relevant methodological and theoretical elements adopted to the specific context. Gender, body and other divisive categories such as race, sexuality, ethnicity and age can also be introduced and applied as analytical categories.
3. Courses that are part of Gender Certificate can be thematic, methodological and theoretical and can be offered in both Danish and English.

The Gender Certificate is certified by the Transdisciplinary Steering Committee for Gender Research at University of Copenhagen which is located at the Faculty of Social Science.

Registration for the Gender Certificate opens in the beginning of each semester and should be addressed to the Coordination for Gender Research. After the immediate registration the student must regularly submit evidence of passed courses that the student wishes to include in the certificate. For more information, go to the registration.

It is possible to apply for certification of already passed courses from the spring semester 2011 and later provided that the student is still enrolled as a student at the University of Copenhagen at the application date. Questions regarding certification of already passed courses should be sent to: gendercertificate@soc.ku.dk 

Gender Certificate is part of the cross-faculty education initiative “Transdisciplinary education” at University of Copenahgen and reflects that " (...) an interdisciplinary approach is an important tool to address the complex issues facing the world". Gender Certificate aims to strengthen transdisciplinarity and cross-faculty teaching and education at University of Copenagen, as well as qualifying and innovating topics, methods, theories and professional didactics across disciplines and faculties. Gender Certificate, thus creates conditions for the student to experience a coherent transdisciplinary education and teaching and develop transdicplinary skills.

It is possible to obtain a supplement to Gender Certificate in the following ways:

Gender Certificate PLUS: The student must take courses within the subject equivalent to at least 30 ECTS-credits during his/her studies. In addition, the student’s master thesis (equivalent of 30 ECTS-credits) must be written within the subject as well and get approval from the Steering Committee of the Coordination for Gender Research. The student must thus through courses and a Master thesis in total obtain a minimum of 60 ECTS-credits with a gender and/or body perspective.

Gender Certificate Practice: The student must take courses within the subject equivalent to at least 30 ECTS-credits during his/her studies. In addition, the student have finished an internship (minimum of 15 ECTS-credits) that is approved by the Steering Committee of the Coordination for Gender Research. The aim of the internship is that the student applies and builds upon his/her theoretical insights and/or methodological skills in a concrete and professional context. The internship must be professionally relevant and be fulfilled at an appropriate academic level. It can be of purely theoretical or methodological nature or be balanced mix of the two.