OAFP 9540 - Education, Gender and Social Mobility: A comparative perspective on social and gender inequalities

This course will explore the connections between education systems and social mobility. UNESCO’s

Global Goal Target 4.3 states that by 2030 equal access to affordable and quality technical, vocational and

tertiary education, including university, is crucial. However, where higher education is concerned access

and success is profoundly unequal across every country in the world where evidence exists.

Understanding the ambivalent role of education systems in creating opportunities and perpetuating

social and gender-related inequalities is key to initiate meaningful change and increase social mobility.

After a lecture-based acquisition of basic knowledge in the field of sociology of education, students will

study the link between education systems and social mobility in an interactive way by discussing

OECD reports (e.g., Education at a Glance) and scientific articles. Students will learn to link mechanisms

of educational, gender and social inequalities to structures of education systems. Furthermore, current

policies aimed at widening participation of underrepresented groups in (higher) education (e.g., women in

STEM, students from low-SES backgrounds) will be discussed from a comparative perspective (e.g.,

Universities Accord in Australia, National Strategies on the Social Dimension in the European Higher

Education Area). Following up on this fundamental knowledge, students will be encouraged to reflect on

their own educational biographies and how their pathways have been shaped by national contexts and

other factors related to educational inequalities. Afterwards, students will be enabled to discuss possible

actions to reduce educational inequalities and increase educational mobility. We will hereby review

existing measures dedicated to increase access and participation in (higher) education as well as discuss

what further can be done to tackle social and gender-related inequalities at the national and local level.

Course participants should fulfil the following prerequisites:

 Basic ability to interpret research results presented in graphs, figures, or tables

 Willingness to read 2 short key readings ahead of each course session and desk research of good

practices

 Readiness to actively participate in course discussions

 Ability to work in small groups on different activities, incl. preparing group presentations.

The course will draw on a combination of pedagogical in-person tools and online communication.

The final grade will consist of the following main elements: Course participation (10%), group

presentation (15%), biographical reflection (15%), blog post 60%

For this course, participants are expected to:

 Read 2-3 short readings in preparation for each seminar session, which serve a as a basis

for the in-class discussion and activities

 Actively participate in class discussions

 Collaborate with their group members to prepare a presentation

 Desk research of good practices of higher education policies tackling social inequalities

 Writing a biographical reflection and a blog post including implications for measures on

how to tackle educational inequalities