BLH3220 Culture and Identity - Nordic Childhoods Course description

Culture and Identity is one of the courses under;Nordic Childhoods. Joint events with the other Nordic Childhoods courses are integrated into the course. The student`s cultural background is a resource during lectures and class room discussions, through experience-based learning and critical reflection. The course includes fieldwork observations in kindergartens and schools, in addition to visits to relevant sites.

Important components in the pedagogical work with children in a Nordic context are play, learning related to play, nature and community surroundings. In this course, the focus is on the Norwegian educational system in both a broader and more specific Norwegian context.

Culture and identity adress;the question of who we are, and is related to definitions of the other, as well as by the other: Who are 'we';and who are 'the others'. These are not static concepts, but are rather subject due to sociocultural change both nationally as well as globally.

One of the defining forces of culture and identity is religion. Religious diversity is part of; cultural diversity and the changes that have developed globally, hence it also affects culture and identity in the Norwegian context. How does this affect Norwegian childhoods?

The power-relations and political forces around the child and childhoods are important drivers of these changes, producing various kinds of school systems, and preschool and kindergarten systems. Culture and identity is therefore not only about who we are, but also very much about childhood perspectives and construcs and how they affect us. The question becomes not only who we are, but also 'Who do they want us to be'?

Norway, like most other societies today, is a 'multicultural';society. The Sami indigenous people living in the Nordic countries have long been a part of this cultural diversity. Related to this, it is also important to focus on power relations between minorities and majorities. Culture and identity, involving definitions of 'us';and 'them', also enables;racism and discrimination towards ethnic and linguistic;minorities, as well as the politics of assimilation of the Sami. In this and many other regards, Norway and Nordic societies are no different from other countries, showing;attributies similar;to those of he rest of the larger global system, which Norway is a part of.

Two internal examiners. External examiner is used periodically.

This course covers topics selected to reflect the breadth and multidisciplinary nature of biomedical engineering. Material for the course is put together in cooperation with researchers, medical professionals and representatives from the healthcare industry. One of the objectives is to expose students to a variety of emerging technologies playing an important role in the paradigm shift towards preventive, personalized and precision medicine. The course also has a practical project that lasts for a short period where the students are assigned to any of the laboratories at OsloMet, medical/health care companies, or a department at local hospitals in the Oslo and Akershus region. The course is completed by the student giving an oral presentation of the practical project results.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

The course applies research-based learning supervised by one or more supervisors (internal/external), and a practical assignment with individual report work. The student will make a written report based on research problems from the practical assignment and the selected theoretical material. The course ends by the student/students in group (2-5 students) giving a presentation on the chosen topic and the practical assignments.

All examination support materials are permitted. However, sources must be stated in accordance with applicable rules for source References.

All aids are permitted for the project report.

For the oral exam, a handheld calculator that cannot be used for wireless communication or to perform symbolic calculations is permitted. If the calculator’s internal memory can store data, the memory must be deleted before the exam. Random checks may be carried out.

For the final assessment, a grading scale from A to E is used, where A denotes the highest and E the lowest pass grade, and F denotes a fail.