My application for a Dean Rusk Travel Grant for the Summer of 2022 for a Gender Studies study abroad program in Stockholm, Sweden.
Introduction
The program “Gender, Equality, and Sexuality in Scandinavia” lasts for three weeks, two of them are spent studying in Stockholm, Sweden and one in Berlin, Germany. As an intended Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSS) major, this study abroad experience gives me the opportunity to see different perspectives and realities of gender and sexuality, outside of the westernised views of the United States. Moreover, Sweden and Germany are countries with rich but complex (and largely discriminatory and contradictory) LGBTQ+ histories that are worth studying and seeing as a GSS major and LGBTQ+ individual.
Project Description
As an intended Gender and Sexuality Studies major I want to gain insight into LGBTQ+ experiences and history in other parts of the world and the best way to do it is by actually being in those spaces. Sweden is the most gender equal country in the world but still struggles with discrimination based on race and gender since inclusive and accepting policies do not necessarily mean inclusive and accepting behaviours. This course explores how concepts of gender, bodies, sexuality, and race intersect in current debates about changing family structures, children’s rights, and new ethical dilemmas in Scandinavia (e.g. rising children with gender-neutral pronouns, a topic I have great interest in as someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns and wants kids). In Gender and Sexuality Studies 101 at Davidson (which I took this fall), we discussed this intersection but from a westernised and US-centric perspective. Therefore, this course would help me see how concepts I have already studied apply to people in a different society and culture. The program also includes a week-long study trip in Berlin, a city with a rich LGBTQ+ history. From student accounts of the Berlin study tour experience, that part of the program highlights the experiences of gay men in Nazi Germany, refugee perspectives, and historical LGBTQ+ art pieces and monuments (like “The Kiss” in Berlin’s East Side Gallery), which are all fascinating topics to study and discuss. This program poses a unique opportunity to study in and about two cities with old and strong connections to gender, equality, and sexuality. The course will act as an extension of my experience in Gender and Sexuality Studies 101 at Davidson by giving me an insight into the European experience and perspective, and its similarities, differences, and connections with the United States.
Presenting my project
The program includes field trips in Stockholm and a study tour in Berlin, therefore giving me a great opportunity to capture the beauty and history of these cities and create a video or photo essay about my summer abroad experience which I will submit to the VMC Symposium. I also plan to share my experience in the form of one or several blog posts which will most probably be shared on my Davidson domain website.