Vad har sexualitet, samtycke och relationer att göra med engelska? : En kvalitativ studie kring lärares uppfattningar om sexualitet, samtycke och relationer i engelskämnet för gymnasieskolan

Sex education in Swedish schools has in recent years been described as lacking. As a response, new guidelines on sexuality, consent, and relationships (SCR) were introduced in 2022. Under these new guidelines, sex education is part of all curricula and the responsibility to teach it lies with teachers across all subjects. This thesis aimed to examine upper secondary English teachers’ attitudes and approaches towards the responsibility to teach SCR in the EFL classroom. Seven upper secondary English teachers participated in semi-structured interviews that were analysed thematically. The findings were interpreted through Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and the Swedish National Agency for Education’s didactical triangle. The results showed that teachers have a positive attitude towards integrating SCR into English and most commonly address it through spontaneous classroom discussions, along with literature, written assignments, and vocabulary teaching. While all teachers found it important to teach SCR, not all teachers were comfortable doing it. The study also identified several didactical challenges teachers face when integrating SCR into English. These included unclear role expectations, insufficient teaching materials, insufficient knowledge of SCR topics and pupil discomfort. In conclusion, English teachers perceive both possibilities and challenges integrating SCR in the EFL classroom. While SCR aligns well with the syllabus for English, more support is needed from the Swedish National Agency for Education and school leaders to ensure its successful implementation. Additionally, teachers would benefit from a central resource bank, more planning time, and professional development focusing on terminology, LGBT+ perspectives, and strategies to manage pupil discomfort.

"En man är inte en fågel" : Könsroller och hegemonisk maskulinitet i En handelsresandes död

This essay examines traditional gender roles in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949). Using gender theory, including hegemonic masculinity and masculinity as a homosocial enactment, the essay explores how the play critiques traditional gender roles and essentialist ideas on gender. This takes place in an American post-war setting in which women are subordinate to men, but also men being subordinate to and marginalized by other men. The analysis focuses on the characters of Willy Loman and Biff Loman, as well as their relationships with other characters, and the difficulties they face in relation to post-war expectations of masculinity. The analysis reveals that Willy exhibits traits traditionally associated with women,and how gender roles are reversed in his relationships with female characters. The analysis also shows that Willy tries to conform to the hegemonic ideals of masculinity, but fails, which makes him a complicit man. As for Biff, the analysis shows that he rejects the prevailing masculinity ideals. Moreover, he contradicts and challenges traditional gender roles by questioning the prevailing norms within the Loman household. In conclusion, Death of a Salesman critiques essentialism and undermines traditional gender roles

"En man är inte en fågel" : Könsroller och hegemonisk maskulinitet i En handelsresandes död

This essay examines traditional gender roles in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949). Using gender theory, including hegemonic masculinity and masculinity as a homosocial enactment, the essay explores how the play critiques traditional gender roles and essentialist ideas on gender. This takes place in an American post-war setting in which women are subordinate to men, but also men being subordinate to and marginalized by other men. The analysis focuses on the characters of Willy Loman and Biff Loman, as well as their relationships with other characters, and the difficulties they face in relation to post-war expectations of masculinity. The analysis reveals that Willy exhibits traits traditionally associated with women,and how gender roles are reversed in his relationships with female characters. The analysis also shows that Willy tries to conform to the hegemonic ideals of masculinity, but fails, which makes him a complicit man. As for Biff, the analysis shows that he rejects the prevailing masculinity ideals. Moreover, he contradicts and challenges traditional gender roles by questioning the prevailing norms within the Loman household. In conclusion, Death of a Salesman critiques essentialism and undermines traditional gender roles