We will first learn about sex and gender, the difference between sex and gender and how these factors come into play in research and society. You will also learn about sex hormones, including how they regulate your bodies’ functioning, as well as what happens to your body when someone starts hormonal therapies, such as hormonal contraceptives or gender-affirming hormones, and how these hormones could affect well-being. Throughout the lectures, we will address the role of stigma, showing how societal stigmas, shame or minority stress can affect well-being as well as our views on sex, gender and hormones.

Next to these theoretical lectures, we will work on the skills necessary to hold scientific and nuanced conversations about sex, hormones and stigma. You will reflect on the role of sex, gender, hormones and/or stigma in your own life through individual essay. You will also work together to conduct a group assignment in which you design a project which aims to promote scientific or societal change.

Coordinator

Dr. Margot Morssinkhof

Timetable

You can find the timetable on Datanose.

Entry requirements

Open to second-year and third-year UvA Bachelor's students and other interested parties, such as contract students or students from other Dutch higher education institutions. Master's students can only participate if there are still spots available.

Registration

UvA Bachelor's students can register from 10 to 16 June 2025 in the GLASS registration rounds. Master’s students can send a short motivation to keuzeonderwijs-iis@uva.nl.

‘Bijvak’ students and contract students can register from 10 June 2025 until two weeks prior to the start of the course, by completing the online registration form.

If you have any trouble while registering, please contact us at keuzeonderwijs-iis@uva.nl.

Please note: as a contract student you can choose to participate either including or excluding assessment. If you choose the latter, you only have access to the seven lectures of the course. If you also wish to attend the seminars, please choose 'including assessment'.

Costs

Prices can be found on the IIS website.

SDGs in education

The IIS strives to reflect current societal issues and challenges in our elective courses, honours modules and degree programmes and attempts to integrate the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in this course. For more information about these goals, please visit the SDGs website.