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What do you think? — these American themes books encourage critical thinking and debate by providing case studies, historical contexts, and individual opinions on each issue. Level: 1st year of Gymnasium/C

Have you ever wondered what your IQ was? Do intelligence tests just judge one aspect of your abilities? Do girls find homework easier than boys? Many people think that girls are smarter than boys. They say that all you need to do is look at recent school results and test scores. Girls have even caught up in math and the sciences. But many people do not agree with these opinions. They say that in the real world men succeed in employment and invent more things than women. Surely this shows men are smarter?

Contents: Are Girls Smarter Than Boys? — What Is Intelligence? — Are The Sexes Different? — Children And Adults — Are There Equal Chances To Be Smart? — How Can We Make Things Fairer? — Debate The Facts — Find Out More — Glossary

World events continue to reveal the importance of understanding how women live across continents and cultures:

Using maps, text, and other graphics this eye-opening book employs up-to-the-minute research and data to show what shifts have occurred in the ten years since the first edition was published — the strides made by women and the distance still to be travelled. She explores the current status of women in relation to key issues including: equality; women at works; the culture of beauty; women in the global economy; women's health; feminism; household trends; lesbian rights; domestic violence; women in government; and motherhood. Author: Joni Seager.

Contents: 40 chapters in seven parts: I: Women in the World • II: Families • III: Birthrights • IV: Body Politics • V: Work • VI: To Have and Have Not • VII: Power • World Tables • Sources, Index.

Level: Library/Interdisciplinary projects at all level of the gymnasium

(Replaces Self-Esteem and Body Image)

Most people will suffer from low self-esteem at some point in their lives. We might worry about the way we look, academic or career performance, how others perceive us and the shape of our bodies. This book looks at issues surrounding positive self-image, self-respect and confidence. It also addresses our relationship with our bodies, media pressures to maintain a certain body shape and the rise of cosmetic surgery.

Chapter One: Self-Esteem
What is self-esteem?, Self-esteem, Do you sometimes wish you were someone else?, How do you really feel about yourself?, ‘Soft skills’ for low self-esteem, Recognise your negative thinking patterns, Learn how to be your own best friend, Confidence and self-esteem, Building your child’s confidence and self-esteem, Assertiveness, How do other people see you?, High self-esteem not always what it’s cracked up to be, Can we teach people to be happy?, Psychologists research the rollercoaster of life.

Chapter Two: Body Image
Teens and body image, Mirror image, Problems and improvement, Women still aiming for size zero, Girls as young as seven concerned about body image, Celebrity culture, Body images, Blame Mummy, not Madonna, Salons boom as girls yearn to grow up fast, The impact of body-emphasising video games, Link between lads’ magazines and body image, Body dysmorphic disorder, Lessons on the body politic, The unkindest cut of all, Angelina Jolie’s lips inspire cosmetic surgery, Over 34,100 aesthetic surgery procedures in 2008, Cosmetic surgery, Cosmetic surgery: teens just ‘not bovvered’, Love your body, Improve body image, Link between teenage girls’ self-esteem and sport.

Key Facts;  Glossary;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index

Based on Simon Carr's novel:
A sportswriter's life is turned upside down by the sudden death of his wife. Faced with the prospect of being a single father, and devastated by grief, Joe Warr endeavours to do the best by his sons Arty and Harry. Worried about his abilities as a single parent and desperate to help bring happiness and fun back into their lives, Joe instigates a 'just say yes' philosophy. This lack of rules soon has consequences, however.

Patrick Marber's play has been hailed as one of the best plays of sexual politics in English. There are four just characters in Closer: two women and two men. Alice is a lost soul who works as a stripper. Dan is a would-be writer who now turns out obituaries. Anna is a photographer. Larry is a dermatologist. Closer follows their relationships through a number of decisive meetings and confrontations over a number of years. We are given a gloomy picture of the brutal reality of modern romance. The quartet of strangers meet, fall in love, and become caught up in a web of sexual desire and betrayal where the couples inevitably come apart only to form new partnerships. These are weak characters, giving in to the temptations of easy pleasure or the promise of success. In short scenes the characters struggle with their own desires and with the conflicting wants and needs of their partners. They dance back and forth without getting any closer to each other or to what they want out of life. Decisions made when young come back to haunt them as their lives descend into deceipt and lies.
Closer was made into a film in 2004, directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Natalie Portman as Alice, Julia Roberts as Anna, Jude Law as Dan, and Clive Owen as Larry.
Contents include: Patrick Marber — Plot — Commentary (Background, Structure and time, Identity, Sex and love, Closer on screen etc.) — Further Reading and Viewing — CLOSER —  Notes — Questions for Further Study.
Level: B (demands some maturity from students)

(Replaces Domestic Violence)

Domestic abuse affects over 350,000 people in England and Wales alone. It can be physical but also verbal and emotional, and can impact seriously on any children in the relationship. This book looks at the impact of hidden domestic abuse on individuals and society:

Key Facts;  Glossary Index;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index.

(New Subject)
Young people often worry about their size and shape, and in some this can give rise to an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. This book looks at the types of disordered eating which affect many young people today and at how charities, the government and families can help men and women who suffer from these eating disorders.

Level: 8.-10. kl./AVU + HG C-F etc.

Chapters: 1. Disordered Eating; 2. Body Image and the Media; 3. Recovery

Activities; Key Facts; Glossary; Web Links

(Replaces Women, Men and Equality)

Gender equality has come a long way but inequalities still exist. Girls outperform boys in education, but women are paid on average 17% less than men. Women are still more likely than men to take responsibility for housework and childcare. This book examines equality issues at home, at work, at school and in law.

Key Facts;  Glossary Index;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index.

Do gay families/marriages undermine the family structure and threaten the well-being of American children? This book provides the opposing viewpoints and a basis for informed discussion. Editor: Roman Espejo. (105 pages)
Level: Mainly Second and Third year Gymnasium

Contents: Introduction; Gay Marriage Threatens Families, Children, and Society (Robert Benne and Gerald McDermott); Gay Parenting Places Children at Risk (Real Women of Canada’s REALity Magazine); Gay Parenting Does Not Place Children at Risk (Leslie Cooper, Paul Cates, and Judith Stacey); Gay Adoption Should Be Accepted (Julian Sanchez); Gay Adoption Is Not in the Best Interest of Children (Ed Vitagliano); Parents Should Accept Their Gay and Lesbian Children’s Sexual Orientation (John Pugh); Parents of a Homosexual Child Should Uphold Own View of Homosexuality (Joe Dallas); Gay Marriage in California Establishes Equal Rights (Los Angeles Times Opinion Column); Gay Marriage in California Harms Society (David R. Usher); Supporting Gay “Couples” Restricts Resources Available to Families (National Observer Staff); Greater Acceptance and Support Helps Gay Families (Jane E. Brody); Organizations to Contact; Bibliography; Index.

Sample Pages (PDF)

This is the screenplay of Gus Van Sant's highly praised film starring Sean Penn:
In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely assassination in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Author of Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black. (130 pages + photos).
Level: From the end of the first year of the Gymnasium 

In addition to the complete screenplay, this book includes:
* an introduction by Gus Van Sant
* scene notes by Dustin Lance Black
* an exclusive conversation with Black, Van Sant, and activist Cleve Jones, who was mentored by Harvey Milk
* a color photo section
* and the complete cast and crew credits.

Former Los Angeles Times columnist Norah Vincent spent a year and a half posing as a man. Her account of that period is sympathetic and full of good observations of the small triumphs and tragedies in the lives of common men. As “Ned”, she joins an all-male bowling league, dates women, works for a door-to-door sales force, hangs out in strip clubs and retreats to a monastery. Norah could not predict how crucial the relationships Ned forged would be and how the burden of being an impostor would became almost too much to bear. The result is a constantly surprising and humane account of what it is to be a man — and a woman — in the modern world. She observes the ways men disrespect women, but also the pressure men feel to perform and compete in our culture. One of her main conclusions is that it is difficult to be a man! She experiences dating, in particular, as a horrible experience, with neither sex having there guard down.  (290 pages)
Level: B (kan læses i uddrag)

(New title!)

Sexualised images are everywhere in our society: in advertising, in magazines and on television. But is the sex industry as glamorous as such images might lead us to believe? This title looks at how both the act and the idea of sex are for sale in our society. It covers the debates surrounding prostitution, sex trafficking and pornography, as well as other areas of the sex industry such as lap dancing clubs. It also looks at the sexualisation of society.

Chapter One: Prostitution
Prostitution, Prostitution: a summary, Public’s views on prostitution, Prostitution – fact or fiction?, ‘Callous’ sex trafficking gang jailed, I’m a sex worker – don’t take away my livelihood, Schoolgirls lured into prostitution, warns MP, International approaches to prostitution, New prostitution laws ‘unenforceable’, New laws will make sex workers more vulnerable, Human trafficking and the sex industry, The myth of trafficking.

Chapter Two: Pornography
Pornography, The law and pornography, Ban on extreme images comes into force, Criminalising extreme porn, Jane Austen and the case for extreme porn, Change society and porn will change too.

Chapter Three: Sexualising Society
Sex object culture, MPs want age ratings for lads’ mags, Lads’ mags, Why lads’ mags have a shelf life, Should lap dancing be run out of town?, Strip clubs to be licensed as Sex Encounter Venues, It’s lap-dancing business as usual, Girls aged five ‘sexualised by toys like Bratz dolls’, Teen mags ‘cause early sexualisation’.

Key Facts;  Glossary;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index

(Replaces Sexuality and Discrimination)

Homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967, yet issues such as gay adoption and civil partnerships are still contentious. Many gay people also suffer misunderstanding, discrimination and abuse:

Key Facts;  Glossary Index;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index.

Now with a FREE Danish glossary!

Perhaps Roddy Doyle’s best book. The story of a battered Dublin womanPerhaps Roddy Doyle’s best book. The story of a battered Dublin woman in her late thirties, struggling to reclaim her dignity after marriage to an abusive husband.This book has now been made more accessible with Astrid Skjoldborg Glans’ Danish Glossary with good notes about life in Dublin (222 pages)
Level: B/C