Women’s & Gender Studies

This course looks at constructions of gender in modern Japanese literature by both female and male authors. Readings cover some of the major authors, genres, and literary movements of modern Japanese literature, as well as secondary readings in gender theory.

The focus of this course is upon representations of the links between the British Empire and colonialism from the 1930s to the present time in colonial and postcolonial cinema. Students explore a variety of perspectives, from postcolonial studies to gender and cultural studies, in order to examine how the empire film relies on figures and stereotypes that the cinemas of decolonization and the diasporas re-appropriate through strategies of irony and subversion. Students study the way the identification of the nation to gendered figures informs narratives and representations and how female directors have offered alternative discourses in various contexts of production.

Taking the perspective of women and entrepreneurship, this course takes a different approach to the role of the individual in the entrepreneurial process.  This course acknowledges that there are differences between the way men and women go about being entrepreneurs by focusing on entrepreneurship with different gender, economic, and cultural contexts and exploring which lessons one may draw from these different contexts, both from an academic as well as from a practical perspective. Rooted in a strong academic base, the course considers entrepreneurial concepts in different contexts leading to context-rich learning and a better appreciation of diversified entrepreneurial solutions.

This course addresses the complex relationship between citizenship and sexuality by focusing on the historical debates of sexual citizenship studies with an emphasis on LGBTQ migrants. By incorporating the recent debates on borders and bordering, the course aims to develop a critical perspective on citizenship and the study of noncitizens. Students who finish this course have a theoretical understanding of specific readings in the literature of citizenship, migration, border studies with a focus on sexuality and gender.

The course explores how gender, both masculinity and femininity, is given various meanings in different time periods and how gender intersects with other social categories. The course is thematic and incorporates a long time span as well as various geographical regions but with an emphasis on European history. The course focuses on developing independent and analytical thinking through reading articles on various topic. Students develop a deeper understanding of the role gender has played in history, and they improve their critical thinking through examining and assessing historical arguments.

This course examines development economics with a feminist lens. It describes how economic growth and economic development have differential impacts on men, women, intersectional groups, and on gender equality. Based on theoretical perspectives from feminist economics and on human development, the course describes and assess the impact of policy solutions and aid projects. The course introduces concept of gender in general and in relation to the development discourse in particular. It describes how policy has moved from women in development to gender and development and the emergence of post-colonial feminist approaches. Main features of mainstream development economics are contrasted with feminist economics. Labor market and employment is discussed in relation to concepts such as productive/reproductive and formal/informal, with an emphasis on the relevance of these concepts for the global south in particular. Various indicators of economic inequalities are presented and gender disaggregated data is introduced to enhance the understanding of concepts such as the feminization of poverty and multidimensional poverty both theoretically and empirically. A social provisioning approach to the gender dimension of economic life is discussed. The course deepens the understanding of the underlying power structures of economic and gender inequalities. It brings in the broader concept of human development and capability approaches. It discusses ways of conceptualizing and practically working with critical perspectives on men and masculinities in economic development. This course discusses and problematizes the relationship between economic growth and gender equality: to what extent does economic growth impact on gender equality? Does gender equality spur economic development? The course looks at more practical policy solutions to the problem and brings up policies, methods, and strategies for reducing gender inequalities. It gives a short theoretical background to each of the strategies. Examples of strategies that are discussed include women's movements, gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, micro-credits, and corruption.

This course introduces the nuances of gender in relation to the international human rights law framework. This interdisciplinary course provides an understanding of international human rights law; exposure to the main human rights conventions and their gendered objectives; and the manner in which gender is of relevance from a human rights perspective. Further, students develop critical thinking and analysis skills whilst comparing different instruments of international human rights law.

This course integrates a gender perspective in the studies of societies and politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It deploys an interdisciplinary approach and provides a gendered understanding of key issues and concepts such as nation and citizenship, family/kinship, social movements and civil society, violence and conflict. The course is based on two methods: (1) a theoretical framework setting the basis for gender studies in the MENA region; (2) an analysis of case studies and topical issues in order to understand the place of women and gender in the transformations of societies and political regimes in the MENA region.

This course introduces the sociological analysis of gender. It utilizes a gender perspective to systematically apply a gender lens to key topics in sociology. The first part of the course covers basic theoretical dimensions of gender, including the nature versus nurture debate, intersectionality, and various sociological perspectives on gender. The second part of the course examines social institutions (family, the educational system, the workplace, health) with a focus on gender inequalities and gender norms.