ENGENDERING WORLD POLITICS - 2019/0

Module Overview

This module seeks to introduce students to a range of topics relating to the roles of gender structures and sexuality in defining international relations and world politics. The module will explore the complex interactions that underpin the relationship between the personal and the international. The module will look at key debates in feminist and sexualities theorising, in order to show how the concepts of gender and sexuality require scholars to unpack key defining concepts such as “masculinity” and “femininity”.

Module provider

Politics

Module Leader

CHAPPELL Laura (Politics)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

The module will cover a range of theoretical perspectives and will apply them to the analysis of key issues and case studies.

The syllabus is likely to include but is not restricted to:

Theories

•           Empirical and Standpoint Feminism

•           Critical and Post-Structuralist Theories

•           Sexualities and ‘Queer’ Theories in International Relations

 

Key Issues/Case Studies

•           Women’s political representation.

•           Sex Trafficking

•           Sexual violence as a weapon of war

•           Masculinity, militarism and nationalism/national identity

•           Global gender divisions of labour – women in the global economy

•           Participation and representation

•           Pornography, sex work and sex tourism

•           Gender based violence

•           Gender and post-colonialism

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the development of core skills and the application of theoretical knowledge to applied cases studies. 

The Case Study (3000 words) will assess the student's ability to 

1. Apply feminist theories and/or gender approaches to the analysis of empirical data, e.g. texts, policies and statistical trends. 


2. Apply a range of research methods to analyse empirical material

1. Knowledge of gender approaches to the study of Political Science and International Relations


2. Ability to draw on different theoretical approaches in order to answer specific questions

Module aims

• To introduce students to a range of concepts relating to gendered and sexualities  approaches to International Relations
• To demonstrate the close links between the “personal” and the “international” in the study of world politics.
• To critically assess the role of key actors in international relations.
• To identify and assess the impact of social trends in world politics.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Develop students’ understanding of feminist theories in the social sciences


• Expand students’ analytical toolkit by introducing them to feminist approaches to research


• Challenge the assumption that knowledge is value free and neutral


• Expose student to a range of critical approaches to politics and international relations

• Lecture


• Seminar


• Workshops


• Research labs

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: POL3067

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2019/0 academic year.