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Intersectionality, Media and Conflict

Vak
2023-2024

Admission requirements

Required course(s):

None, but Introduction to Gender Studies is recommended.

Description

**Please note this course was formerly titled: Gender, Media & Conflict.***

Conflict is an integral feature of human interaction. Not necessarily fought by armed force on a battlefield, it may also take place in the political arena, on a city square or a picket line. Wherever conflict takes place, one of its elements is the battle for public opinion. This is where social categories like gender, race, and socio-economic class constitute a powerful arsenal. These cultural constructs are sometimes weaponized to influence public opinion and the outcome of conflicts.

Whoever represents a conflict, be it a party to the conflict, an 'outside' observer, or a media professional, their representation of gender, race and other social categories should be understood intersectionally. Race, for instance, does not stand alone as a cultural construct, any more than gender or social class do. These categories overlap with, reinforce, and influence each other in a variety of ways. Therefore, we will study how gender, race, class, and other categories intersect. Students who take Intersectionality, Media and Conflict will work together in small groups to explore various media representations of conflicts, with an eye to understanding how they are manipulated, simplified and represented.

Course Objectives

Intersectionality, Media and Conflict will enable students to recognize cultural identity constructs in the mass media and to understand the interplay between them. Students will explore specific cases from several countries and regions and discover how this complex interrelationship can exacerbate conflict or, in some cases, offer ways to resolve differences.

Timetable

Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2023-2024 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.

Mode of instruction

This course will consist of a combination of lectures, critical media viewing, discussion and out-of-class assignments. Discussion will often focus on media productions and their representations of gender. Some reading material will be distributed during the course. Students should be prepared to critically, openly and constructively discuss the assigned reading, their own work and the work of others in class. There will be both individual and group assignments.

Assessment Method

Essay 1: 30%
Essay 2: 40%
Group presentation: 20%
Participation: 10%

Reading list

TBA

Registration

Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.

Contact

Robert Chesal, r.e.chesal@luc.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks

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