Tags
GS, HD, WP, IJ
Admissions requirements
Introduction to Gender Studies and/or Global Challenges: Diversity
Description
This course will start with a critical assessment of ‘development’ as a particular, historically grounded and morally colored enterprise. We will assess how changing ideas about gender roles and relations prevalent in the Global North affected efforts to develop societies in the Global South, and how these development efforts have impacted on women and men in the Global South. We will discuss alternatives to Western-biased interpretations of gender and gender (in)equality and, as a case study, closely assess the changes and continuities in African gender structures during precolonial, colonial and postcolonial eras. We will broaden our scope from Western-initiated development efforts to social change more generally, and in this light discuss the diverse impacts of globalization on gendered realities in the Global South. Key themes that will be discussed are the impacts of mass (social) media; changing labor markets, education and ‘empowerment’; and sexual and reproductive health and rights, including HIV and AIDS.
Whereas for long (Western-trained) academics, policy makers and development professionals equated ‘gender’ with ‘women’s issues’, it is increasingly recognized that masculinity is as much a social construct as femininity and deserves critical attention too. Throughout this course, we will therefore pay ample attention to ‘men’s issues’ too.
WEEK 1 – Historical overview of development interventionism
WEEK 2 – Evolving perspectives on ‘gender’ throughout the era of development interventionism and the impacts of these on development practices and outcomes
WEEK 3 – ‘Decolonizing development’: non-Western critiques on Western feminist and developmentalist perspectives
WEEK 4 – Men and masculinities
WEEK 5 – Gender & “Empowerment”
WEEK 6 – Gender & Health
WEEK 7 – Gender & Intersectionality
WEEK 8 – Reading week
Course objectives
After successful completion of this course, students are able to:
Critically discuss theories of gender & development as well as gender-related development practices
Recognize and counter Eurocentric biases in feminist and developmentalist theories and practices
Embed discussions on women’s (presumed) disadvantages in broader discussions on social inequality, marginalization and empowerment.
Timetable
Once available, timetables will be published here.
Mode of instruction
This course consists of 2-hour sessions twice a week (on Tuesdays from 3 to 5 pm, and on Fridays from 1 to 3 pm). The sessions will entail a mixture of plenary lecturing by the instructor or an invited expert, discussions of the assigned key reading, group-presentations by students, and interactive exercises.
Assessment
In-class participation – 20% – Ongoing Weeks 1 – 7
Individual paper: literature review/reflection note (ca. 1000 words) – 20%
Group assignment: presentation and guided discussion in class (approx. 15 minutes) – 20%
Final analytical essay (ca 3000 words) – 40%
Blackboard
There will be a Blackboard site available for this course. Students will be enrolled at least one week before the start of classes.
Reading list
Readings consist of a selected key academic journal articles and book chapters as well as development sector reports that will be listed in the course syllabus.
Registration
This course is open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Registration is coordinated by the Curriculum Coordinator. Interested non-LUC students should contact course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl:mailto:course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Janneke Verheijen: j.p.e.verheijen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl