Tags
GEN, IJ, HD, WP
Admissions requirements
None.
Description
Conflict is an integral feature of human interaction. Not necessarily fought by armed force on a battlefield, conflict may take place solely in the political arena, on a city square or a picket line. Like most other forms of interaction, conflict is gendered, or interlaced with cultural constructs of femininity and masculinity. In some conflicts, there are actors who deliberately foreground gender to gain a perceived advantage over their adversary. In others, gender appears to be pivotal to the conflict itself. When the escalation of social discord is portrayed in the media, it is never merely reflected as raw, neutral reality. The media always represent conflicts, and in so doing they select, package, augment and politicize some aspects while backgrounding others. In this process, media representations enhance the gendering already present in a conflict, which can have a profound influence on the course of events. Students who take Gender, Media and Conflict will work together in small groups to explore various media representations of conflicts in search of genderedness, gaining a sharp eye for the complex interplay between these factors.
Course objectives
Gender, Conflict and Media will enable students to recognize gender constructs in the mass media and to understand the interplay between gender, media and conflict. 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
Once available, timetables will be published here.
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
Participation in class discussion: 15%
Home assignment #1, #2 and #3: 15% each
Home assignment #4 (final): 20%
In-class group presentation: 20%
Students will be given several days to complete each of the home assignments. Two of these will be written essays and the other two will be assignments of a more visual nature. For in-class presentations, students will work in groups. Because of the intensive nature of this course, missed assignments will be graded with an âFâ and there will be no opportunity to make up for them later. However, no single assignment carries enough weight to automatically cause a student to fail the entire course.
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
Gender and the Media, Rosalind Gill
Gender and Conflict Since 1914, ed. Ana Carden-Coyne
Gendered Media: Women Men and Identity Politics, Karen Ross
Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture, ed. Rosemarie Buikema and Iris van der Tuin
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.
Contact
Robert Chesal, lecturer: r.chesal@gmail.com
Remarks
Please check the syllabus on Blackboard for readings/viewings that must be completed before the first class session.