Admission requirements
None, but Introduction to Gender Studies is recommended.
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
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2021-2022 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
Participation in class discussion: 15%
Home assignment #1, #2 and #3: 15% each
Home assignment #4 (final): 20%
In-class group presentation: 20%
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
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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