Politics and Gender: Narratives of ViolenceModule Details

Background and Rationale
 

This module explores the different forms taken by gendered violence, how it can be understood and explained and the political and policy responses to it. We look at its representation in cultural forms such as novels, films and the popular media. We investigate how its occurrence varies over time and in different societies, its manifestation on a societal scale and in the most intimate and private of relationships, and the effects it has on women and girls. We also explore how it relates to masculinities, its strategic use in military conflicts and women’s resistance to it. Throughout we are concerned to highlight the power relations that underpin gendered violence and the abuse of power associated with it. We also interrogate the high profile given to sexual violence and abuse in the media and explore how
gendered violence has become an issue which attracts so much public attention. We shall ask whether and how this level of publicity affects the prevalence of genderbased violence and what effect it has on its cultural acceptance, particularly in circumstances where abuse of women and children is tolerated and, in some cases, seen as a reasonable response to transgressions of cultural norms

Learning Outcomes
Once the student has completed this course should be able to:
 Have a solid foundation in the key concepts of gender, violence and politics
 explore a range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives on the relationships between gender, violence and politics
 discuss and critically analyze contemporary policy debates and practical initiatives around the basic topic of the course
 critically engage with academic and policy literature and develop well-structured arguments orally and in writing
 work independently and team-working.