| Unit name | Gender, Masculinity/ies and International Relations |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLIM3016 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Carver |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is the unit important?
This unit considers the 'other half' of gender, so that gender is not a synonym for women. The political construction of gender as a power-laden binary will be examined, using sociological and feminist literature on masculinity/ies and a selective look at men's studies. While the focus is on bringing gender and masculinity/ies analysis to the study of international relations, there is also scope for integrating issues and material from other degree programmes into a more general social science framework. You will need to make sure that your thinking and written work have an international dimension. Readings from a wide and updated range of academic sources including feminist, gender and queer theory; critical race theory and post-colonial scholarship; and critical military and security studies are applied to ‘real world’ international concerns, for example, gender-identity and documentation; the exclusion and exploitation of women; family-relations and migration; hierarchical racialisation and political economy; political violence and terrorism; commercial sports and competitive nation-states. While these topics are all headline issues currently, this unit is important because it trains students in rigorous conceptual and contextual analysis yet requires them to communicate their insights accessibly.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on the conceptual and theoretical studies and reading developed in the preceding core units. It uses the skills and insights gained there to ensure that students understand how feminist, gender and queer theory are altering the malestream academic and media representations of international politics as well as the politics of any given nation-state. The 100% essay-type assessment-task has special requirements to develop your analytical and research skills. Marking is 50% 'use of ideas' which are quite abstract but then coordinated with relevant empirical case-studies - the other 50%. Over and above the skills and insights gained in essay-writing the two summative assessment tasks in this unit 25% and 75% emphasise the practicalities of communication to audiences outside academia.
An overview of content
The content of this unit derives in equal measure from two major sources: (1) classic and contemporary academic writing by activists, academics and theorists that covers power/knowledge and political change in relation to sexing the body; heterosexuality, children and kinship; racial hierarchies and political conflict; militarisation and the laws of war; economic and commercial strategizing; media rhetorics and international relations; and (2) current political writing and quality-journalism that presents and discusses issues and controversies that are topical and relevant.
How will students personally be different as a result of the unit
Feminist, gender studies and queer activisms have been troubling to established power-structures of male, masculine and masculinising dominance that are made to appear normal and natural. In a supportive yet challenging intellectual environment you will be alerted to the current ways that these structures are replicated and justified, but also reformed and transformed. The groupwork exercises, formative comments, and two summative assessment tasks ensure that you will think beyond academia to the wider world in an up-to-the-minute way. The ‘gender lens’ is open to everyone, and the resultant intellectual, political, scientific, cultural and artistic challenges will be eye-opening.
Learning Outcomes
The content in this unit introduces students to the political sociology of men and masculinities (ILO 1). Students will consider this material in a discussion-mode that ensures equal participation. In-class groupwork for selected seminar-workshops will ensure that students develop skills in relating theoretical concepts and activist insights to ‘real world’ situations understood in relation to feminist and queer studies of sex, gender and sexualities (ILO 2). Complementary content within this unit will be issue-driven from current quality-press articles and commentaries posted from on-line accessible sources (ILO 3). This reading provides exemplars for writing in the genres assigned in the two summative tasks: ‘Background Briefing’ 25% and ‘Article for The Economist’ (ILO 4). Formative preparation and feedback for the two summative tasks will take place in a formal and collaborative way in two seminar-workshops related to each task in turn. There are no lectures, so students will encounter content and tasks in an active-learner mode as time is allocated within each two-hour seminar-workshop.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Two seminar-workshops per the two summative tasks will be supported by groupwork exercises through which students will develop skills and insights collaboratively and also gain confidence in writing to the required two different genres. Within the groupwork, role-play will simulate the ‘real world’ thinking and activity that the two summative tasks require. In two further formative seminar-workshops per the two summative tasks students will ‘share’ (rather than ‘present’) their thinking to date about the tasks and then collaboratively support each other with comments and suggestions. For anyone uncomfortable with this, there will be supportive recourse to office-time or video-call with the instructor, over and above access to the weekly two office hours.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
The two summative tasks are:
(1) ‘Background Briefing’ (1000 words) 25%. [ILO 1- 4)
Each student will write a ‘Background Briefing’ for a blog written and read by international journalists. The ‘Background Briefing’ will be titled: How is ‘the human’ used to express and normalise ‘the masculine’? The briefing should (a) explain the concepts of gendering and de-gendering in relation to men and women; (b) exhibit texts and images which illustrate the way that ‘the human’ is used to express and normalise ‘the masculine’; (c) be written in English – but texts in any language may be used and translated; (d) finish with ‘take-aways’ for journalists to remember when they write their stories.
(2) ‘Article for The Economist’ (2500 words) 75%. [ILO 1- 4)
Each student will conceptualise and research as for-publication an article for The Economist. The article must be (a) written entirely within the genre of The Economist and be ‘the real thing’, (b) topical and informative for the target audience, (c) cognisant of audience-level interests and capacities, (d) novel and challenging in using the fully developed ‘gender lens’ to address the chosen topic or issue; (e) adept at guiding readers to sources and reading outside the author/date format, which is inappropriate in non-academic media.
When assessment does not go to plan
You will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. Students are expected to choose an alternative topic from the original.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLIM3016).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
