| Unit name | Woman and Nation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODL23017 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Glynn |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit aims to provide a comparative introduction to cultural representations of women in the discourse of three distinct national contexts, and considers how those representations relate to the reality of women’s’ lives and to their roles and responsibilities within the nation. The precise comparative contexts studied may vary from year to year, but the ranges of national contexts available for inclusion are Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic.
The unit will open with an introduction to Nira Yuval Davis’s theorization of the burden of representation placed upon women within nationalist discourse and of the role women are called upon to play as cultural reproducers and border guards of the nation. From there, the course will proceed to explore three main topics within the three different national contexts studied: women and the making of the nation; women under authoritarianism; women’s rights within the nation. These topics provide a solid common ground for comparative investigation and understanding to develop, while also allowing for exploration of issues distinct to a given cultural context. Weekly lectures will provide an outline of how a particular issue manifests in the national context under examination, while seminars are devoted to developing students’ understanding of the issue through the analysis of diverse text types (legislation, iconography, cultural production).
In addition to developing students’ understanding of the often ambiguous relationship between the representation of women and the role played by women within a national context, the unit aims to develop students’ intercultural awareness through the comparative study of diverse contexts. It also seeks to develop their critical and communicative skills, through close analysis of a diverse range of texts and through the completion of formal assessment tasks.
Aims:
Normally one lecture hour and one seminar hour per week across one teaching block (22 contact hours), often with student presentations. In units with a smaller number of students the lecture hour may be replaced by a second seminar or a workshop. Units involving film may require students to view films outside the timetabled contact hours.
1 x 1500-word commentary (25%) testing ILOs 1-4
1 x 2500-word essay (75%) testing ILOs 1-4
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. MODL23017).
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 Faculty 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. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
