The Politics of Gender: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Blockseminar
 

To what extent does gender play a role in our social lives and politics? Gender as one of the prime social categories we encounter everyday serves as a fundamental social force that shapes our experiences, interactions, and politics. This introductory seminar delves into how gender operates across different social domains and politics, fostering a comprehensive and critical understanding of gender. As an interdisciplinary seminar, students will be introduced to different theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence on the role of gender from political science and sociology. By the end of the seminar, students will be equipped with the knowledge and analytical tools to assess and discuss the role of gender in relation to politics. 

The seminar begins with an exploration of why it is important to study gender. Following that, we delve into social status theory from sociology and its relation to gender inequality, establishing it as our foundational theoretical framework. Subsequently, students will be introduced to the experimental method, which is increasingly used in social science research. By doing so, students will be well-equipped to critically engage with readings and gain a good understanding of the interaction between theory and empirical research. As the seminar progresses, we explore various theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence regarding the role of gender in social lives and politics. Readings cover topics such as gender discrimination, masculinity, stereotypes in politics, socialisation and political representation. On the final day, we will examine the intersectionality of gender with other social characteristics such as race and social class. The remaining time will be allocated for addressing any queries and student presentations.

Lernziele

• Introduce the multifaceted relationship between gender, power, and inequality.

• Provide foundational knowledge of experimental methods in the social sciences.

• Critically assess theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding gender and politics.

• Apply knowledge to analyse real-world examples of gender bias and discrimination in politics.

• Engage in critical discussions and effectively communicate their understanding of gender issues.

Voraussetzungen

The course requires knowledge of written and spoken English.

Anmeldung

Um Credits zu erwerben ist die Anmeldung zur Lehrveranstaltung über das UniPortal zwingend erforderlich. Die Anmeldung ist ab zwei Wochen vor bis zwei Wochen nach Beginn des Semesters möglich. An- und Abmeldungen sind nach diesem Zeitraum nicht mehr möglich. Die genauen Anmeldedaten finden Sie hier: www.unilu.ch/ksf/semesterdaten

Prüfung

Active class participation, submission of questions from readings, student presentations, and a short-term paper.