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The Politics of Gender Violence in the Context of War Will Be Discussed

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The Politics of Gender Violence in the Context of War Will Be Discussed Central European University Department of Public Policy Winter 2012/2013 THE POLITICS OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE Course instructor: Andrea Krizsan, Center for Policy Studies; [email protected] Credit number: 2 Office hours: TBA; Nador u.11, room 316 Course level: M.A. Course objectives and overview Gender based violence is one of the main social forces producing and reproducing gender inequality. Brought to international and national policy agendas by feminist movements it has lately become a core policy issue discussed not just in the framework of gender equality policy but related to policies on human rights, crime prevention, child protection, health, development, cross border migration and trafficking and conflict and post conflict intervention. This course aims to look at the politics of gender based violence through understanding the main challenges of framing it as a policy issue. Starting from the history of feminist mobilization around gender based violence and the feminist approach to it the course will progress through understanding contestation to the feminist framing, alternative approaches to it and proceed to examining currently available norms and state responses addressing it. The course will pay particular attention to some specific forms of gender based violence such as violence in intimate relations, sexual violence, sexual harassment, traditional forms of violence, trafficking and violence in conflict and post conflict situations. Course Structure The structure of the course will be fourfold. I. The first part of the class will introduce the course, basic concepts of gender based violence, and will discuss approaches coming from cost and measurement of violence. II. The second part of the class will introduce the contestation between the feminist framing of gender violence and other important approaches to gender violence such as human rights, family policy and children’s rights and health approaches. A separate class will be dedicated to intersectionality in framing gender violence. III. The third section of the class discusses different forms of gender based violence, their specificities and the similarities between them. IV. The last section will be devoted to policy responses addressing gender violence coming from an actor centered approach: responses by states, civil society and international actors will be addressed. General Resources for the Class Books: Wilhelm Heitmeyer and John Hagan eds. (2003) International handbook of violence research. Kluwer Encyclopedia of interpersonal violence edited by Claire M. Renzetti, Jeffrey L. Edleson. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, c2008 European Commission (2010) Feasibility Study to Assess the Possibilities, Opportunities and Needs to Standardise National Legislation on Violence against Women, Violence against Children and Sexual Orientation Violence. Daphne Program Sally Merry Engle (2009) Gender violence: a cultural perspective. Wiley-Blackwell Sokoloff, N. J. & Pratt, C. eds. Domestic Violence at the Margins London: Rutgers University Press. Stark, E. & Buzawa, E. (Eds) Violence against women in families and relationships: making and breaking connections, New York: Praeger Publishers 2009. ISBN: 978-0-275-99846-2 Articles and chapters: Sylvia Walby (2012) Violence and Society: Introduction to and Emerging Field in Sociology. Current Sociology. Carol Hagemann-White (2002) “Violence against women in the European context: histories, prevalence, theories” in Thinking differently: a reader in European women's studies edited by Gabriele Griffin and Rosi Braidotti Zed 2002 Marianne Hester (2004) “Future Trends and Developments : Violence Against Women in Europe and East Asia” in Violence Against Women 2004 10: 1431 Compares terminology and processes in UK, DK and China Journals: Violence against Women SAGE http://vaw.sagepub.com/ Social Politics http://sp.oxfordjournals.org/ European Journal of Women Studies http://ejw.sagepub.com/ International Feminist Journal of Politics http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/14616742.asp Websites University of Michigan database of reports on violence against women http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/svaw/domestic/reports/institution.htm Stop Violence against Women website of the Minnesota based organization Advocates for Human Rights http://www.stopvaw.org/ European Women’s Lobby Observatory on Violence against Women http://www.ewlcentreonviolence.org/ Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Conflict Situations http://www.womensrightscoalition.org/site/publications/index_en.php Women’s Initiative for Gender Justice http://www.iccwomen.org/index.php The International Monitoring Center on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts http://www.viol-tactique-de-guerre.org/bibliography.html European Commission Anti-Trafficking Website http://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/ Teaching Method and Learning Outcomes The course will meet once a week and work in a seminar format. After the discussion of the required readings in which all students are expected to take part, presentation(s) will follow that reveal the challenges that policy actions face in transnational and domestic context in regard to the problems/themes of the specific classes. The assignment for presentation will be either individual or small group based depending on the size of the class. Due to the nature of the topic, the course will invite students to develop their skills of critical thinking by understanding major theoretical, moral and practical debates that shape considerations on responding to the problem of violence against women. The teaching method will ensure that students have to regularly synthesize different pieces of knowledge (discussion of the core readings), to critically evaluate the differences and overlaps of arguments (presentations), to do targeted small inquiries for relevant policy cases (voluntary presentations and term paper), and to develop their academic writing skills (written support to the presentation and term paper). Assignments and assessment (1) All enrolled students are expected to carefully consult with the required readings prior to the classes, ideally by taking notes. Active participation in the seminar discussions is expected from all students. Students are expected to be prepared to reflect upon these questions in the class. Seminars will be discussion-based, often group based and their success will largely depend on the students’ contributions to the class. Weight to the grade: 30% (2) Students will sign up to one seminar presentation during the semester. The course syllabus details the texts or materials that could be presented. The presentation shall be of 15-20 minutes, should always be supported by a written handout or power-point file. An outline of the presentation should be submitted to the course instructor (email) a few days prior to the class. Weight to the grade: 30% (3) Students will write a term paper of 3,000 words. A two-paragraph abstract of the paper should be submitted by February 20th. Preliminary discussion with the course instructor on the paper topics is encouraged. Please note that late papers submitted after the deadline will be marked down by half of a letter grade per day. The papers should be double- or 1,5 spaced, appropriately referenced, and provide a bibliography of sources consulted. Please include the word count on the title page. All written assignments should be produced exclusively by the student who submits the work. Any text reproduction which is not clearly identified and attributed will have to be considered as plagiarism (see related provisions and guidance in the Student Handbook and other relevant University policies and regulations). Weight to the grade: 40% Audit Students Audit students are expected to do all required readings in the class, to actively participate in the class discussions and additionally to make a seminar presentation. TOPICS AND READINGS First Week: Introduction Introducing the course and basic concepts of gender based violence. Cost and measurement of violence. Concepts, types, facts and figures. Questions for discussion: Gender based violence: What is it? What forms? Whose problem? How to measure it? What is its cost? Readings Sally Merry Engle (2009) “Introduction” in Gender violence: a cultural perspective. Pp.1-25. “Naming and Framing the Problem” 27-29 in Gender Violence: a Cultural Perspective. Wiley- Blackwell Recommended Sylvia Walby (2012) Violence and Society: Introduction to and Emerging Field in Sociology. Current Sociology. Sylvia Walby (2004) The Cost of Domestic Violence. UK Government. Women and Equality Unit. http://www.devon.gov.uk/cost_of_dv_report_sept04.pdf Walby, Sylvia and Andrew Myhill: 'Comparing the methodology of the new national surveys of violence against women' , British Journal of Criminology, 2001, 41, 3, 502-522, with Andrew Myhill, ) Carol Hagemann White (2003) “A Comparative Examination of Gender Perspectives on Violence” in Wilhelm Heitmeyer and John Hagan eds. (2003) International handbook of violence research. Kluwer. Pp. 97-117 Carol Hagemann-White (2002) “Violence against women in the European context: histories, prevalence, theories” in Thinking differently : a reader in European women's studies edited by Gabriele Griffin and Rosi Braidotti Zed 2002 Nearly 1 in 5 Women in U.S. Survey Say They Have Been Sexually Assaulted By Roni Caryn Rabin, December 14, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/health/nearly-1-in-5-women-in-us-survey-report-sexual-assault.html?_r=4&hp Materials from UNECE Workshop on Measuring Violence against Women
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