Transversal Undergraduate Course

Gender Studies and Interdisciplinary Perspectives a.y. 2022/23

TRANSVERSAL COURSE

Time: Second Semester

Language: Italian

Professor: Elettra Stradella

Learning goals:

The student will be able to analyze and discuss gender as a cultural product, illustrating the main processes of social construction of gender differences and inequalities in the relationship with social institutions and organization at the macro level, as well as for identity construction at the micro level.

The student finalizing the course will also be able to prove a general and transversal knowledge in the main fields of gender studies. They will be skilled to critically analyze the relationships between law and gender, gender and society, gender and history, gender and science, placing them both in the theoretical and in the empirical dimension. Additionally, they will show a deep awareness on the role of gender in producing and reflecting legal, social and cultural norms.

Teaching contents:

This transdisciplinary course is available for all the University of Pisa students and represents one of the actions envisaged in the Gender Equality Plan (“integration of the gender dimension within research and teaching content” thematic area). The latter precisely provides for a transversal course devoted to students attending the overall courses. Additionally, it includes different perspectives and contents: the relationship between law and gender in the European dimension, sociological and anthropological issues, gender stereotypes and their legal and socio-cultural impact, women’s history, also in an intersectional perspective, gender and medicine, gender and science.

In particular, throughout the contribution of sociology and demo-ethno-anthropological scientific fields, a critical analysis of the concept of gender will be proposed. It will be carried out taking into account the main approaches and development trends in the field of gender studies. The gender perspective will therefore be applied to uncover social processes of differences and inequalities construction, at the same time assessing their impact on identity construction, social organization, obligations and expectations at an individual and societal level.

History-related lectures will be aimed at building up the structural reasons for the women’s exclusion from the civil and political rights enjoyment according to different – yet relevant – spans of (historical and national) times. Why, from the French revolution onwards, the endowment with some universal rights and the establishment of fair rules of the game did not prevent people from suffering from discrimination due to gender and “race”? Critically reviewing citizenship conceptualizions in the contemporary age can foster new reflections on its shortcomings and on the opacity that still marks the relationship between women, foreigners and Western political systems.

The legal module will focus on the relationship between law and gender in the European scenario, the European roots of anti-discrimination law and gender equality, European gender policies and the Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights’ case laws. Moreover, some crucial gender issues such as female leadership, roles within the family, gender-based violence will be tackled as well.

An intersectional approach to women’s history and gender studies will thus follow.

Last, the course will open up to gender challenges in science and medicine, confronting the scientific research genderization, the introduction of a gender perspective in technological innovation, and the creation of gender-driven health conditions and work-related safety.

The Course is now open!

March, Tuesday and Thursday_5.30 pm – 7 pm

AULA IV @Department of Law, Palazzo della SAPIENZA

Corso_Trasversale Download

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