POLITICS 731 : Special Topic: The Engendering of Global Conflict

Arts

2023 Semester One (1233) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Explores feminist theory and methodology in the study of war and conflict, including feminist interventions on how to prevent war and conflict. Topics include women’s roles in war and the gendering of militarism; sexual and environmental offences, race and human rights violations; colonial legacies, feminist resistance to war, and the UN’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda.

Course Overview

Feminists have long critiqued political scholarship claims to be gender neutral, yet actually focuses on men’s experiences. This course offers an advanced investigation of war and security politics that centres feminist theories and methods.  
War is often understood to be the realm of men who plan it, fight it, and benefit from it. This course starts from asking “where are the women?” in global conflict and draws upon recent movements to address the uniquely gendered nature of war and its impacts on women, gender diverse, and racialised people. This course will allow students to critically assess contemporary peace and security issues that impact women, gender-diverse, and ethnically marginalized populations around the globe and in Aotearoa. Course topics will draw upon global case studies and students will be expected to apply theory and methods to these contemporary political challenges.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Graduate Profile: Master of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Develop and demonstrate skills in constructing and communicating argument and analysis (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1 and 4.1)
  2. Develop Proficiency with theoretical and analytical approaches to gender and global conflict (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 3.1)
  3. Demonstrate capacity to convey complex ideas coherently through individual and collaborative classroom exercises (Capability 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Seminar activities 30% Individual Coursework
Coursework 20% Individual Coursework
Essay 50% Individual Coursework

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect each week a two-hour seminar, four hours of reading and thinking about the content and four hours of work on coursework (averaged over semester).

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

This course is not available for delivery to students studying remotely outside NZ.

Attendance is expected at seminars and attendance is required at discussions and presentations to receive credit for that component of the course.

Seminars will not be available as recordings.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Recording of course materials requires the express permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

This is the first year this course will be offered and feedback from students will be sincerely welcomed at the end of the semester.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Specific regulations on the use of AI technology will be discussed and outlined during the course.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 09/02/2023 08:22 a.m.