POS 395 Gender Equality and Politics

This course aims to strengthen awareness and understanding of gender politics in an increasingly globalized world with a growing number of influential stakeholders, including states, international organizations, NGOs and various forms of social movements. It provides an introduction to the concepts, international framework and methods for working on gender equality. In each class, gender issues will be assessed and compared on the basis of different geographical and thematic levels. Students will analyze the current international framework regulated by the UN through its legal and political work, the Western approach to gender politics, and the situation in the developing world. The second half of the course will focus on the most problematic specific issues, including gender-based violence and issues of global peace and security, reproductive and family rights, and gender equality in education, work and politics. The course is intended to be an open discussion forum for exchanging experiences and ideas. Students will be invited to discuss some of the most relevant and urgent issues, including the right to life vs. right to choose; positive action to promote women vs. the right to equal treatment and non-discrimination; formal universal approach to gender equality vs. existing de facto regional and religious differences. Individual topics of the course will be supplemented by specific case studies prepared by the lecturer and the students.