GV522-7-SP-CO:
Gender and Armed Conflict
2020/21
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Sunday 17 January 2021
Friday 26 March 2021
15
05 June 2020
Requisites for this module
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War narratives and studies of political violence have traditionally focused on the roles and actions of men. Women, to the extent they are considered, have typically been framed as innocent bystanders and victims. Yet, women often actively participate in civil wars and in terrorist campaigns, either as civilian supporters of these groups or as armed fighters.
Women are therefore both willing to and capable of engaging in the same violent actions as their male counterparts during wartime. Intriguingly, there is also evidence that the inclusion of women in political processes--particularly in positions of authority--may help promote peace, resolve political conflicts, and increase stability after armed conflict.
In addition to acknowledging the profound impact that civil conflicts have on women (including sexual violence and displacement), this course explores the many important roles that women often play in terrorist and rebel organizations and examines women's potential contributions to post-war peace building and conflict resolution.
The objective of the course is that students gain a better understanding of the roles women play in the production and resolution of political violence and the manner in which gender and gender attitudes influence war and armed conflict.
The aims of the module are:
1. To introduce students to alternative theoretical lenses—such as feminist and critical gender perspectives—in contemporary security and conflict studies.
2. To engage with a wide range of applied empirical material relating to the role of women in armed conflict, including in-depth case analyses and quantitative datasets measuring women’s participation in armed conflict or other phenomena related to gender and armed conflict (e.g., data on sexual violence or women’s representation).
3. To evaluate contemporary conflicts and security policies using the theoretical lenses and empirical material introduced in the module through classroom discussion investigative research beyond the classroom.
4. To develop research, analytical, and presentation skills through a formal research paper that includes systematic qualitative or quantitative analysis of a question related to the course themes and materials and presenting the findings in a colloquia format.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able:
1. Identify and describe the history of women’s participation in the national militaries of the US, European states, and other countries.
2. Identify and describe the various roles that women play in historical and contemporary armed resistance movements.
3. Identify and explain the various sources of the gendered nature of recruitment and participation in armed groups.
4. Discuss the use and implications of gendered imagery during armed conflict and evaluate the effectiveness of such imagery as a propaganda tool.
5. Compare, evaluate, and critique different theoretical perspectives on the influence of gender on armed conflict prevalence, resolution, and dynamics.
6. Evaluate the affects and potential externalities associated with efforts to increase women’s participation in conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and post-conflict governance.
7. Synthesize relevant information from the module (as well as external sources), critique existing arguments regarding a topic related to the course themes, and apply arguments and empirical materials from the course to a question through an independent research paper.
Week 1: Research and Analysis on Gender and Conflict (discussion of positivist versus post-positivist approaches to the study of gender and politics)
Week 2: Women in State Armed Forces and National Militaries
Week 3: Female Combatants in Counter-insurgency Operations
Week 4: Women in Armed Resistance Movements
Week 5: Gendered Recruitment and its Implications
Week 6: Gendered Symbolism and Imagery in Wartime
Week 7: Women as Victims and Perpetrators of Atrocity
Week 8: Women, Gender and Peacekeeping
Week 9: Women in Post-conflict Politics and Society
Week 10: Conclusion, Review, and Reflections
This module will be taught in a weekly 2-hour seminar. Seminars are composed of two principal components. The first is intense in-class discussion of the assigned reading material intended to review, evaluate, and critique the central theories and empirical material presented that week. The second component is focused on the development of an independent research paper. This component will entail activities such as guided research in the classroom or in the library, in-class writing workshops, and formal presentations of their research experience and the findings from their research.
- Lemmon, Gayle Tzemach. (2015) Ashley's War, London: HarperCollins.
- Goldstein, Joshua S. (2001) War and gender: how gender shapes the war system and vice versa, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Sjoberg, Laura. (2014) Gender, war, and conflict, Cambridge: Polity.
- Hunt, Swanee; Posa, Cristina. (2001) 'Women Waging Peace', in Foreign Policy. (124) , pp.38-47
- Karim, Sabrina; Beardsley, Kyle. (2016-01) 'Explaining sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping missions', in Journal of Peace Research. vol. 53 (1) , pp.100-115
- Sjoberg, Laura. (2015-09) 'Seeing sex, gender, and sexuality in international security', in International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis. vol. 70 (3) , pp.434-453
- Viterna, Jocelyn. (2013) Women in War, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Gullace, Nicoletta F. (1997) 'White Feathers and Wounded Men: Female Patriotism and the Memory of the Great War', in Journal of British Studies: Cambridge University Press. vol. 36 (2) , pp.178-206
- Cohen, Dara Kay. (2013) 'Female Combatants and the Perpetration of Violence: Wartime Rape in the Sierra Leone Civil War', in World Politics. vol. 65 (3) , pp.383-414
- Bloom, Mia. (©2011) Bombshell: women and terrorism, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Carpenter, R. Charli. (2005) '"Women, Children and Other Vulnerable Groups": Gender, Strategic Frames and the Protection of Civilians as a Transnational Issue', in International Studies Quarterly: Wiley. vol. 49 (2) , pp.295-334
- Sjoberg, Laura. (2010) 'Women Fighters and the Beautiful Soul Narrative', in International Review of the Red Cross. vol. 92 (877) , pp.53-68
- Anderlini, Sanam Naraghi. (2007) Women building peace: what they do, why it matters, Boulder: Lynne Rienner Pub.
- Loken, Meredith. (2020-03-11) '‘Both needed and threatened’: Armed mothers in militant visuals', in Security Dialogue. vol. 52 (1) , pp.21-44
- Olsson, Louise; Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene. (2014-08-08) 'Advancing Gender and Peacekeeping Research', in International Peacekeeping. vol. 21 (4) , pp.520-528
- Toivanen, Mari; Baser, Bahar. (2016) 'Gender in the Representations of an Armed Conflict', in Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication. vol. 9 (3) , pp.294-314
- Valerie M. HudsonMary CaprioliBonnie Ballif-SpanvillRose McDermottChad F. Emmett. (2008) 'The Heart of the Matter: The Security of Women and the Security of States', in International Security. vol. 33 (3) , pp.7-45
- Wood, Elisabeth Jean; Toppelberg, Nathaniel. (2017-09) 'The persistence of sexual assault within the US military', in Journal of Peace Research. vol. 54 (5) , pp.620-633
- MacDonald, Heather. (January 16, 2019) 'Women Don’t Belong in Combat Units', in The Wall Street Journal.
- Adler, Reva N.; Loyle, Cyanne E; Globerman, Judith. (2007) 'A Calamity in the Neighborhood: Women's Participation in the Rwandan Genocide', in Genocide Studies International. vol. 2 (3) , pp.209-233
- Wynne-Jones, Ros. (June 16, 1996) 'Irish talks: men posture, women progress', in The Independent.
- Ellerby, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21647259.2016.1192240?casa_token=nYsfDd3ryqQAAAAA:0njlM7xYCXulssYeXl0hlTD4rTOSbI3yY5ijFlDjfVa31itdZa-gD5Lu0GltWk3_YvztQWMttfg
- Kreft, Anne-Kathrin. (2017-01) 'The gender mainstreaming gap: Security Council resolution 1325 and UN peacekeeping mandates', in International Peacekeeping. vol. 24 (1) , pp.132-158
- Resolution 1325, http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/1325
- Wood, Reed. (2019) Female fighters: why rebel groups recruit women for war, New York: Columbia University Press.
- Sjoberg, Laura; Kadera, Kelly; Thies, Cameron G. (2018-04) 'Reevaluating Gender and IR Scholarship', in Journal of Conflict Resolution. vol. 62 (4) , pp.848-870
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Test 1 |
|
20% |
| Coursework |
Test 2 |
|
20% |
| Coursework |
Annotated Bibliography |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Research Paper |
|
35% |
Additional coursework information
Your performance will be assessed in three ways: 1) 2 tests, 2) A Research Presentation, and 3) A Formal essay.
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Reed Wood, email: reed.wood@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Reed Wood
Dr Reed Wood reed.wood@essex.ac.uk Administrator Jamie Seakens govpgquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
Dr Damien Bol
King's College London
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
Of 438 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
438 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
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