[Discussion] Gender and Militarism online course

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

Gender and Militarism online course

Gender and Militarism

12 weeks of intensive online learning for peace activists, NGO and INGO 
workers,
trainers, teachers, advisers and consultants, students, and women and 
men who
would like to learn more about these issues. The course offers an 
introduction
to gender studies, and analysis of the complex relationships between 
gender and
social constructions, and gender and militarism. During the course we will
explore the interdependency between gender and power and focus on the 
theory and
practices of gender roles in different societies. The course will then 
focus on
militarism, the war system and peace. It will demonstrate a direct 
connection
between militarism and gender base violence; gender based societal 
positions and
violent society through examples from the Middle East, South East Asia, 
Western
and Eastern Europe with emphasis on the Balkans and the US. Gender 
identity will
be examined, via dichotomies such as passivity VS Activity, hero VS Victim
(heroism/ victim- hood and victimization), femininities VS 
masculinities, strong
VS weak and peace VS war. It will highlight gender issues related to war 
such as
rape as a tool of war, human and women’ security and protection 
strategies
such as community based security, national and international 
intervention and
peacekeeping operations in relation to gender-based power relationships. The
course will further seek to explore how understanding of gender-based social
constructions can help in addressing gender inequalities and equities. The
required readings for the course are 50 pages per week.

Course Schedule (12 Weeks)

Week 1: Introduction of fundamental principles of gender theories. Anne 
Minas,
Gender Basics: Feminist Perspectives on Women and Men. Pages 2-23. De 
Beauvoir,
Simone. Le Deuxieme Sexe (The Second Sex). Paris, France: Editions 
Gallimard,
1949.

Week 2: Diagnosis, Prognosis and theory of Militarism - gender and the 
social
order. Ben-Eliezer, Uri The Making of Israeli Militarism. Bloomington, IN:
Indiana University Press, 1998 Hicks-Stiehm, Judith. It's Our Military, Too:
Women and the U.S. Military (Women in the Political Economy). Temple 
University
Press,1996. Burk, J, ed. The Military in New Times: Adapting Armed 
Forces to a
Turbulent World. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994.

Week 3: Gender and Feminist theories - Gender Division of Power. 
Johnson, Allan
G. Privilege, Power and Difference McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social
Sciences/Languages, 2001. Chapter 1 and 2.

Week 4: Sexism and its Interdependency with Militarism: Case studies. 
Hartsock,
Nancy. Masculinity, Heroism, and the Making of War. In Rocking the
Ship of State, eds. Harris, A. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1989. Chapkis,
Wendy, "Sexuality and Militarism." In Women in the Military System,
ed. E. Isaksson. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988.

Week 5: Young fighters: Indoctrination into Gendered roles and 
Militarism during
childhood in formal and informal education systems. Gor, Haggith. 
"Education for
War in Israel: Preparing Children to Accept War as a Natural Factor of 
Life." In
Education as Enforcement, The Militarization and Corporatisation (?) of 
Schools,
eds. Saltman, K. J. and Gabbard, D. A. New York: Routledge, 2003. Cockburn,
Cyntia. "Teaching Under Pressure: Looking at Primary Teachers' Stress." 
In The
Gendered Dynamics of Armed Conflict and Political Violence. Routledge 
Falmer,
1996.

Week 6: The War System and other Alternatives: Civil Disobedience and women
Refusal to Military Service. Goldstein, Joshua. War and Gender, How Gender
Shapes the War System and Vice Versa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2001. Breines, Ingeborg, Dorota Gierycz and Betty Reardon, Towards a Women's
Agenda for a Culture of Peace. Paris: UNESCO, 1999.

Week 7: International Law and Human (women's) Security - CEDAW/ 1325. United
Nations. UN Resolution 1325. Reardon Betty. Women and Peace: Feminist 
Visions of
Global Security. Albany, NY: State of New York Press, 1993. Chapter 1 and 2

Week 8: Internalizing the Oppression - Kings and Queens in Modern Life. 
Enloe,
Cynthia Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International
Politics. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1989. Chapter 1 
and 2

Week 9: Human and Women's Protection: Human Security, Rape as a Tool of
War, Piece (or Peace?) of dignity and Peace Keeping Operations. Enloe, 
Cynthia
Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International 
Politics.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1989. Chapter 3 and 4

Week 10: Dichotomized Myths about Men and Women in Gendered Militaries. 
York,
Judy. "The Truth about Women and Peace." In Women and War Reader, ed. 
Jennifer
Turpin. New York: New York university Press, 1998. D-Amico, Francine. 
"Feminist
Perspective on Women Worriers." In Women and War Reader, ed. Jennifer 
Turpin.
New York: NY University Press, 1998.

Week 11: Myths and Women's Civilian Life. Feinnan, I. R. "Women 
Warrior/Peace
Makers: Until the Real Feminists Please Stand Up." Women and Peace 
Reader, ed.
Turpin J. New York: New York University Press, 1998.

Week 12: Reshaping the Future: Planning future in unity and equity. 
Klein, Uta.
"The Contribution of the Military and Military Discourse to the 
Construction of
Masculine (?) Society." Delivered at the Seminar: Men and Violence Against
Women. COE, Strasbourg, 7-8 October 1999.

If you have questions or would like to receive further information about the
course and how it might relate to your work and interests please do not 
hesitate
to contact me Gal Harmat harmat@transcend.org

If you have colleagues or members of your organization, agency or partner
organizations that you believe may benefit from this course, please 
forward this
announcement to them.

www.transcend.org/tpu

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TPU Global Center
tpu@transcend.org
Tel.: +40-724-380-551
Fax: +40-264-420-298
	TPU Global Center
tpu@transcend.org
Tel.: +40-724-380-551
Fax: +40-264-420-298

Email: tpu@transcend.org
Visit the website at http://www.transcend.org/tpu