Module WS 821.1 European Women’s Studies, Semester 1, 2014-15
Thinking Differently: European Women’s Studies,
Semester 1, 2014-15
Module Co-ordinator:
Mary Clancy, Women’s Studies Centre,
10 Upper Newcastle Road, Room No. 202
Mary.clancy@nuigalway.ie 091 495347. Ext: 5347
Time: Tuesdays 2 – 4 p.m.
Room: AC 203 (Concourse)
5 ECTS
Module Aims
The aim of the European Women’s Studies module is to critically examine themes relating to gender in
European social, cultural, visual and political contexts. A core aim is to explore how gender has influenced and
shaped lives and public effort from past to present. The Module considers a variety of topics, offering an
excellent set of contexts for students wishing to deepen understandings of gender, European spheres of
influence, and research resources. Essentially, the Module aims to show how women and men interpreted their
personal, working and civic lives from the 19 th century to the present, in various national and social contexts.
There is, therefore, a strong interest in establishing historical foundations and biographical content across the
various themes. Essentially and importantly, students gain new critical insight that will benefit the experience of
living and studying in European contexts.
Teaching and Learning
The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, films, research presentations and a photographic
project. This approach ensures that students have opportunities to introduce themes of interest in class.
Contextual information is provided as an aid to those who are not familiar with background details, enabling
students to learn about concepts of political, intellectual and social change (late 18 th century to the present). In
class, students work with primary sources, enabling students to strengthen analytical skills and knowledge about
research resources. Finally, students will have opportunities to research topic presentations and a photographic
project, enabling students to strengthen independent research and communication skills. A guiding list of topics
and resources will be provided, in addition to topics agreed by students.
Class time: Tuesday, 2 – 4 p.m. in Room 203, on the Concourse. The course begins on Tuesday, 9 September
and ends on Tuesday, 25 November. Details will be discussed at the Introduction on 9 September, 2 p.m.
Mary Clancy, Course Co-ordinator, has taught women’s history and women’s studies at undergraduate and
postgraduate level. She has published on women’s suffrage, politics, life-stories and labour, is a member of the
research consortium Gender ARC (www.genderarc.org) and she is currently joint editor of Saothar: Journal of
the Irish Labour History Society. She participates in public lectures, projects and conferences and contributes to
radio and film documentary, through the medium of Irish and English. She has participated at European level
through her work in the research alliance, Athena, now incorporated in Atgender (www.atgender.eu), has
written and co-edited texts in association with European colleagues and is joint co-ordinator of the Atgender
strand, Public History. She was lead staff member of Digital Memories (2012-13), a project of the university
Explore initiative (www.su.nuigalway.ie/explore). She is involved in local projects, such as Art and Archives in
the West of Ireland and City Council Heritage Forum.
Course materials
Course materials are available via the library, e-resources and Blackboard. Students are not required to purchase
books. Handouts will be made available electronically. Additional material will be distributed in class.
Information about local events, such as films, exhibitions, public talks, tours, will be circulated via Blackboard.
Module Assessment
Assessment: End-of-module assignment (3,000 words). Students will be required to draw upon class topics and
course materials. Written guidelines will be issued at the start of the course. Assignment due: on or before
Tuesday, 9 December, 2 p.m.. Submit to: The Women’s Studies Centre, 10, Upper Newcastle Road, near new
entrance to the university. (See sign over front door). Box marked for receipt of assignments is in the foyer.
Course Outline: European Women’s Studies, WS 821.1
Date and Time: Tuesday, 2 – 4 p.m. Room: AC 203 (on the Concourse).
Core resources: Course Handouts. Websites:European Women’s Lobby, www.womenlobby.eu; European
Institute of Gender Equality, www.eige.europa.eu ; WINE-Women’s Information Network of Europe. Full
details, including the assignment, will be provided at the start of the course.
Module Co-Ordinator: Mary Clancy mary.clancy@nuigalway.ie
Week 1. Tuesday, 9 September, 2014.
Introduction and contexts
Topic: This session will explain and discuss approach, themes, assessment and resources. Handout to students.
Once registered, course information will be available via Blackboard.
Week 2. Tuesday, 16 September. Imagining Inequalities and Power
Topic: The session examines guiding core themes re Europe, equality, biography, gender, social class and
representations. Topics: 1) Existing Inequalities 2) Overcoming Barriers.
Week 3. Tuesday, 23 September. Democratic Citizenship – acquiring rights
Topic: 1.This session examines contexts of public discrimination and change from Wollstonecraft to the First
World War. Exercise: Public Memories. Topics: continuities, images and stereotypes.
Week 4. Tuesday, 30 September. Democratic Citizenship – practicing rights.
Topic: This session examines 20th century contexts of political power. Topics: varieties of political leadership,
nationalities and power, international influences.
Week 5.Tuesday, 7 October. Democratic Citizenship and European diversities
Topic: This session interprets the place of women in post-WW2 and post-Soviet Europe in contexts of conflict
and change. Topics: political journalism, art, film excerpts.
Week 6. Tuesday, 14 October. Hidden and Hard Labour
Topic: This session examines topics such as child labour, domestic service, sweated labour, ongoing campaigns.
Topics: social class, ethnicity, the value of women’s work, a living wage.
Week 7. Tuesday. 21 October. Wars and Peace
Topic: This session examines examples of pacifist, military and relief roles in wars from the Crimean (1850s) to
the Balkans (1990s). Film excerpts.
Week 8. Tuesday, 28 October. Life-Stories
Topic: This session examines archives, sources and constructing life-stories, drawing upon selected examples of
European women’s lives and student examples. Topics: anonymities, hidden histories, public memories.
Week 9. Tuesday, 4 November. Class Debate: Differences
Topic: This session takes the form of a class debate about themes of difference, especially in relation to topical
questions and concepts of minorities. Students will be advised re readings and resources.
Week 10. Tuesday, 11 November. Prostitution and Trafficking.
Topic: This session examines campaigns and policies about prostitution, contexts of the 19th century White
Slave Trade and the meaning of contemporary Trafficking. Film excerpts and campaigning.
Week 11. Tuesday, 18 November. Visual Archives: Art and Film.
This session examines excerpts from film, photography and art to show how gender informs decision-making,
imagining and visibility. Exercise: colonialism. Presentations of projects.
Week 12. Tuesday, 25 November. Final Session
Review of course aims, discussion of assignment topics and progress. End-of- Module review.
End-of-Module Assignment due: on or before 2p.m. Tuesday, 9 December, 2014.