Module WS 821.2 (2016) Thinking Differently:
European Women’s Studies. 5 ECTS
Module Co-ordinator: Mary Clancy, Women’s Studies Centre,
10 Upper Newcastle Road, Room No. 202
Mary.clancy@nuigalway.ie 091 495347. Ext: 5347
European Women’s Studies: Module Aims
The aim of the Module is to critically examine how gender has influenced personal and public effort
and contexts. It examines a variety of topics in order to show diversity and continuities across social
class, political change, time and place. The course enables students to learn about political,
intellectual and social contexts from the late 18th century to the present. There is emphasis, therefore,
on analysis of both historical effort and contemporary lives. In so doing, students acquire 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, discussion, film, short exercises and
presentations. This approach ensures that students have opportunities to discuss themes and resources
of interest. There is strong emphasis on preparation in advance for class exercises and students
prepare for class through: consulting readings in advance, undertaking preparatory exercises, such as
photographic tasks, visits to sites of interest (local, virtual), preparing responses to selected topics.
Course handouts include information about geographical and political contexts.
Class time: Tuesday, 14:00 – 16:00 (2 – 4 p.m). Lecture room: AC201 (Concourse).
Mary Clancy, Course Co-ordinator, has a teaching and research background in women’s history, is a
member of research consortium Gender ARC (www.genderarc.org) and joint editor of Saothar:
Journal of the Irish Labour History Society. She has participated at European level through her work
in the research alliance, Athena, now incorporated in Atgender (www.atgender.eu) and has published
in association with European colleagues. She participates in university and public projects, such as
Art and Archives in the West of Ireland, Galway City Council Heritage Forum, television
documentary and media through the medium of Irish and English, and various public events.
Course materials
Course materials are available via library e-resources and Blackboard. Students are not required to
purchase books. Additional material will be distributed in class. Information about additional local
events, such as films, exhibitions, public talks, will be circulated via Blackboard.
Module Assessment
The Module is assessed through assignment only. Students will be expected to draw upon class
materials and written guidelines will be issued. Details will be provided re submission process.
Core resources
Websites: European Women’s Lobby, www.womenlobby.eu; European Institute of Gender Equality,
www.eige.europa.eu Students are required to consult core sites regularly in order to remain
informed about debates and campaigns.
European Women’s Studies: Thinking Differently. WS 821.2
Course outline summary. Lecture room AC 201, Concourse
Week 1: Tuesday, 11 January 2016. Introduction and contexts
Topic: Introductions and course information. Defining European contexts, identities and questions.
Week 2: Tuesday, 19 January. Influences.
Topic: This session will examine how knowledge about influential foremothers, as defined in class,
helps to establish ways of thinking about gender as a way of organising society. Discuss: Informing
through archives. Introduce class project.
Week 3: Tuesday, 26 January. Women’s Suffrage and Equal Citizenship
Topic: This session will trace the granting of votes to women throughout Europe during the early 20th
century. Class analysis: suffrage and anti-suffrage documents; visual materials.
Week 4: Tuesday, 02 February. Wars and Peace
Topic: This session examines questions of gender and war in European imperial and nation states,
with emphasis on types of agency in times of war and post-war agency.
Week 5: Tuesday, 09 February. Public Powers and Personal Rights (1)
Topic: This session will examine religious, symbolic, philanthropic and state contexts regarding
institutions, such as the Magdalen Asylum, as a way of understanding an experience of women.
Week 6: Tuesday, 16 February. Hidden and Hard Labour
Topic: This session examines working-class lives and topics such as sweated labour, trade-union
organising, hidden labour. Film. Class Project Review.
Week 7: Tuesday, 23 February. Public Powers and Personal Rights (2)
Topic: This session examines legislative provisions in relation to reproductive rights, prostitution,
trafficking. Film.
Week 8: Tuesday. 01 March. Class Project Preparation.
Topic: This session will involve working in class to complete project for presenting on 8 March.
Week 9: Tuesday, 08 March. International Women’s Day
Topic: This session will present materials produced in class in response to remembering past and
continuing inequalities and effort.
Week 10: Tuesday, 15 March. Women’s Voices in Politics
Topic: This session examines questions of interest to political women in late 20th and early 21st
century Europe. Debate: getting elected.
Break (25 March – 29 March)
Week 11: Tuesday, 05 April. Post-Soviet Europe
Topic: This session examines developments in post-soviet European countries (post-1989): Memories
in Writing and in Film. Film extracts in class.
Week 12: Tuesday, 12 April. Assignment Ideas and Resources.
Module Review. Final Assignment Progress Reports.
The course outline will be confirmed in January. A full outline, with readings and guidelines, will be
distributed to students on registration for the course. Submission of assignment: students will have
two weeks to complete module assignment after the date of the final lecture.
Mary.clancy@nuigalway.ie