Module WS 821.2 European Women’s Studies, Semester 2, 2014
Thinking Differently: European Women’s Studies,
Semester 2, 2013-14
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 213 (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.
The class takes place on Tuesday, 2 – 4 p.m. in Room 213, on the Concourse. The course begins on Tuesday,
14 January and ends on Tuesday, 01 April. Further details will be discussed at the Introduction on 14 January, 2
p.m. and information will be circulated to class participants.
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).
Course materials
Course materials are available via the library, e-resources and Blackboard. Students are not required to purchase
books. A course text will be made available electronically and issued to each student at the start of the course.
Additional material will be distributed in class. Information about local events, such as films, exhibitions, public
talks, will be circulated via Blackboard.
Module Assessment
Assessment: End-of-module assignment (3,000 words). Students will be required to draw upon class
discussions and course materials. Written guidelines will be made available. Assignment due: on or before
Monday, 28 April, 2014, 3 p.m. Submit to: The Women’s Studies Centre, 10, Upper Newcastle Road, beside the
new entrance to the university. (See sign over front door). Box marked for receipt of assignments is in the foyer.
Course Outline: WS 821.2
Date and Time: Tuesday, 2 – 4 p.m. Room: AC 213 (on the Concourse)
Week 1. Tuesday, 14 January, 2014.
Introduction and contexts
Topic: This session will explain and discuss course aims, readings, assessment, resources. See: European
Women’s Lobby, European Institute for Gender Equality, WINE-Women’s Information Network of Europe.
Week 2. Tuesday, 21 January. Imagining European Lives
Topic: The session will consider definitions of Europe, public memories and knowledge of women in public
life. Sources: autobiographical writings, contextualising European spaces.
Week 3. Tuesday, 28 January. Working Hidden and Hard Labour
Topic: 1.This session examines contexts, examples and legacies of working lives in 19th and 20th century
Europe. Sources: journalism, novels, census. 2 . Projects (Life Stories and Photographic).
Week 4. Tuesday, 04 February. Democratic Citizenship and Women’s Emancipation
Topic: This session examines how the campaign for votes changed concepts of citizenship internationally, late
18th century to 20th century. Sources: newspapers, women’s suffrage journals, memorials, art, objects.
Week 5.Tuesday, 11 February. Emigrating Europe
Topic: This session examines the histories of European emigration to New and Old Worlds (e.g. America,
Australia). Sources: diaries, shipping information, film and websites.
Week 6. Tuesday, 18 February. Student Presentations: We Say What Matters
Topic: This session enables students to present on themes of interest agreed in advance of class*. Resources
will be suggested to help locate information. Student Project review.
Week 7. Tuesday, 25 February. Women in Politics and Wars
Topic: This session examines selected examples of pacifist, military and relief roles in wars from the Crimean
(1853-’56) to World War 2 (939- ’45). Sources: autobiography, diaries, objects, visual.
Week 8. Tuesday, 04 March. Project International Women’s Day.
Topic. Remembering International Women’s Day (8 March). Class Projects. This session will enable the class
to discuss questions of public memory and gender, including how to exhibit hidden memories.
Week 9. Tuesday, 11 March. Politics: defining nationality post-1945
Topic. This session interprets the place of women in deciding political questions in post-WW2 and post-Soviet
Europe, in contexts of conflict and change. Sources: journalism, parliamentary websites, film extracts.
Week 10. Tuesday, 18 March. Politics: defining public protest. Film and Song
Topic: This session highlights themes of protest and pacifism. Sources: Screening of extracts e.g.: Bernadette:
Notes on a Political Journey (2011) and song e.g. Buffy Sainte-Marie, Estonian singing revolution, Russia.
Week 11. Tuesday, 25 March. Inspiring Art
Topic: This session examines the place of art inspiring and generating representations and stories. Sources: art
galleries, street art. Guest presentation by local artist. Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire (1911).
Week 12. Tuesday, 01 April. Final Session
Review of course aims, discussion of assignment progress. End-of- Module review.
*Some themes to consider: Comedy, Education, Entertainment, Fashion, Health, Life-Story, Media
Representation, Minorities as categories, Music, the Politics of Clothing, Sport, Violence, Work, Other.
Resources: A full outline, with readings and assignment information, will be issued to students in January.
End-of-Module Assignment due: on or before 3p.m. Monday, 28 April, 2014.