Gender, Ethnicity and Religious Practices in European Contexts

Course goals

After successful completion of this course students will able to:
1. Recognize main theories and concepts addressing the relation between gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race and religious practices.
2. Construct theoretical arguments that explore the interconnectedness of gender, ethnicity/race, class, and sexuality within the given societal framework.
3. Critically reflect on and interpret the dynamic relationship between culture and society, examining a diverse range of phenomena.
4. Conduct intersectional analyses of diverse social phenomena, cultural representations and discourses related to gender, ethnicity, religion and sexuality in a European context.

Content

The course aims at familiarizing students with  contemporary feminist approaches to issues of gender and sexuality, and their critical reflection on ethnicity and religious practices in a European context. It draws from various fields of studies that are in critical dialogue with each other – such as gender studies, postcolonial studies, cultural studies, critical race studies, diaspora studies. It takes an intersectional perspective to unpack how gender and sexuality are interlocked with other categories of difference such as religion, race, class and ethnicity. Furthermore, it critically unpacks how these differences are mobilized in social, political and media discourses, as well as in processes of nation building and identity making. Each session deals with different case studies, analyzed from the vantage point of various approaches. Special attention will be given to the debates about multiculturalism and migration. 

This course is the third course in the minor Gender Studies, for more information about this minor see Gender Studies.

LAS and TCS students who follow this course as part of the core curriculum of their major (hoofdrichting Postcolonial and Gender Studies) are required to complete one of the following compulsory preparation courses: Introduction to Gender Studies (block 3), Gender, intersectionality en cultuurkritiek (block 1) or Gender, Intersectionality and Cultural Critique (block 1). See https://tcs.sites.uu.nl/ for more information.

Additional information

• are enrolled in the Gender Studies minor
• are a student in the BA Liberal Arts and Sciences or Taal- en Cultuurstudies and this course is part of your specialisation (kernpakket)
• are an exchange student and meet the course’s entry requirements