Gender, Int'l Peace Security

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course introduces students to a variety of theoretical perspectives and empirical processes linking gender to the dynamics of security and armed conflict, both at the domestic and international levels. After reviewing historical connections between gender, war and peace, it focuses on a comparative analysis of gender integration in the armed forces of western democracies. Major topics to be discussed are: the military as a gendered organization; gender equality, citizenship and military participation; women in combat; sexuality, sexual orientation and the military; masculinity and military culture; patterns and policies of gender integration. A final block is then devoted to analyzing the implications and challenges of a new gender regime in international security which has been developing since the approval of UNSC Resolution 1325 in 2000. This includes examining and discussing issues such as the participation of women in international operations; gender, crisis management and the security sector reform; and gender-based violence in armed conflicts.