F1HH 5055 - Sexual & Gender-Based Violence in Conflict Zones: Methodological and Ethical Principles

The aim of the course is to explore multidisciplinary research methods and evidence-gathering techniques of gendered experience of violence in the context of war, displacement and migration, focusing on the Middle East and Middle Eastern diaspora.

The course will introduce students to the concept of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), its dynamics, manifestations and forms in normal settings and among war-affected populations. It will explore the concept of intersectionality, and how gender is interconnected and played out with race, ethnicity, religion, class, social status, age, etc. Notions of ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ will be discussed in an effort to capture and analyse gender identity as constructed and modified through social behaviour, war and displacement, and how intersectional identity categories shape peoples’ experiences of SGBV, including domestic violence, honour-based violence, sexual violence, rape and sex slavery. Examples of art-based and co-produced knowledge along with case studies will be used to support these theoretical approaches and analyses.

The course will also explore the role of the media and culture in relation to SGBV. It will highlight the representation of SGBV and traditional cultural norms in the media and how different media channels, in the context of information and communication technologies, play around and reproduce hegemonic ideologies in terms of race, religion and masculinity in opposition to migrant, refugee and female vulnerabilities. Here, notions of cultural relativism and universalism will be discussed.

The course will also discuss the impact of SGBV on public health and its implications for women’s lives. It will also highlight the human rights dimension of sexual and gender-based violence, with the aim of educating students and expanding their knowledge and awareness of intervention strategies, legal reforms, social policies and various European, international and UN conventions to tackle gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict settings.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge acquired:

• Deepening students’ knowledge and understanding of key concepts related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), its root causes, consequences and its impact on society, in conflict zones as well as in normal settings.
• Strengthening research capacity of the students through identifying feminist methods and theoretical explanations of SGBV in conflict-zones post-war environment.
• Increasing participants’ capacities to conduct in-depth and policy-oriented research with critical analysis to produce evidence-based data.
• Enhancing students’ understanding on robust ethical principles and safety measures helping them to work with and conduct action-based investigation into SGBV in conflict zones and among war-affected populations.
• Increasing expertise and awareness about the effects of SGBV on individuals, including women, girls, men and boys, and its implication for justice, equality and the well-being of populations.

Professional Skills:

• Enhancing students’ capacities with necessary skills helping them to integrate a gender perspective into their future work/activities to effectively tackle and address SGBV.
• Enhancing skills to manage crisis and to inform national and international policy, legislation and responses to promote prevention and elimination of SGBV among war-affected populations.
• Identifying potential national and global partners and experts who can protect and support war-affected victims and survivors of SGBV, contributing to preventive measures training programs and co-productive knowledge.
• Increase participants’ skills and abilities to produce policy briefings, response strategies and recommendations addressing challenges facing victims of SGBV in post-war environments.

Combining lectures, interactive debates, practical exercises and presentations of written essays.

• Combining lectures, interactive debates, practical exercises and presentations of written essays.
• Students are expected to participate and contribute to debates actively during class.
• Students are expected to be on time, be present, be prepared and be enthusiastic.
• They are also encouraged to read the recommended texts and, most importantly, be curious, creative and positive.

Participating in debates throughout the semester (10%); 2-4 pages’ paper & oral presentation (40%); collective paper (2-4) 15-20 pages (50%)/End of semester peer review.

• In Class Presence: 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 60 hours a semester (it is normal to ask them to spend a double amount of time that they spent in the classroom on readings)
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 30 hours a semester
• Research and Writing Terms Paper: 30 hours a semester

The total hours: 144