| Unit name | Woman and Nation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODL23017 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Glynn |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
The validity of the nation-state as a model of social and political organization has long been taken for granted. This unit engages with feminist critiques of the nation to expose the gender divisions that lie at the heart of the nation-state. It explores how cultural discourses, images and texts naturalise those divisions and assign different roles to men and women. More specifically, the unit explores in comparative perspective how the historical foundations of the European nation-state in the nineteenth century, experiences of authoritarianism in the twentieth century, and the rise of populist politics in the twenty-first century have sought to control women, often relegating them to a secondary role within a model of political organization that claims to serve the interests of all. Understanding the gendered dynamics of the nation as articulated in cultural production is a first step towards a more inclusive model of social and political organization.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on your existing but perhaps implicit knowledge about the nation and its cultural expression. By studying feminist theory, you will be more alert to the gendered dynamics of discourses and imagery relating to women at the foundation of the nation, under authoritarianism and in contemporary populist politics. You will consolidate your intercultural expertise and transhistorical knowledge through the comparative study of three historical moments and national contexts. You will enhance your critical skills through close analysis of cultural products and develop your writing skills by writing for a non-academic audience to a stipulated brief and stylesheet.
Overview of content
The unit opens with an introduction to theoretical considerations of women, culture, nation, focusing on family metaphors and the role assigned to women as biological and cultural reproducers of the nation. It traces the evolution of the relationship between women and nation within three national contexts (usually Italy, Czechia/Czechoslovakia and Germany) and across three key historical moments/developments:
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Having taken this unit, you will have a good command of relevant theories relating to the study of women and nation. You will be familiar with discourses and imagery pertaining to women and nation and with the roles assigned women within the nation-state. You will develop your intercultural awareness through the comparative study of diverse national cultures and your critical skills through close analysis of diverse cultural products. You will be more confident, reflective and effective communicators through seminar discussion and assignments written for a non-academic audience.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Teaching on this unit will be delivered via:
Guided reading questions are provided to support your preparation for seminar discussions.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
You will submit a 500-word critical reflection on the material studied in the first part of the unit (women and the foundation of the nation), utilising appropriate theoretical concepts; comparing and contrasting tendencies across the national contexts studied; and in accordance with the stylesheet of the online para-academic publication, The Conversation.
Written feedback will address:
This submission provides you with an opportunity to test your understanding of the task in advance of the longer summative assessment and gain feedback on it. Additionally, it is designed to encourage you to build up a portfolio of critical reflections on each part of the unit, which may contribute to final, summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Critical reflection presented in accordance with the style conventions for the online para-academic publication The Conversation, 1,500 words (100%) [ILOs 1-5]
This requires you to review your learning on the unit as a whole and to identify how the development of the relationship between women and nation in different cultural contexts and at distinct moments in time have contributed to shaping discourses about women and nation in the present day.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MODL23017).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
