HIST 450 – Women’s History and Gender Equality Policies

Description
The course explores the long road to equality for women and the main current problems that lie at the heart of the so-called “gender question”. The first part of the course is dedicated to women’s history, highlighting their role in society from classical antiquity onwards and their struggles for civil, political and social rights during the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. The first half of the course ends with an outlook on the current state of the feminist movements and their future challenges. The second part of the course analyses the main questions at the heart of the current debate on gender equality, such as gender segregation in school and university choices, women’s underrepresentation in the labour market and politics, and gender violence. Students have the opportunity to attend meetings with women politicians, entrepreneurs and journalists, women’s associations and police officers in Florence.

Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

– Describe the main stages of women’s history in Europe and in the USA throughout the centuries.
– Evaluate the contribution of the United Nations and the European Union to the advancement of women’s rights.
– Identify the current issues at the heart of the “gender question.”
-Have a sound knowledge of “gender vocabulary.”

Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.

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