Violence and (In)security: Feminist, Queer and Anti-colonial perspectives (966M1)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

This module gives you a critical, interdisciplinary take on war, violence and security from feminist perspectives. These foreground the “intersectionality” of different power relations including:

  • postcolonial
  • decolonial
  • Critical Indigenous
  • transnational
  • Black studies
  • critical disability and queer approaches.

How are different forms and sites of violence connected? How do technologies of gender, sex, disability and race shape understandings of certain practices of violence as political, lawful, legitimate and/or necessary? What are the (feminist) ethics of researching and reproducing violence and suffering? What are the prospects and limits of the (International) law for peace and justice?

Among the themes we’ll explore are:

  • the erotics of conquest and slavery
  • military masculinities
  • drones and ‘posthuman warfare’
  • international law and the targeting of civilians
  • sexual/ised violence in conflict
  • private military and security companies
  • torture and surveillance
  • women and queers as agents of violence
  • Orientalism and the War on Terror
  • occupation and resistance
  • human rights and international law
  • imperial feminisms
  • just war theory.

Teaching

100%: Practical (Workshop)

Assessment

20%: Coursework (Group presentation)
80%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 267 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We鈥檙e planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We鈥檒l make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.