CGA214 | Gender in International Law and Political Science- A Synergistic Analysis

This course provides an introduction to the discipline of gender studies within the disciplines of international law and political science. Women are routinely underrepresented in politics, have been excluded from the high domains of international policy making, while at the same time remain important contributors to the national economy and the family. What are the reasons for this exclusion?

This course straddles the disciplines of international law and political science and introduces important debates. Students are expected to have a basic knowledge of research techniques and produce a final research paper of their choosing. This course is an iteration of the previous course on CEDAW in International Law in that it focuses on the gendered question within the disciplines of political science and international law. It is a standalone course investigating the gendered dimension within the two disciplines.

Choice of materials: primary or secondary readings / case law; The choice of materials rely on high quality journal articles and are intended to introduce the student to the major gendered debates within the field of political science and international law. Research in these two disciplines at the intersection of gender is flowing at an exponential rate. Contrary to earlier assertations that gender does not constitute the two disciplines respectively, there is an increasing resurgence in the priority and interest accorded to gender in these two disciplines. As a result, this requires the design of a course that grasps at the intricacies of gender in international law and political science. Political Science investigates everyday questions of interest as empirical phenomena. Sometimes questions on gender are deemed banal and insignificant due to all pervading patriarchal structures.

This course seeks to make explicit this unarticulated hidden premise of gender subordination. By engaging head on with the disciplines of international law and political science this course will encourage students to disrupt everyday structures of patriarchy and understand its intricacies in the society we live in. The readings comprise standard readings from the two disciplines. I have relied primarily on journal articles to instruct students on gender in the two disciplines. The final output for this course is a research paper. By using high quality research papers in class, I expect to facilitate the students into understanding how to produce a high quality research paper for potential publication. The readings include articles on the relationship between law and political science, the feminist method, gender-based violence (GBV), crimes of GBV during wartime like Partition and the Korean comfort women, gender under the discipline of comparative politics and international relations and contemporary questions on gender in India like the Sabarimala Judgment and the Triple Talaaq Judgment and its relationship with international law and political science to explore the dynamic interrelationship of gender between the disciplines of international law and political science

The pedagogical method will be class room lectures with discussion questions posed throughout the class session to encourage student participation. Students who feel uncomfortable to participate will be encouraged to write up their thoughts and present them in class. The class lecture will be delivered in a structured format using power point presentations that present the key ideas of the class. The students will be encouraged to make notes prior to class by speed reading. This is purposeful reading for the class which comprises reading the crux of an article. This will enable breakdown of the issues in class suitable for discussions and will also enable ease of comprehension.