Skip to main content

Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Cultural Foundations: the Woman in History

Cultural Foundations: the Woman in History
3
15266
4
First semester
op
Main language of instruction: Spanish

Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English,

Teaching staff

Introduction

The course aims to examine the role of women throughout history, analyze the reasons for their invisibility, and discover the richness of their contribution to the development of civilization.

This perspective of history "from the perspective of women" goes beyond the mere gender perspective and can help us better understand events, understand our world, and enrich the perspective from which we analyze the past.

To this end, we will draw on various bibliographic sources and comparative texts by various authors who have addressed the women's question and the demands of feminist movements of the last two centuries.

Objectives

Although it is true that in our world in recent decades there have been important advances in the legal framework in everything related to equal opportunities (education, work, civil rights, family co-responsibility), in practice differences persist.

Today there are pending issues in professional development (selection, promotion and wage difference), education especially in emerging countries and the Third World, the manipulation of the female body and female identity (humiliating practices promoted by some audiovisual products and social networks, growth of prostitution and human trafficking, surrogacy, gender-based violence and violence by proxy).

On the other hand, the media treatment of these issues from the standpoint of gender confrontation and the difficulties of reconciling family and work has led to female disaffection with motherhood, as well as to a new family reality characterized by late partnerships and the delay of first motherhood.

All these unresolved issues make even more evident today the invisibility not of women as such, since their social protagonism is evident, but of the female question.

This would therefore be the reason for the present subject: to confront the key issues with rigor, to seek alternatives to the questions raised in class, and to offer this training within the framework of human rights and the defining values of a democratic society based on respect and non-discrimination (on the grounds of sex, current or potential motherhood, race, nationality, beliefs and origin), non-violence, the inclusion of men and women (also of motherhood and fatherhood, of relationships of filiation and dependency, of disability, of all generations) and respect for the minor.

Learning outcomes of the subject

  • Develop a culture focused on fostering sustainable and healthy relationships within the general framework of building a culture of peace.
  • Consider inclusion as another democratic value, a human right that guarantees equality and equity among human beings. Equality of opportunity, treatment, and development opportunities is fostered by promoting dialogue, family co-responsibility, and male-female complementarity in the public and social sphere.

Syllabus

I. ANTIQUITY

  • Topic 1: Introduction and General Framework
  • Topic 2: Roles and Daily Life
  • Topic 3: Power, Culture, and the Female Voice

II. MIDDLE AGES

  • Topic 4: Representations and Living Conditions
  • Topic 5: Work and the Economy
  • Topic 6: Power, Culture, and Religiosity

III. FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE MODERN AGE

  • Topic 7: Renaissance and Humanism
  • Topic 8: Early Modern Age and Social Control
  • Topic 9: Women and Social Change

IV. 19TH CENTURY

  • Topic 10: Context and Transformations
  • Topic 11: Great Women Authors
  • Topic 12: The Bourgeoisie and the Feminine Ideal

V. CENTURY

  • Topic 13: 20TH CENTURY: Ruptures and Continuities
  • Topic 14: Social Movements and Feminism
  • Topic 15: End of the Century and New Challenges

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



Evaluation criteria

1st call:
  • Exam 50%,
  • Attendance 15%,
  • Participation 15%,
  • Work 20%
2nd call:
  • A grade of at least 5 will be required on the make-up exam, and attendance, participation, and work will be measured in the same proportion as the first exam.


Calendari:
  • 8 IX-> Introduction
  • 15 IX, 22 IX-> Block I: Antiquity
  • 29 IX,6 X-> Block II: Middle Ages
  • 13X,20X-> Block III: From the Renaissance to the Modern Age
  • 27X,3XI-> Block IV: 19th century
  • 10XI,17XI-> Block V: 20th century
  • 24XI-> Exam review
  • 1XII-> Exam

Bibliography and resources

 Reference bibliography:

  • Ferrer Valero, Sandra. (2021) Breve Historia de la mujer. Ed. Nowtilus.
  • Chinchilla, Nuria & León, Consuelo (2003) La Ambición femenina: cómo reconciliar familia y trabajo. Ed. Aguilar.

Supplementary bibliography:

  • Duby, Georges, (1993) Historia de las mujeres en Occidente. Madrid. Ed. Taurus (5 tomos). 
  • Anderson Bonnie S & Zinsser, Judith (2007). Historia de las mujeres: una historia propia, Barcelona. Ed. Crítica.