220105 VO VERBE: VO GENDMAI Gender Mainstreaming (2021W)

Gender Mainstreaming (GM) skills and knowledge are pre-requisites for students wishing to work at future-proof media and communication outlets. VO GENDMAI will situate the concept of GM in the field of media policy studies and practices. It will focus on (a) introducing the concept of gender mainstreaming as a general approach in policy-making and specifically (b) in the field of media and communication (organisational aspects, content/media output and advocacy). The course aims to provide students with an understanding of what mainstreaming processes entail, including planning, gender analysis, and gender impact assessment within a broader context. Distinguished international experts in the field will be giving guest lectures on GM praxis with a special focus on human rights advocacy for social change.

Course outline
I. Media&Gender: what is wrong with this picture?
• Freedom of expression & gender
• Media gender (in)equalities: state-of-play
• Sexism in the media; gender-based violence and sexist hate speech in the media
• Gender inequality on the rise and future perspectives: new media and AI

II. Gender Mainstreaming & Media: conceptual foundations, definitions, approaches, case examples
• Defining ‘media policy’; policy-making processes as a matter to mainstreaming
• Mainstreaming gender in media policy: the concept;
• How does it work: dimensions of gender mainstreaming;
• Gender Mainstreaming Cycle and Gender integration framework
• Scholarship as advocacy for gender equality

III. Gender Mainstreaming and social change: Advocacy-Allyship-Activism
• Advocacy as a matter of mainstreaming
• The concept of policy advocacy
• Advocacy-Allyship-Activism
• Advocacy coalitions in the media
• Activism for gender equality: forms of action

IV. Gender Mainstreaming & Media: Issue-based advocacy
• Media freedom and safety of journalists
• Threats to women in the media
• Sexist hate speech and misogyny
• Online attacks against women journalists
• Misogyny intersecting with other forms of discrimination - Intersectionality
V. Gender Mainstreaming & Human rights activism
• Understanding media policy policy-making processes as a matter of mainstreaming
• Freedom of expression and gender
• Media freedom and gender equality
• Advocacy: methods, tools, processes

VI. Wrapping up; Exam (1st exam)