This course considers the relationship between gender and war. It asks what is the role of gender in war, and war on gender . It introduce s concepts such as: combat masculinities, women and/in war, biology and combat, heroines and heroes, war and rape, warfare and civilian life, war memories, and representation of war and violence. We draw on legendary military conflicts taking place before the advent of modern weaponry as well as exemplary modern wars. We also consider the meanings of representations of wars and fighters in tales, films, and anime. After considering how to define war and how to understand gender, we divide the semester into six segments, each marked by a leading theme, with an understanding that all themes are interconnected. 1. Men as combatants 2. Military masculinities 3. Women as combatants, real and imagined 4. Women’s involvement in war outside the combat space 5. Sex, war and violence 6. Representations of war and fighters The course is structured around three hours of lectures and one hour of discussion section per week. Please be aware that some of the materials we read or write about, view in films, or discuss in class are disturbing and may be triggering. Be sure to let us know if you wish to excuse yourself from participating.

Class Format:

The course is fully online, and lectures are offered synchronously, but recorded for asynchronous viewing. There will be a quick quiz daily, to be taken after participating or watching the lecture. Other writing assignments can be submitted to Canvas by the due dates.