Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2025 - IS 310 D100

Gender and Security (4)

Class Number: 2893

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 12 – Aug 8, 2025: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 20, 2025
    Wed, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines security issues and events with attention to gender. Focuses on themes related to war, political violence, post-war reconstruction, militarism, military culture, and peace activism with attention to women and marginalised communities, gender norms, and feminist and queer approaches to rethinking security and imagining peace.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course provides both a theoretical foundation and a practical, thematic exploration of how gender and gender equality shape our understanding of peace, armed conflict, international security, and peacebuilding. Feminist theory serves as the course’s central analytical framework, complemented by discussions on masculinities theory and related approaches. Key themes include war, political violence, post-war reconstruction, militarism, military culture, and peace activism with attention to women and marginalized communities, gender norms, and feminist and queer approaches to rethinking security and imagining peace. The course will also include case studies from various global contexts will be incorporated into thematic discussions. The class operates through active participation, with student engagement being a key component.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

This course seeks to:

  • Provide students with a strong conceptual understanding of gender and gender equality in relation to war, peace, and international security.
  • Introduce feminist and masculinities theories while exploring their significance in international relations, political dynamics, warfare, and peace efforts.
  • Analyze critical themes in conflict and peacebuilding from both theoretical and applied gender perspectives.
By the conclusion of this course, students will:
  • Develop a critical lens to assess issues of war and peacemaking through a gender-focused approach.
  • Gain the ability to pose feminist inquiries within the broader field of international relations.
  • Apply critical analysis to contemporary research on armed conflict using a multidisciplinary feminist perspective.
  • Become familiar with key international policies & legal frameworks that address gender within the sphere of global peace and security.

Grading

  • Class Participation 30%
  • Quizzes (3; 15% each) 45%
  • Final Exam 25%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

A full reading list and resources will be made available on Canvas.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.