Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - GSWS 318 E200

Special Topics in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (4)

Gendering War on Terror

Class Number: 3436

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Thu, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    30 units, including three units in GSWS.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A specific theme within the field of gender, sexuality, and women's studies, not otherwise covered in depth in regularly scheduled courses, will be dealt with as occasion and demand warrant.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course will examine the racial, gendered, and political impacts of the Global War on Terror. Much of the coverage of this War has focused on global counterterrorism, the security of states (and people) in the global North, and the world after 9/11. In this course, we will draw on decolonial, postcolonial and other critical feminist frameworks to focus on the perspective of the ‘Others’ whose lives were forever changed due to the Global War on Terror. The first part of the course addresses issues of security, colonial legacies that serve as a context for understanding the Global War on Terror, violence in the international system, and the events of 9/11. The second part of the course considers the sites on which the War was fought in the region of southwest Asia (Middle East) to examine these from a critical colonial perspective, paying attention to race and gender. Readings focus on examining the Global War on Terror from the perspective of the ‘Other’ to challenge the dominant and widely held knowledges that the War is both founded upon and continues to reproduce in the last two decades.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

For more detailed information please see the GSWS website: https://www.sfu.ca/gsws/undergraduate/courses/goals

Grading

  • Participation 20%
  • Group Discussion Facilitation/Presentation 20%
  • In-Class Analytical Reflections (x2) 40%
  • Film Response 20%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

All the weekly readings will be made available through the library. Students will not be required to buy any books.

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.