The Women’s Issues in Contemporary Polish Culture and Politics 2401-OG-EN-TW

Themes and motives of discussions:
1: The most critical issues of Polish feminism.
2: Public discourse on the gender issue. What is the Catholic Church's and politicians' role in the perversion of the scientific term?
3: The mother of the Kaczynski brothers and the mother of the Popieluszko priest as the public figures and examples of cultivating the Polish Mother myth. The historical, religious and cultural sources of "motherhood mythology" and current references and practices.
4: Being like Michelle. First Lady in Polish political system and pop culture: role, meaning, position and public image issues.
5: The public image of female politicians, on the example of Ewa Kopacz, Beata Szydło (the former prime minister), Barbara Nowacka (parliamentarian), and Marta Lempart (activist).
6: Contemporary Polish cinema toward women’s issues: "Sztuka kochania", "Dzień Kobiet", "Ciało/Body".
7: Media for women: press market and its sub-segments, thematic TV channels, women's activity on the Internet (fashion bloggers, political commentators, sports commentators, etc.).
8: Discussing the role of (pro)feminine parties and social movements in Poland - the reception of the public image and demands (Partia Kobiet, Kongres Kobiet, Inicjatywa PL, Zieloni, Razem, Strajk Kobiet etc.) in the view of Hofstede's cultural dimensions.
9: The women's strikes in Poland: symbols, demands, influences.
10: Agnieszka Holland's films as an expression of feminine sensibility: "Pokot" and "Green Border" - the latest piece of work of the director.

Total student workload

Contact hours with teacher: - participation in discussion seminar – 30 hrs Self-study hours: - preparation for discussion seminar – 30 hrs - writing essays/ papers/ projects – 40 hrs - reading literature – 30 hrs - team working – 20 hrs Altogether: 150 hrs (5 ECTS)

Learning outcomes - knowledge

W_1: Students understand the concept of women’s rights. W_2: Students are familiar with issues that concern women in XXI. W_3: Students gain knowledge on selected aspects of contemporary politics and culture in Poland as well as their historical background.

Learning outcomes - skills

U_1: Students are capable of critically analysing the content of different texts of culture: press articles and photographs, political manifests, slogans, advertisements, films... U_2: Students can identify and compare different political discourses and form their arguments and opinions on women's issues.

Learning outcomes - social competencies

K_1: Students understand the significance of women’s status in democracy. K_2: Students identify the threats to women’s rights. K_3: Students participate in public discussions on politics, especially concerning women.

Teaching methods

Direct teaching methods: - description - a story - seminar lecture - problem lecture Inquiry methods: - exercise - exchange of ideas - observation - project - a paper - case study Didactic methods in online education: - integration methods - methods relating to real or fictional situations - collaborative methods - methods of developing reflective thinking - methods for presenting content - methods of exchange and discussion

Prerequisites

B2 level in reading, writing and speaking.

Course coordinators

Magdalena Mateja

Assessment criteria

Assessment methods:
- activity (30 pts)
- short student's essay (20 pts)
- short group presentations on the chosen topic (20 pts)
- tasks on Moodle platform – short analyses, commentaries, threads in forum discussion etc. (30 pts)

100 pts in total

Assessment criteria:
Fail – 50 pts and less (50 %)
Satisfactory – 51 pts (51 %)
Satisfactory plus – 65 pts (65 %)
Good – 75 pts (78 %)
Good plus – 85 pts (85 %)
Very good – 92 pts (92 %)

Important! Overlooking the partial task deadline results in a lower final grade. The lack of partial task means negative final grade.
Additional absences (only two are allowed per semester, regardless of the reason) require the selfrealization of additional material indicated by the lecturer.

Practical placement

not applicable

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2401-OG-EN-TW in USOSweb