Multidisciplinary Course: 'Discrimination and Gender-Based Violence'

The 'Discrimination and Gender-Based Violence' multidisciplinary course for the Academic Year 2024-25 will begin on April 23, 2025. This transdisciplinary course at the University of Siena aims to provide a solid introductory foundation to a topic as complex as it is current.

The course aims to equip participants with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to analyze issues related to discrimination and gender-based violence from a distinctly multidisciplinary perspective. In particular, it intends to provide tools to develop critical analysis skills regarding the phenomenon of gender discrimination from anthropological, historical, economic, legal (both domestic and international law), as well as business studies and gender medicine perspectives.

Now in its VII edition, the course will be held from April to June 2025 and will be structured in lectures given by professors from various disciplines who will address the main issues related to gender discrimination. The course is organized in collaboration with the CUG - Single Guarantee Committee of our University.

Lectures will be held in person at Polo Mattioli, Via Mattioli 10, on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

Study materials provided by the professors will be uploaded to the Moodle page of the course.

All information regarding the course (any changes in classroom, class cancellations, exam dates and modalities) will be communicated in advance during lectures and periodically updated on this page.

The professor responsible for the course is Prof.ssa Alessandra Viviani.

This 40-hour course is offered within the Master's Degree program in International Relations LM-52 and can be selected as one of the "student's choice" exams (Type D Learning Activity) by all students of the University of Siena, subject to the approval of their Teaching Committee. Passing the final exam allows for the acquisition of 6 ECTS credits.

The course is also open to individuals not enrolled in degree programs at the University as auditors. Those who consistently attend the course will receive a certificate of attendance.

Teaching Features

This course has a multidisciplinary nature. Issues related to discrimination and gender-based violence will be addressed from various perspectives, including the international protection of human rights, anthropology, gender medicine, business studies, economics, and history, as well as public and labor law.

Socio-anthropological reflection has long highlighted how gender-based violence and discrimination constitute a cross-cutting factor in cultures and societies, reflecting social, economic, and cultural inequalities between men and women, and between heterosexual individuals and "non-heteronormative genders." For this reason, it is necessary to investigate the phenomena of discrimination and violence from a perspective that allows us to shed light on the diverse and complex manifestations of gender-based violence (on a physical, psychological, and symbolic level) that can be found in both the private and public spheres.

The objective is therefore to provide different interpretative frameworks for critically analyzing the phenomena of the reality that surrounds us.

Examination

The oral exam may be replaced by the writing of two short papers, agreed upon with the responsible professor. The characteristics of the papers will be communicated at the beginning of the course and will be posted on the dedicated Moodle page.

Enrollment Information

For students enrolled at the University of Siena in all Bachelor's and Master's degree courses: If the course does not appear among those selectable when filling out the study plan in the personal area of the online secretariat https://segreteriaonline.unisi.it/, it means that the application must be made directly to the Student and Teaching Office of the Department to which the course of study attended belongs and that it requires the approval of the relevant Teaching Committee.

 

For technical-administrative staff of the University of Siena: To be able to take advantage of the reduced payment, a specific Request for participation in individual courses of the degree courses must be presented (downloadable from the page https://www.unisi.it/didattica/uffici-servizi-agli-studenti/sportello-ufficio-servizi-agli-studenti-mattioli) and only after acceptance and approval by the Manager of the Personnel Area, the office will be able to issue the bulletin with the reduced amounts as per Resolution 2 / November 4, 2009 of the Board of Directors of the University of Siena.

For those external to the University: Participation is possible for people external to the university only as listeners, without the attribution of credits and with only the issue of a certificate of attendance (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdUA2pjN0h4DxX9moKS-W2DxJP9Th0GfiwVAK54ttDNPq7PA/viewform)

FORMS FOR TECHNICAL-ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND EXTERNAL USERS The forms for registration to the single course can be found on the web page of the Student Services Office - via Mattioli Student Services Office - via Mattioli.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Responsible Professor: Alessandra Viviani: alessandra.viviani@unisi.it – Professor page

 

For information on the lecture and exam schedule:
Course Design and Scheduling Office – Mattioli: progettazioneprogrammazione.mattioli@unisi.it

 

 

For information on including the course in the study plan: studenti.mattioli@unisi.it
Student Services Office
Via Mattioli, 10 (basement floor)
Tel. +39 0577 235540
Student and Teaching Office Webpage – Mattioli

Thematic Topics and Lecture Schedule a.a. 2024-2025

April 23, 4 PM - Introduction to the Course: Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination in the Local Context

  • Trust Advisor
  • Lawyer Claudia Bini
  • Dr. Vania Cesaretti - Donnachiamadonna Women's Shelter - Siena
  • President of the CUG-Unisi (Single Guarantee Committee of the University of Siena)
  • Dr. Sonia Boldrini

April 24, 4 PM - Gender Discrimination and Human Rights

  • Prof. Alessandra Viviani

April 24, 6 PM – Gender as a Determinant of Health

  • Prof. Serenella Civitelli

April 30, 4 PM – Workshop on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

  • Prof. Alessandra Viviani

April 30, 6 PM – Legal Perspectives and Direct or Indirect Discrimination Against Transgender Individuals

  • Lawyer Roberta Parigiani MIT

May 7, 4 PM – Gender Stereotypes: Influences on Health and Medicine

  • Prof. Serenella Civitelli

May 7, 6 PM – Female Migrations in Italy: Historical Profiles

  • Prof. Virginia Minnucci - University for Foreigners of Siena

May 8, 4 PM – Presentation of the #EndGenderApartheid Project

  • Eileen Taylor

May 8, 6 PM - Women's Rights and Human Rights

  • Prof. Alessandra Viviani

May 14, 4 PM – Gender-Based Violence in the Practice of International Tribunals

  • Prof. Alessandra Viviani

May 14, 6 PM – Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: Learning from Experience

  • Prof. Maria Pia Maraghini

May 15, 4 PM – On the Side of Every Girl

  • Prof. Alessandra Viviani

May 15, 6 PM – On the Side of Every Girl

  • Dr. Valentina Zerini – Advocacy Area - UNICEF Italy

May 21, 4 PM – Economic Independence and Violence Against Women

  • Prof. Elisa Ticci

May 21, 6 PM – Female Employment: Challenges and Potential

  • Prof. Maria Dolores Santos

May 22, 4 PM – Gender Inequality and Political Participation

  • Prof. Elena Bindi

May 22, 6 PM - Sexual Violence: Historical Profiles

  • Dr. Serena Terziani

May 28, 4 PM – Reproductive Rights as Human Rights

  • Prof. Alessandra Viviani

May 28, 6 PM and May 29, 4 PM – To Be Confirmed (TBC) 

  • Prof. Simonetta Grilli
Thematic Topics of the Course from Previous Academic Years

Absolutely! Here's the English translation of the thematic topics for the previous academic years:

Thematic Topics of the Course from Previous Academic Years

ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024

  • Conference: WOMEN, WAR, RESISTANCE. MY BOOK FOR APRIL 25th
  • Introduction to the Course: Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination in the Local Context
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights
  • Gender-Based Violence in the Practice of International Tribunals
  • Female Employment: Challenges and Potential
  • Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: Learning from Experience
  • Gender as a Determinant of Health
  • Gender Stories in STEM
  • Gender Bias in Medicine
  • Conference: Women's Empowerment and Gender Discrimination: Where Are We Now?
  • International Legal Aspects of Gender Discrimination
  • Discrimination Against Women's Rights in Relation to Nationality
  • Gender Inequality and Political Participation
  • Gender Stereotypes: Influences on Health and Medicine
  • Economic Independence and Violence Against Women
  • Female Migrations in Italy: Historical Profiles
  • Reproductive Rights
  • Hashtag Activism and #MeToo in South Africa: Intersectional Feminism, Mobilization, and Impact
  • Are Girls Alright? A Survey on Online and Offline Gender-Based Violence in Adolescence

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-2023

  • Introduction to the Course
  • Gender and Migrations: A Historical Perspective
  • Sexual Orientation, Religion, and International Protection: Results of the "RIFUROS" Project
  • Gender as a Determinant of Health
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights
  • Female Employment: Challenges and Potential
  • Gender Bias in Medicine
  • Gender Stereotypes: Influences on Health and Medicine
  • Tools to Combat Crime Related to So-Called Vulnerable Groups
  • Women, War, Resistance. Everyday Life, Politics, Memories
  • Gender Inequality and Political Participation
  • Reproductive Rights
  • Economic Independence and Violence Against Women
  • Rights of Girls and Adolescents
  • Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: Learning from Experience
  • The Experience of Diversity Management at P&G
  • Domestic Violence Against Women and the Pandemic. Preliminary Evidence from the PANGEA Survey
  • Genders, Bodies, and Forms of Violence Between Domestic Spaces and Complex Institutions. An Anthropological Perspective.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2021-2022

  • Introduction to the Course
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights
  • Gender as a Determinant of Health
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights (2) On the Side of Girls' Rights
  • Gender Bias in Medicine
  • Amnesty's Campaign: "Io lo chiedo" (I Ask For It)
  • Prejudices and Stereotypes in Courtrooms: The Case of Violence Against Women
  • Gender Stereotypes: Influences on Health and Medicine
  • Gender Discrimination and Reproductive Rights
  • Violence Against Women and the Istanbul Convention
  • Has Domestic Violence Against Women Increased During the Pandemic? Literature and Surveys in Italy
  • Anthropology, Ethnography, Gender, Feminisms Between Theories and Practices
  • The Migratory Phenomenon Between Discrimination and Gender-Based Violence
  • Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: From Why to How
  • The Role of Companies and Their Brands Against Discrimination and Violence: The P&G Case
  • Gender Balance in Political Representation
  • Gender Inequality and Violence Against Women
  • Smart Working During the Pandemic. Women's Experiences in Tuscany.
  • Gender Equality in South Africa
  • Forms of Queer Reproduction: Gender Precariousness and "Reproductive Justice"
  • Protection and Value of Female Labor

ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-2021

  • Introduction to the Course
  • "Telling the Story of Violence Against Women: The Jammed Mechanism of Communication"
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights (2) On the Side of Girls' Rights
  • Violence Against Women and the Istanbul Convention
  • Gender as a Determinant of Health
  • Female Employment: Challenges and Potential
  • Reproductive Health and Human Rights
  • Gender Bias in Medicine
  • Gender Stereotypes: Influences on Health and Medicine
  • The Migratory Phenomenon Between Discrimination and Gender-Based Violence
  • Prostitution and Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation. An Economic Lens on the Debate
  • The Experience of Anti-Violence Centers and the Center for Abusive Men
  • Genders, Bodies, and Forms of Violence Between Domestic Spaces and Complex Institutions. An Anthropological Perspective.
  • Economic Independence and Violence Against Women
  • Gender Inequality and Political Participation
  • Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: Learning from Experience (I)
  • Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: Learning from Experience (II)
  • The Experience of Diversity Management at P&G
  • Gender-Based Violence and Compensation for Non-Pecuniary Damage
  • Course Closing

ACADEMIC YEAR 2019-2020

  • Introduction to the Course
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights
  • Female Employment: Challenges and Potential
  • Economic Independence and Violence Against Women
  • Prostitution and Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation. An Economic Lens on the Debate
  • Validating Gender-Affected Prejudices. Inclusive Leadership and Gender Cultures
  • Gender-Based Violence and Compensation for Non-Pecuniary Damage
  • Gender Discrimination and Human Rights (2)
  • Gender as a Determinant of Health
  • On the Side of Girls' Rights
  • Gender Bias in Medicine
  • Gender Stereotypes: Influences on Health and Medicine
  • Gender Inequality and Political Participation
  • Introduction to Bodies, Genders, and Reproduction: An Anthropological Perspective
  • The Cultural Roots of Gender-Based Violence: How to Study and Interpret the Phenomenon
  • Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: Learning from Experience (I)
  • Precarious, Vulnerable, Resilient Genders. The LGBT Paradigm Tested by Heterodissident Bodies and Subjects
  • Gender Management and Diversity Management in Business: Learning from Experience (II)
  • Reproductive Health and Human Rights
  • Gender-Based Violence as a Violation of Human Rights
  • The Istanbul Convention