Course for PhD students and supervisors “Populism, far right movements and gender: critical approaches”

Instructors:

Dr. David Paternotte, Free University of Brussels

Dr. Adrienne Massanari, University of Illinois

Target group: doctoral students and supervisors of Doctoral School of Behavioural, Social and Health Sciences, Doctoral School of Culture Studies and Arts

Content and aims: The course focuses on understanding the rise of “anti-gender” movements and sentiments emerging from the rise of populist and far right ideologies/groups. The workshop will examine how the “anti-gender” discourse is constructed and mobilised as well as recent attacks on academic freedom, especially in the field of gender. Dr. Paternotte will also discuss and critique the notion of populism. Dr. Massanari will focus on these phenomena in online environments, specifically dealing with online misogyny and its intersections with the alt-right. The workshop welcomes PhD students in social sciences and humanities interested in these topics.

May 9 schedule

• 9:45-10:00 Registration. Welcome coffee
• 10:00- 11:30 Adrienne Massanari: Anti-gender campaigns online: misogyny and its intersections with the alt-right
• 11:30-11:45 Coffee break
• 11:45-13:15 Adrienne Massanari: discussion of course readings and student work
• 13:15-14:30 Lunch (self-organised)
• 14:30 -16:00 David Paternotte: Anti-gender campaigns in Europe, populism and attacks on academic freedom
• 16:00-16:15  Coffee break
• 16:15 – 17:45 David Paternotte: discussion of course readings and student work

Option to pass the individual course RAS8262 (3 ECTS, pass or fail)
Coordinators of the course:
Dr. Kadri Aavik, Associate Professor of Gender Studies and Coordinator of the Gender Studies Research Group
Dr. Maaris Raudsepp, Senior Researcher, School of Governance, Law and Society
Dr. Katrin Tiidenberg, Associate Professor of Social Media and Visual Culture, Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School
Requirements for passing the course (in total 3x26 academic hours of work for students)
•    Attendance of the course on May 9 (8 academic hours)
•    Reading of compulsory literature for the seminar (12 academic hours)
•    Writing a course paper, including finding and reading additional relevant literature of the student’s choice on the theme of the paper (39 academic hours)
•    Attendance of the seminar on May 10 (4 academic hours)
•    Writing a reflection paper (3-4 pages) based on seminar presentations and discussions, including relating these topics to your own research (15 academic hours)

Compulsory literature, to be read before the course:

Massanari, A. (2017). #Gamergate and The Fappening: How Reddit’s algorithm, governance, and culture support toxic technocultures. New Media & Society, 19(3), 329–346. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815608807

Massanari, A. L. (2018). Rethinking Research Ethics, Power, and the Risk of Visibility in the Era of the “Alt-Right” Gaze. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118768302

More literature to be announced.

More information: please contact Kadri.Aavik@tlu.ee (content related questions) and Koidu.Saia@tlu.ee (organisational questions).

Activity is financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the institutional package measure for R&D institutions and higher education institutions (ASTRA project TLU TEE of Tallinn University) and is organised by Doctoral School of Behavioural, Social and Health Sciences and Doctoral School of Culture Studies and Arts in collaboration with Gender Studies Research Group at Tallinn University.