Caught in the Crossfire: The Impact of War on Women and Children

Catalog description

War, peace, women, men, children. Historically, peace was considered "feminine" and war was seen as "masculine." This course investigates the validity and ramifications of such assumptions. This course will discuss the psychological and sociological impact of war on women and children as civilians, victims, refugees, widows, orphans, and combatants. This course provides cross-cultural perspectives on war in its relation to society, major anthropological interpretations of warfare, changing concepts of masculinity and heroism, human rights, theories of sexuality and aggression, and the effects of militarization on society. We will cover a number of war-zones such as Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine.