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History and Gender in the Modern Age

Code: 100371
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
History OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Elena Fernandez Garcia
Email :
elena.fernandez@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

None

Objectives

The objectives of the course are:

  • To present the main historical issues related to gender history in the contemporary period.
  • To provide students with the key analytical frameworks that allow them to understand the situation of women and their role in social life throughout the contemporary era.
  • To explain and analyse the different phases of the transition towards modernity in Western societies, as well as the characteristics of the struggle for the affirmation of women’s individual and collective rights as citizens.
  • To equip students with the instrumental resources needed to develop their cognitive abilities regarding the historical articulation of gender.

Learning outcomes

  1. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  2. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  3. Properly using the specific vocabulary of History.
  4. Organising and planning the search of historical information.
  5. Using the characteristic computing resources of the field of History.
  6. Solving problems autonomously.
  7. Communicating in your mother tongue or other language both in oral and written form by using specific terminology and techniques of Historiography.
  8. Recognising and implementing the following teamwork skills: commitment to teamwork, habit of cooperation, ability to participate in the problem solving processes.
  9. Engaging in debates about historical facts respecting the other participants' opinions.
  10. Recognising diversity and multiculturalism.
  11. Analysing the key issues that allow us to address the study of historical phenomena from a gender perspective.
  12. Assessing and critically solving the characteristic historiographical problems of gender history.

Contents

1. Introduction to the History of Women

1.1. Women's History vs. History with a Gender Perspective

1.2. Sources and Methodologies for the Study of Women

1.3. Historiographical Feminism: Currents and Debates

2. The Enlightenment and Thought on Women

2.1. The Deficient Enlightenment

2.2. The Consequent Enlightenment

3. Women in Revolutions

3.1. Women in the American Revolution

3.2. Women in the French Revolution

3.3. The Paris Commune

4. Social Perception of Femininity in the 19th Century

4.1. Discourses and Imaginaries about Women

4.2. Female Sexuality: Adulteresses, Nymphomaniacs, and Prostitutes

5. Women’s Work

5.1. The New “Working Woman”

5.2. Regulation and Practices of Women’s Labor

5.3. Feminism and the Labor Movement: The Class–Gender Conflict

6. The First Wave of Feminism: The Inclusion of Women

6.1. Utilitarian Feminism: John Stuart Mill

6.2. Suffragism: Origins of the Movement and Arenas of Struggle

7. Women and Wars in the 20th Century

7.1. The First World War

7.2. Women and the Russian Revolution

7.3. The Second World War

7.4. The Postwar Period and Its Consequences for Women

8. Second Wave of the Feminist Movement

8.1. Existentialist Feminism: Simone de Beauvoir

8.2. Liberal Feminism: Betty Friedan

8.3. Radical Feminism: Kate Millett

9. Third Wave of Feminism

9.1. Diversity and Critique of the Universal Feminist Subject

9.2. Internal Tensions and Legacies

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Personal study 73.5 2.94 6
Seminars 1.3 0.052 5, 7, 8, 9
Theoretical classes 49.7 1.988 10, 11, 12
Tutorials 15 0.6 1, 2, 3
  • The teaching methodology and the training activities can be diverse and will be evaluated according to the teacher's opinion. For example:
  • Assistance to theoretical classes
  • Assistance to seminars and practical sessions
  • Comprehensive reading of texts
  • Performing reviews, works and analytical comments
  • Preparation and realization of oral presentations
  • Personal study


It is recommended that students consult the following resources when preparing academic assignments:

- Com citar i elaborar una bibliografia

- Argumenta. Linguistic and communicative competences in academic contexts

- Guia pràctica (català)

- Guía práctica (español)


*Teaching sessions and their contents are protected under intellectual property and data‑protection regulations. Recording, reproducing, or distributing classes or participants’ contributions is not permitted without explicit authorization. Any recording requires prior approval.

**Students may only enter the classroom during the first 5 minutes of the session and may only leave during the final 5 minutes. Eating or drinking is not allowed during class. Mobile phones may not be used while the session is in progress.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Seminary 20% 6 0.24 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12
Exams 30%+30% 3 0.12 2, 3, 7, 12
Reading test 20% 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

General Considerations

  • Assessment systems will be adapted, when necessary, for students with specific educational needs, as certified through the required report issued by the Equality and Diversity Service (PIUNE). Such adaptations will not entail any reduction in the academic standards required.
  • Students will be assessed on the knowledge acquired, their command of key concepts, and the appropriate use of the discipline’s vocabulary. Maturity of thought, structure, and formal correctness in written work (exams, practical exercises, and assignments) will also be evaluated.
  • Written activities will take into account orthographic, syntactic, and lexical errors. Penalties may range between 0.1 and 0.2 points per error applied to the final grade. Repeated errors may deduct up to 2 points. Errors in writing, cohesion, vocabulary, or presentation may deduct up to an additional 1 point.
  • All written work must include a bibliography, footnotes, and references to the sources consulted, following the ISO690 Chicago style.
  • The schedule of assessment activities cannot be modified, and all tasks must be submitted within the established deadlines. Dates for in‑class assessments and assignment submissions will be communicated to students with sufficient notice. Any assessment task not completed or not submitted will receive a 0 for the purposes of grade calculation.
  • In cases of accredited chronic or acute illness, students have the right to request a postponement within the limits of the academic calendar. Such requests must be submitted at least seven days in advance, with the corresponding documentation. When the cause is unforeseen force majeure, the request may be submitted after the scheduled date of the assessment, provided that documentation is presented within three working days. This includes, for example, birth or adoption, or the death of a partner or a family member up to second degree. In cases of illness or other circumstances, documentation must clearly demonstrate that the student was unable to complete the assessment at the scheduled date and time. The instructor may consider other circumstances not explicitly listed above.
  • Erasmus/Exchange students who need to leave before the scheduled assessment dates must provide official documentation from their home university addressed to the Exchange Coordinator of the Degree, certifying a calendar requirement (overlap with academic activity at the home institution).
  • At the time of each assessment activity, the instructor will inform students of the procedure and date for grade review (via Moodle). During assessments, instructors may request student identification, which must be verified through the student card, DNI, NIE, or passport.
  • Indiscriminate and undeclared copying of written or oral sources (Internet, books, assignments, etc.) will result in a 0 for the affected activity. Repeated offenses may result in the same final grade for the course. Any irregularity that may significantly alter the grade of an assessment will result in a 0 for that assessment, regardless of any disciplinary process that may follow. Multiple irregularities will result in a 0 as the final course grade.
  • In exceptional circumstances (pandemic, climate crisis, etc.) preventing in‑person assessments, the format will be adapted (maintaining the same weighting) to the possibilities offered by UAB’s virtual tools. Homework, activities, and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis, and/or exercise discussions via Moodle, Teams, etc. Instructors will ensure that students can access these tools or will provide alternative means within their reach.


Assessment

Students will not be allowed to enter the classroom if the exams or exercises have begun.

The course is passed if the weighted average of all assessable evidence is 4.9 or higher. If the average is lower, a resit is available, provided the student has obtained a minimum grade of 3.5. The resit will consist of a comprehensive exam covering the entire course, with a maximum possible grade of 5.0.

Students who submit less than 33% of the assessable evidence will be considered “Not assessable” and may not take the resit.


Continuous Assessment

  • Exams (30% + 30%)
  • Reading Test: 20%
  • Poster: 20%


Single Assessment

Single assessment will take place on one date, which may coincide with the dates reserved for continuous assessment. The same resit system applies as in continuous assessment. Students opting for single assessment must demonstrate that they have acquired the same competencies as those following continuous assessment. Choosing single assessment does not exempt students from attending class.

  • Exams (30% + 30%)
  • Reading Test: 20%
  • Poster: 20%


Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted as part of the development of coursework, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection. Students must: (i) identify which parts were generated using AI; (ii) specify the tools used; (iii) include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced the process and the final outcome.

Lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered academic dishonesty and will result in a 0, with no possibility of resit, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.


Bibliography

*The mandatory bibliography for the reading test will be provided on the first day of class.


  • Aguado, Ana & Ortega, Teresa (eds.), Feminismos y antifeminismos. Culturas políticas e identidades de género en la España del siglo XX, PUV, Valencia, 2011
  • Anderson, Bonnie & Zinsser, Judith; Historia de las Mujeres: una historia propia. Barcelona, Crítica, 1991
  • Bard, Christine (ed.), Un siglo de antifeminismo, Biblioteca Nueva, Madrid, 2000
  • Bock, Gisela, La mujer en la historia de Europa, Barcelona, Crítica, 2001
  • Borderías, Cristina (ed.), La Historia de las mujeres: perspectivas actuales, Barcelona, Editorial Icaria, 2009
  • Bridenthal, Renate; Stuard, Susan Mosher; Wiesner, Merry E., Becoming Visible. Women in European History, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1998 (3ª ed.)
  • Burguera López, Mónica & Espigado Tocino, Gloria (coords.); Saber y crear en femenino. Género, cultura y modernidad entre los siglos XVI-XX, Comares, 2023
  • Capel, Rosa Mª (Comp.), Mujer y sociedad en España (1700-1975), Instituto de la Mujer, Madrid, 1986
  • Caine, Barbara & Sluga, Glenda, Género e Historia. Mujeres en el cambio sociocultural europeo, de 1780 a 1920, Narcea, Madrid, 2000
  • Duby, Georges y Perrot, Michelle (dirs.), Historia de las mujeres en Occidente. Madrid, Taurus, 1992, 5 vols
  • Fauré, Christine (dir.), Enciclopedia histórica y política de las mujeres. Europa y América, Akal, Madrid, 2010
  • Gallego, Henar, Feminidades y masculinidades en la historiografía de género. Granada, Comares, 2018
  • Garrido, Elisa (ed.) et al.: Historia de las mujeres en España, Madrid, Síntesis, 1997
  • Llona González, Miren & Díaz Freire, José Javier (coords.); Tras la estela de los feminismos históricos, Comares, 2023
  • Morant, Isabel (dir.), Historia de las mujeres en España y América Latina, Madrid, Cátedra, 2005-2006, 4 vols
  • Nash, Mary, Mujeres en el mundo. Historia, retos y movimientos, Alianza, Madrid, 2004 (reed. 2012)
  • Offen, Karen, Feminismos europeos, 1700-1950. Una historia política, Madrid, Akal, 2015
  • Pérez Garzón, Juan Sisinio, Historia del feminismo, La Catarata, Madrid, 2011
  • Pérez Garzón, Juan Sisinio, Historia del feminismo. La revolución d elas mujeres: de la Ilustración a la globalización, La Catarata, Madrid, 2024
  • Ramos, Mª Dolores, Mujeres e Historia. Reflexiones sobre las experiencias vividas en los espacios públicos y privados, Atenea, Málaga, 1993
  • Rose, Sonya O.: ¿Qué es historia de género?, Alianza, Madrid, 2012
  • Scott, Joan, Género e Historia, Méjico, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2008
  • Tavera, Susanna, et al. (dirs.): Mujeres en la historia de España: enciclopedia biográfica. Barcelona, Planeta, 2000
  • Thébaud, Françoise: Escribir la historia de las mujeres y del género, Oviedo, KRK, 2014


"Com citar i elaborar la bibliografia": https://www.uab.cat/web/estudia-iinvestiga/com-citar-i-elaborar-la-bibliografia-1345708785665.html

Boletín de novedades bibliográficas del Instituto de las Mujeres (marzo 2025): https://www.inmujeres.gob.es/CentroDoc/ServiciosCentroDoc/docs/2025/BoletinMarzo2025.pdf

SPECIAL ISSUE

Arenal

Clio

Cuestiones de Género

Feminismo/s

Gender & History

Australian Feminist Studies

Feminist Studies

Canadian Woman Studies-Les Cahiers de la Femme

Analize

Nouvelles Questions Féministes

CONSULTABLE DATABASES

American Women's History

Ariadne

Base de datos sobre \"Trabajo y Mujeres\"

BIESES

Dona i Literatura

El Voto femenino en España

Feminism and Women Studies

IIEDG

International Federation For Research in Women's History

Merlí. Directori de recursos educatius en línia

Mujeres en Red

Papeles de Emma Goldman

The Women's Library. Fawcett Library-Guildhall

Women in Politics

Women Wacth. ONU

Women's Diverse Voices and Meanings: Feminism in Culture and Society

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS

Arenal. Revista de Historia de las Mujeres

Asparkia

Clepsydra

Clio

Cuestiones de Género

Feminismo/s

Feminist Collections

Feminist Studies

Gender&History

http://sfx.calstate.edu:9003

Intersections. Gender, History and Culture in Asian Context

Jenda. A Journal of Culture and African Women's Studies. Africa Resource Center

Journal of South Asia Women Studies

http://www.asiatica.org/publications/jsaws/

A Feminist History Journal

N.Paradoxa

Software

None

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish first semester morning-mixed