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Cleopatra to Clinton: Women & Leadership (HIST10017)
Undergraduate level 1Points: 12.5Not available in 2020
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
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What is leadership? Who can lead? Who can have political power and influence and under what circumstances? Does gender matter? And can women be leaders? These are the key questions that students will interrogate while undertaking this subject.
The role of women in leadership is one of the challenging social and cultural issues of our time. Through case studies of women leaders – from Cleopatra to Clinton – this subject will examine the challenges women have faced historically in exercising leadership and political power. The subject will primarily focus on the history of women leaders in the 20th and 21st centuries through looking at examples of women leaders who have effected social and political change in communities and societies locally and globally. Case studies will include women working on Indigenous rights campaigns such as activist and writer Faith Bandler (1918-2015) and activist Aunty Pearl Gibbs (1901-1983). Women’s organisations have featured in leadership activities and the histories of groups will also be considered, such those protesting against state violence, like the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Argentina and those opposed to nuclear weapons, like Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, England. The role of women in activist movements to bring about social change will be considered, as well as the extent to which change has occurred for women in the 20th and 21st century across the globe.
The history of women leading nations and Empires will also feature in this subject. In this context, some pre-20th Century case studies will be examined, such as Cleopatra Ancient Egypt (c.69 BCE - 30 BCE), Queen Elizabeth I England (1533 – 1603), Queen Christina of Sweden (1626 - 1689) and Queen Victoria, United Kingdom (1819–1901). Of particular significance is the ways these women as leaders have been remembered through popular culture at specific historical moments. In 2018 less than 15% of countries and territories had elected or appointed women leaders, the majority had never had a woman leader. Why is this so? And what does this mean for how women are considered as leaders?
Underpinning all of the case studies examined are ideas and questions about how definitions of leadership have changed over time, and how ideas about power are socially and culturally constructed.
Classes will be in a 2-hour lecture format with a 1-hour tutorial which will have an interactive focus with activities and discussions, but will include some short lectures and presentations as part of the sessions. The main research project students will undertake in this subject will focus on researching and critically examining a public representation of a women leader or a women’s group.
Intended learning outcomes
Student who successfully complete this subject should be able to:
- describe the different ways women have been involved in shaping major world events;
- identify how gender and power have been culturally and socially constructed in history and the present;
- reflect critically on various interpretations of leadership and gender in different times and places;
- analyse the intersection of gender, class, race and ethnicity in power structures, and recognise how these are shaped over time;
- demonstrate research skills through competent use of primary materials which are textual and visual alongside scholarly literature and other sources of information;
- be open to new ideas and possibilities and expressing responses to them through constructing an intellectual argument, and
- be able to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through written work and class discussions.
Generic skills
Student who successfully complete this subject should be able to:
- apply knowledge gained alongside critical thinking skills to solve problems in contexts such as workplaces and communities;
- be open to new ideas and perspectives;
- take challenges in their thinking, considering multiple possibilities and viewpoints, while always responding in an ethical and responsible manner, and
- develop time management and planning skills.
Last updated: 19 April 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 19 April 2024
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Semester 1
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Primary source analysis tutorial exercise
| Week 4 | 15% |
Reflective Tutorial Journal
| From Week 1 to Week 12 | 35% |
Research project
| During the examination period | 50% |
Hurdle requirement: 75% of seminars need to be attended (9 out of 12). In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of assessments must be submitted to pass this subject. | Throughout the semester | N/A |
Last updated: 19 April 2024
Dates & times
Not available in 2020
Last updated: 19 April 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
- Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 19 April 2024