After the course, students are able to
-recognize meanings associated with politics of gender and especially masculinities in Finland and in Russia
-discuss issues related to politics of gender and masculinities in cross-cultural groups
-understand the role of art as a form of societal knowledge production
-critically reflect on own knowledge-production through artistic/research projects

This course is offered as an art/research workshop where students explore questions related to gender politics of masculinities in Finnish and Russian societies. The course consists of pre-readings, short lectures, discussions and independent work on men studies, and Finnish and Russian case studies.

The course/workshop offers a forum for cross-cultural and cross-sectoral knowledge production in the field of men studies. Of special interest will be the image making, both in visual arts and verbal contexts. Both the speakers and the pre-readings will critically focus on the politics of gender and masculinity, both in Finland and in Russia. By utilizing the cooperation of academic research and artistic practice (especially film) we seek to recognize problems related to gender and masculinities in the Finnish and Russian contexts.

The point of departure of the workshop is the idea that while questions related to sexual and gender politics are differently structured in Finnish and Russian societies, much is also shared. The workshop will explore masculinities in the following contexts:

(1)   Masculinities and the representations of fatherhood in Finnish and Russian film and research

(2)   Affective history of war and peace

(3)   Politics of sexuality and image making and the role of media in de/re-constructing of masculinities

Teachers/Speakers (2. and 3. Dec. 2016)

Research: E.g. Ville Kivimäki (History, UTA), Jiri Nieminen (Politics, gender studies UTA), Elena Mescherkina (Sociology, Moscow Russia), Aleksandrina Vanke (Culture and History, Moscow, Russia), Tatjana Rjabova (History, gender studies Ivanovo, Russia), Cai Weaver (Politics, gender studies, Helsinki); Arja Rosenholm (Russian language and culture UTA), Anni Kangas (Politics, UTA)

Arts: E.g. Elena Pogrebizhskaya (Moscow); Nina Rokosa; Juhani Haukka; Masha Godovannya (St.Petersburg)

• Before the workshop: a set of pre-readings and a pre-meeting with power point presentations of the students (25.11.2016); reading list available in the Moodle
• Active attendance at the workshop sessions 2.-3.12.2016
• reflective learning diary (max. 6000 words)

Before the workshop students are expected

- to read at least two articles / chapters from each of the three categories

- and to prepare a power point presentation

and after the seminar

- write a reflective learning diary (max 6000 words) on the basis of the readings and the seminar presentations.

The learning diary should be turned in Moodle by 16.12. 2016.

Pre-reading lists: 1) Men studies (Theory), 2) Finnish masculinities, and 3) Russian masculinities are available in Moodle.