Unit HISTORY OF WOMEN AND GENDER HISTORY
- Course
- Italian, classical studies and european history
- Study-unit Code
- A003097
- Curriculum
- Storia europea
- Teacher
- Erminia Irace
- Teachers
-
- Erminia Irace
- Stefania Zucchini (Codocenza)
- Emanuela Costantini (Codocenza)
- Hours
- 12 ore - Erminia Irace
- 12 ore (Codocenza) - Stefania Zucchini
- 12 ore (Codocenza) - Emanuela Costantini
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2026
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline storiche, filosofiche, antropologiche e sociologiche
- Sector
- HIST-02/A
- Type of study-unit
- Opzionale (Optional)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- italian
- Contents
- The course aims to provide an introduction to the principal lines of research that have shaped the fields of women’s history and gender history. The topic will be approached by: (a) examining some of the most influential methodologies in historical research that have investigated women’s history; and (b) exploring the international historiographical landscape which, from the second half of the twentieth century onwards, fostered the development of research on women’s history from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era, as well as the formulation of the concept of “gender history” and its application within academic scholarship.
- Reference texts
- Reference texts:
A) Annastella Carrino, Prima lezione di storia di genere, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2025.
B) One of the following two readings, chosen by the student:
- Maria Giuseppina Muzzarelli, Sul lavoro delle donne nel Medioevo: letture recenti e meno recenti, in R. Mucciarelli, M. Pellegrini (a cura di), Il tarlo dello storico. Studi di allievi e amici per Gabriella Piccinni, Effigi, Arcidosso (GR), 2021, tomo II, pp. 1051-1062.
- Angelica Aurora Montanari, «In pulchritudinem»: virilitas, crossdressing e mutilazioni del corpo femminile nel De mulieribus claris di Boccaccio, in “Studi Medievali”, s. III, LXIII (63), fasc. 2, 2022, pp. 589-616.
C) Readings to be determined.
D) D) Vinzia Fiorino, Alessandra Gissi (a cura di), Plastiche, numero monografico di “Genesis. Rivista della Società Italiana delle Storiche”, vol. X, n. 1, 2011, Viella, Roma, 2012: Introduzione e un saggio a scelta tra i seguenti:
- Michela Fusaschi, “Designer vagina”: immaginari dell’indecenza o ritorno all’età dell’innocenza? (pp. 63-84)
Beatrice Boldrin e Greta Travagliati, Plastic Body: la metamorfosi del corpo nell’arte di ORLAN (pp. 85-84)
Anna Vanzan, naso e libertà. L’ossessione per la rinoplastica nell’Iran contemporaneo (pp. 99-110) Giovanni Vassallo, Desideri di bianchezza. La cosmetica depigmentante tra le donne africane in Italia e in Congo (p. 111-124)
This program is also valid for non-attending students.
Specific information about the course and teaching materials will be available on the Unistudium platform:
https://www.unistudium.unipg.it/unistudium/login/index.php, on the page dedicated to the Medieval History course.
Students with disabilities and/or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and/or ADHD or ADD who have completed the required accreditation procedure through SOL may request the compensatory measures provided for by current regulations (e.g. textbooks in accessible digital format; teaching materials in accessible formats, such as presentations, handouts and exercise materials, provided in advance of classes when necessary). Further information is available at: www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa.
For further information, students are invited to contact the Department’s Disability and Inclusion Officer (Dr Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it). - Educational objectives
- The course, which is team-taught (12 hours by Prof. Zucchini, 12 hours by Prof. Irace and 12 hours by Prof. Costantini), enriches the degree programme’s educational offer through its interdisciplinary approach and its focus on women’s history and gender history. Students will deepen their historical and historiographical knowledge and skills by adopting a cross-disciplinary perspective. The knowledge acquired will concern the major issues and debates relating to women’s and gender history from the medieval period to the modern and contemporary eras.
The main skills developed will include the ability to formulate critical and historiographically informed arguments from a diachronic perspective, enabling students to gain a deeper understanding of issues related to the position of women in contemporary society.
The learning outcomes are consistent with the Dublin Descriptors relating to knowledge and understanding, applying knowledge and understanding, making judgements, communication skills, and learning skills. - Prerequisites
- As this is a Master's-level course, students are expected to possess a good, or at least adequate, knowledge of the main chronological frameworks, key events, and major issues relating to medieval, early modern, and contemporary European history. The ability to use appropriate historical and critical terminology is also required. The same prerequisites apply to students taking the examination as non-attending students.
- Teaching methods
- Lectures will be delivered in a traditional lecture format and supported by PowerPoint presentations.
Students with disabilities and/or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), after consultation with the lecturer, may request teaching materials in accessible formats (e.g. presentations, handouts, and exercise materials), which can be provided in advance of classes when necessary, as well as the use of other assistive technological tools to support their learning. For general information, students are invited to consult the University services available at https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and to contact the Department’s Disability and Inclusion Officer (Prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it).
Students who believe they meet the University requirements for access to synchronous distance learning (DaD) are invited to consult the eligibility criteria and access procedures at:
https://www.unipg.it/didattica/didattica-telematica-sincrona - Other information
- a) Detailed information will be provided during the course.
b) Information and materials useful for exam preparation will be available on the Unistudium platform:
https://www.unistudium.unipg.it/unistudium/login/index.php, on the page dedicated to this course.
Students with disabilities and/or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), after consultation with the lecturer, may request teaching materials in accessible formats (e.g. presentations, handouts, and exercise materials), which can be provided in advance of classes when necessary, as well as the use of other assistive technological tools to support their learning. For general information, students are invited to consult the University services available at https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and to contact the Department’s Disability and Inclusion Officer (Prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it).
Students who believe they meet the University requirements for access to synchronous distance learning (DaD) are invited to consult the eligibility criteria and access procedures at:
https://www.unipg.it/didattica/didattica-telematica-sincrona - Learning verification modality
- The assessment consists of a final oral examination (approximately 20 minutes) focusing on the topics covered during the course. The purpose of the examination is, in particular, to assess students’ critical and interpretative skills, their understanding of the subject matter, and their ability to discuss the topics under consideration in a well-structured, analytical, and evidence-based manner.
Students with disabilities and/or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) who have completed the required accreditation procedure through SOL and have access to the University’s support services may request the compensatory measures, accommodations, and inclusive technologies provided for by current regulations. Such arrangements should be requested and agreed upon with the lecturers well in advance of the examination. For further information, please consult https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Department’s Disability and Inclusion Officer (Prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it). - Extended program
- The course is designed to provide an introduction to the principal lines of research that have shaped the fields of women’s history and gender history. The topic will be approached by: (a) examining some of the most influential methodologies in historical research that have investigated women’s history; and (b) illustrating specific case studies relating to Europe in the medieval, early modern, and contemporary periods.
- Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- Goals 4 and 5:
- Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all;
- Achieve gender equality and combat discrimination.