OVERVIEW

The teaching deals with the principle of equality and non-discrimination between women and men in the perspective of public italian and comparative law, international and European Union law. 

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course participants will acquire the knowledge necessary to understand the impact of equality between women and men both in the private (family and relationships, reproductive rights, gender violence) and in the public spheres (school, work and politics); they will be able to recognize and evaluate laws and Courts’ decisions at national, EU and international level related (even indirectly) to gender equality; they will be able to compare the situation in Italy with that in other States as regard the equality between men and women.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Equal Opportunities law is addressed to ALL students who want to know how and at what extent power's asymmetries between women and men reduce the quality of democracy and the value (economical, cultural, scientific, relational, etc...) of Italy.

By attending and actively participating to the lessons and indivual study students will be able:

• to understand the problem of the asymmetries of powers between man and women; 
• to recognize the different sources of Italian, international and European Union public law that protect equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex/gender;
• to understand the difference between direct and indirect discrimination;
• to understand how discrimination between women and men impacts the quality of democracy;
• to know what positive actions are and how they can be used (especially in the working field);
• to know about gender quotas and other electoral instruments to protect equality between women and men;
• to understand the role of ordinary judges and constitutional justice in protecting equality between women and men;
• to read and critically analyze the main judgments of ordinary judges and the Constitutional Court on gender non-discrimination;
• to analyze and critically interpret, in the perspective of constitutional law, current news and events;
• to identify the modalities for protecting fundamental rights and freedoms in a gender perspective;
• to acquire and adequately use legal language related to gender issues. 

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge of italian, international and European Union public law.

TEACHING METHODS

The course is made of 36 class hours "in presence".  

Attendance in the classroom is not mandatory BUT strongly recommended. 

The professor will upload on Aulaweb the materials needed for lessons and for individual study (summaries, laws, documents, judgments). 

During classes experts (magistrates, professors, members of institutions and public administration, etc ....) may be invited to address specific topics and / or seminars and conferences will be suggested.

Students are recommended to enroll in Aulaweb to be informed about the teaching all along it (and even after).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The teaching includes the study of the following topics:

• Gender equality and non-discrimination law; 
• The sources of law that protect equality between women and men at national, international and EU level; 
• Electoral rights; 
• Gender and politics; 
• Gender and work; 
• Reproductive rights;
• The rights/duties of care from a gender perspective; 
• The right to respect in partner's relationships;
• Gender-based violence;  
• Gender and education; 
• Gender appropriate and inclusive language.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The exam can be prepared by studying:

• the notes taken at classes;
• the book M. D'Amico, Una parità ambigua. Costituzione e diritti delle donne, Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2020 (or a more recent edition if available). 
• other materials made available on aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ARIANNA PITINO (President)

PATRIZIA VIPIANA

DANIELA TARANTINO (President Substitute)

ARISTIDE CANEPA (Substitute)

ANDREA MOLFETTA (Substitute)

MARIA ANGELA ORLANDI (Substitute)

BUKURIE OZUNI (Substitute)

LORENZO SOTTILE (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lessons will be held in the second semester.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

For taking the exam it is mandatory to enroll by following the relevant online procedure: without enrollment students will not be admitted to the exam. 

Students who will ensure the attendance at all lessons will prepare the exam on the individual notes and on three text taken from the textbook and/or other materials.

Students not attending the lessons will be required to study all the textbook.

The Examination Commission is appointed by the Department Council and, usually, is chaired by the professor responsible of the course.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

First of all, the student will have to demonstrate the knowledge of the topics of the course, an adequate order in the presentation of it and competences in legal and gender language.  

A preferential assessment will be given to the following competences:

• consistency and completeness of the responses;
• ability to apply the information acquired to current events;
• reference to the most relevant judgments and/or normative acts;
• the capacity to express personal opinions, duly motivated and supported by the law. 

Attendance and active participation at classes will also be considered.  

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with certification of DSA, disability and/or other special educational needs are recommended to contact both the referent for disability Prof. Aristide Canepa (aristide.canepa@unige.it) and the professor of the teaching at the beginning of the course, to agree on teaching and examination methods which, in compliance with the objectives of the course, will conider individual learning modalities and provide suitable compensatory instruments.

For further information please visit the Unige website at  https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/studenti-disabilità-informazioni-utili