Content

Students will work across four thematic blocks:

1. Gendered disinformation and digital hate (misogyny, queerphobia, legal/policy framings)
2. Gender-based violence, human rights law, and weaponisation by anti-gender movements (incl. femonationalism and democratic backsliding)
3. Masculinity studies and digital radicalisation (incels, red/black pill communities, coordinated misogynistic violence; ethical/methodological challenges of researching harmful content)
4. Digital media and public engagement (translating research into accessible digital storytelling and campaign strategy)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Analyse gendered disinformation and online hate speech using intersectional feminist, queer, and critical masculinity studies.
2. Understand and evaluate legal/policy frameworks addressing gender-based violence and human rights violations.
3. Design and assess gender-inclusive communication strategies and public-facing responses.
4. Collaborate in project-based media production translating academic insights into accessible digital content.
5. Apply gender-sensitive research methodologies to sensitive online material, including ethical and safety considerations.

Assessment

Grading system: 3-6 ECTS depending on the partner university, please contact your lecturer at the partner university for more details.

Assessment method(s): Continuous assessment built around the simulation project:

1. Participation & preparedness (active workshop engagement, group work participation)
2. Campaign tracking portfolio (How much progress is made throughout the course duration on the social media campaign that student groups must design)
3. Final output: a conceptual digital campaign (strategy + narrative + target audience + platform choices + policy/theory justification), submitted by end of December or beginning of Jan (depending on student preferences).

Lecturers

Dr. Anukriti Dixit (University of Bern, Interdisciplinary Center for Gender Studies) – Course lead/coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Maëlle Noir (University of Bordeaux, Centre Émile Durkheim) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Friz Trzeciak (University of Göttingen, Diversity Research Institute) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Marília Gehrke (University of Groningen, Centre for Media and Journalism Studies) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Course dates

Online workshops (block seminars):

• Friday November 6^th 2026. 10 am to 3 pm (CET) (including breaks)
• Friday November 13^th 2026. 10 am to 3 pm (CET) (including breaks)
• Friday November 20^th 2026. 10 am to 3 pm (CET) (including breaks)
• Friday November 27^th 2026. 10 am to 3 pm (CET) (including breaks)

Group work time:

Self co-ordinated group work time is encouraged. This will help student groups in coming up with their social media campaign. The lecturers will be available to the groups during their office hours (communicated at the start of the course) for any doubt clarifications. We will also be able to join in during some parts of the students’ self-coordinated group work.

For University of Bern students: The KSL course number is forthcoming and will be provided  by 15^th of February 2026

Students interested in the course need to apply via their home university's teaching systems, and they will be selected by the lecturer of their home university. They should contact their faculty or programme to verify whether it can fit into their curriculum and to ensure academic recognition of the credits obtained. 

Please select your home university below and contact your ENLIGHT coordinator for further information on the application process, or consult the linked information.

• University of Bern: Register via local teaching system (KSL), course number: TBC. If you have questions, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• University of Bordeaux: Register via local teaching system. If you have questions, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• University of Groningen: Register via local teaching system. If you have questions, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• University of Göttingen: Register via local teaching system. If you have questions, please contact:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.