World: E-learning - Engaging men towards gender equality: why and how should we do it?

This free e-learning course from Gender Hub aims to support policymakers, practitioners and activists who are committed to achieving a just society for all, regardless of gender, by offering the tools and knowledge needed to engage men towards gender equality.

Overview:

What does is it mean to be a man in Nigeria? What is the potential value of working with men towards gender equality? What are the most effective strategies that we can use to mobilise together? What do gender-equitable masculinities look like?

After the success of the ground-breaking research from the Voices 4 Change, Nigeria Landmark Research Report: ‘Being a Man in Nigeria’ this e-learning course will help participants to explore further why we should and how best to engage men towards gender equality. They will develop the skills to identify and critically assess the ways in which conventional masculinity acts as a barrier to gender equality, and how new forms of gender equitable masculinities are emerging. Participants will learn how gender inequality, whilst overwhelmingly negatively impacting women, also negatively impacts men and boys themselves. The course aims to inspire participants to become committed to take action, including advocating and mobilising with others to engage men in gender equality, drawing from practice in Nigeria and elsewhere.

Who the course is for:

The course has been designed for a broad range of people, including: gender focal points within ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), gender leads in Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and those working in new and traditional media roles.

However anyone interested in understanding the challenges relating to gender stereotyping, such as non-gender specialist policy advisors, academics and students would also benefit. Although the course is intended to be most useful for people in Nigeria, it could be valuable for people from any region, especially within Sub-Saharan Africa.

The e-learning package will:

• Present conceptual grounding in gender theory related to understandings of men, male identities and different forms of masculinities
• Outline the argument for the potential value of working strategically with men and boys for gender equality
• Express a vision of why new and alternative forms of masculinities can benefit men and boys themselves
• Present relevant examples of practical action to-date illustrating how progress can be made in practice
• Sensitively respond to local contextual and cultural perspectives which, by drawing on the experience of Nigeria-based stakeholders, including the V4C team, as to what can or can’t be included
• Highlight the experience, perspectives and voices of key champions from Nigeria, and beyond
• Link to summaries of resources on the Gender Hub website itself, as well as elsewhere

What the course contains:

The course contains three main lessons. Each lesson presents key messages, learning activities, and includes an interesting collection of tailor made case studies and audio resources.

Assessment:

Learners are assessed on the knowledge acquired throughout the course via web-based quizzes. There are no assignments or final exams and no trick questions. This course aims to build knowledge and reward participation.

Learning outcomes:

Overall, those completing the course will: understand why men and boys need to be engaged and included in gender equity work and the potential value for women and girls, men and boys, and be aware of a range of strategies and interventions that can be taken across sectors to better engage men and boys in engaging with gender equity policy and practices.

Throughout the course, participants will do the following:

• Explore the current understanding around key concepts relating to gender theory, men and male identities.
• Engage with conceptual grounding in gender theory related to understandings of men, male identities and different forms of masculinities.
• Construct and develop understanding related to beliefs and perceptions about men and masculinities.
• Analyse a range of perceptions related to masculinity and femininity in Nigeria and how they underpin inequitable ideas regarding relationships between men and women and rigid roles held in the home and community.
• Appreciate the many factors influencing perceptions, behaviours and realities of men, boys, women and girls.
• Highlight the experiences, perspectives and voices of key champions from Nigeria, and beyond - exploring a range of issues and challenges and contexts from a variety of sectors.
• Explore strategies and interventions that can engage men and boys in gender equality policy and practice - analyse a range of positive and negative case studies that have had an influence or impact on gender equality - focus specifically on Nigeria case studies / reinforced with best practice examples from other regions.
• Develop understanding on opportunities and barriers to changing practices of formal and informal institutions e.g. family, media, religions that reinforce these notions of masculinity.
• Present a vision of why and how new or alternative forms of masculinities can benefit men and boys themselves and support women’s empowerment and gender equity for all.
• Be presented with sector specific conclusions and recommendations linked to specific policy and practice professionals.

Certificate of Completion:

On successful completion of the course learners will receive a ‘certificate of completion’ that will be issued jointly by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK, and Voices 4 Change, Nigeria.

When the course takes place:

The course starts on 17th January 2017 and runs until 14th February 2017. During this time facilitators from the Gender Hub team will actively support participants in problem solving and answer questions related to the course.

What you’ll need to take part:

In order to take the course learners will need the following.

• Access to a computer or device with internet connection
• A modern web-browser installed. We recommend Google Chrome*, for best performance.
• Access to an active email address
• Understand English as a working language

* Google Chrome is available to download, for free, at: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

What you’ll be expected to do:

We expect learners to invest a minimum of 8 hours study time for this course (2 hour per module). However, to get the maximum from this course we recommend that participants read at least an additional 4 hours’ worth of the many additional readings provided.

We expect individuals to be self-lead and manage their own time within the 4 week period, so that they progress to completion of the course during this time. The course enables learning to be undertaken flexibly and the amount of study hours given by participants may vary depending on how much they want to engage with the additional materials.

To register for this online course, please go to our dedicated Eventbrite page at: http://bit.ly/2dW2aP5