Women of the EU

Women of the EU

The ‘Women of the EU’ (WeU) project aims to highlight and spread knowledge in Israeli high schools and Universities on the history, role and influence of key female figures for the European Union as well as highlight gender themes in the study of Europe. Underlying this overarching goal is an aim to promote ideals of gender equality, women’s leadership and empowerment among Israeli high school students as well as promoting gender responsive teaching methods. To this end, the project will develop content and promote reflection on the intersect between gender and European studies and delivery lectures to high school students in Beer-Sheva (Mekif Z school) as well as provide teacher training sessions on issues of gender. Considering the strong economic and trade relations between Israel and the EU, as well as their geographic proximity, content on the European Union in Israeli school curriculum remains limited. Israeli high school students are familiarised with the EU most notably through its connection to the Second World War and the Holocaust. The content on the EU taught in Israeli schools is lacking a wider perspective linking European studies to secondary topics in their curriculum. The incorporation of teaching materials specifically geared towards enhancing knowledge on the role of women in European integration and broader gender issues in European studies, fills an important gap as well as offers the potential to deepen teaching on the EU beyond the ‘usual’ themes.

Coordinator:

BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV, Israel