Date and Time: June 16 (Friday) 16:00 – 18:00
Venue: Tonan-tei (Room No. 201), Inamori Foundation Memorial Building, CSEAS, Kyoto University

Title: What’s gender got to do with climate justice?: Conscientisation through role-play in the teaching of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in global contexts

Speaker: Dr. Sharon A. Bong (Associate Professor in Monash University, Malaysia)

Moderator: Tsukasa Iga (CSEAS)

Abstract:
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The challenge of enabling students to recognise the symbiosis of climate justice and gender justice was realised through a role-play for a second-year undergraduate unit titled, ‘Sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in global contexts’ offered by the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University, Malaysia. The unit explores the cross-cutting nature of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in cornerstone areas of concern, e.g. gender-based violence, comprehensive sexuality education, reproductive justice and bodily integrity, HIV and AIDS, sexualities, with emerging areas of concerns, e.g. poverty, climate justice, food security, labour and migration and political and religious fundamentalisms. The archetypal actors representing key stakeholders in the role play, ‘Who is responsible’ are woman, business leader and the government.The role play was aimed at teasing out differentiated responsibilities of stakeholders within the gender-inclusive framework reflected in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are the bases of sustainable development that synergise not only climate justice but also gender justice (SDG 5). Conscientisation through the role-play enabled students to be cognisant of this synergy as they begin to recognise that the partnership of multi-sectoral interventions are needed precisely because men and women are differently and disproportionately affected by systemic gender inequalities and gender inequities. Theunit’s learning objectives were also met as students were empowered not only to make informed and reflexive decisions on SRHR matters related to their own lives but also to understand broader implications of SRHR in terms of synergising local practices and global visions.

About the speaker:
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*Sharon A. Bong*is Associate Professor in Gender and Religious Studies at the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Religious Studies (2002) and M.A. in Women and Religion (1997), University of Lancaster, UK. She has authored /The Tension Between Women’s Rights and Religions: The Case of Malaysia/ (2006) and edited /Trauma, Memory and Transformation in Southeast Asia/ (2014). She was former coordinator of the Ecclesia of Women in Asia and a forum writer for the Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church. She can be contacted at: Sharon.bong[at]monash.edu.