The module will discuss advanced issues in the area of gender studies. Students will be introduced to a range of empirical work concerning topics such as sexualities, feminisms and LGBTQ+ liberation, work, poverty, criminal justice, childhoods and education, digital media, cross-cultural comparison, masculinities and femininities, and the environment. The module will explore a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives from across the social sciences in relation to gender. This may include from among sociology, social policy, psychosocial studies, anthropology, education and childhood studies, and criminology depending on the teaching team. 

• Demonstrate knowledge of the historical and contemporary shifts in understandings of, and debates about, gender relations in the social sciences [LO1]. 

• Recognise the interconnections between gender and other social categories (e.g. sexuality, age or class) [LO2]. 

• Demonstrate an awareness of important debates, positions and arguments about gender in social scientific study and how these relate to empirical research [LO3]. 

• Be able to critically evaluate the contribution of diverse and competing feminist ideas to social scientific inquiry about sex and gender [LO4]. 

• Use theoretical tools to examine the construction, representation, reproduction and performance and embodiment of gender in various local and global, social and cultural contexts [LO5]. 

This is a team-led module drawing on expertise from the interdisciplinary social sciences. Teaching will consist of weekly lectures and be supported by seminars, with time set aside to explain assessment tasks and marking criteria in lecture sessions and seminars. 

Students participate in their learning through: research (preparation for seminars), guided reading, formative reflexive writing (weekly journal entries), preparation for summative assessment (essay, journal), group discussion and seminar exercises. Seminar exercises may include informal presentations, debates, take-home exercises and group working. 

The module creates opportunities for students to reflect on their learning experience in seminars and through the learning journal assessment. This forms part of the module’s broader approach of linking the personal to the political, the local to the global, and the contemporary to the historical. The aim of this approach is to reveal the links between the conceptual concerns of gender theories, the empirical work of social sciences, the practical concerns of everyday life and real world problems. 

Academic Skills 

• Finding, reading, summarising, and synthesising the multiple perspectives on, and research about, gender [LO2, LO5]. 

• Thinking critically about gender relations as an academic, social and personal issue [LO3, LO4]. 

• Writing cogently and coherently about gender from a disciplinary and an interdisciplinary perspective [LO4]. 

Module Specific Skills 

• Demonstrate knowledge of key gender theories and perspectives, their implications and their relevance to social research [LO1, LO4]. 

• Applying gendered analysis across a range of social science questions and problems [LO2, LO5]. 

• Awareness of the values and assumptions that inform gender relations and their implications for the way research is done [LO1, LO4]. 

Employability/Transferable Skills 

• Participate and communicate effectively in small group settings [LO3]. 

• Oral and written presentation of complex information [LO3, LO4]. 

• Written communication skills for different audiences (essay, reflexive writing) [LO2, LO3]. 

• Oral presentation skills related to teaching and informing peer-audiences [LO2]. 

• Critical, reflective and analytical skills in writing and face-to-face or online discussion [LO4]. 

• Continuous, self-directed learning [LO3]. 

• Interpretation and translation of concepts that make sense of gender relations and social practice [LO3]. 

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• Summative Learning Journal – 50% – 3 entries – Spring Semester 

• Summative Essay – 50% – 1500 words – May deadline 

Learning Journal: Students will complete a Learning Journal entry each week of teaching on the semester from Week 1 to Week 7. Each journal entry features relatively short answers to a series of questions, including questions about the module content and students’ reflections on their experience of life or learning. Students will select 3 of these journal entries to compile and submit as their 30% assessment in Week 8.  

Essay: Students will complete an 2100-word essay in response to a choice of questions, to develop and to demonstrate knowledge of the module content and relevant skills.  

Formative assessment and feedback will take place through multiple channels, including seminar/workshop discussions with tutors and peers, an informal (at-seat) seminar presentation, discussion of summative assessments during seminars, and the online discussion board.  

The module is organised around key themes. It begins by addressing the question, ‘What is gender?’ We will discuss key gender theories and their implications for the social sciences. For example, what do we mean by the terms gender, sex, femininity, masculinity, queer? We will consider a range of theoretical and activist perspectives from early feminism onwards, including liberal feminist, Marxist/socialist feminist, radical feminist, Black feminist, decolonial feminist, and queer and transgender perspectives.  

Following this is a series of themes that cover a range of disciplinary, methodological or theoretical perspectives. These may include: sociology, social policy, anthropology, psychosocial studies, criminology, and education, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives (e.g. on feminist research, digital media, the environment, intersectionality). The exact combination of themes covered may vary by year depending on teaching teams.  

Reading and Resource List 

Students will be provided with an essential reading list comprised of online journal articles, accessible through electronic resources including learning central. Suggested texts include: 

Barker, M.J. (2016). Queer: A Graphic History. London: Icon Books. 

Butler, J (2004) Undoing Gender. London: Routledge 

Connell, R.W. & Pearce, R. (2014). Gender: Short Introductions 3rd Ed. Cambridge: Polity Press 

Hines, S. (2018). Is Gender Fluid? A Primer For The 21st Century. Thames & Hudson. 

Jackson, S. & Scott, S. (2002) Gender: A Sociological Reader. Routledge. 

Marchbank, J., & Letherby, G. (2014) Introduction to Gender: Social Science Perspectives. 2nd Ed. London: Routledge 

Olufemi, L. (2020). Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power. Pluto Press. 

Pilcher I. & Wheelan, J. (2016). Key Concepts in Gender Studies. Sage. 

Ringrose, J & Renold, E. (2016). Children, Sexuality and Sexualization. Palgrave Macmillan