Foundations in Gender Studies
UndergraduateMAQ-GENX1102019
Course information for 2019 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Unearth new ways of thinking about femininity and masculinity. Read up on male and female representation throughout the literary canon. Address abortion and reproductive rights. Highlight historical and contemporary examples of sexism in the media.
Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- -
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Foundations in Gender Studies
About this subject
By the end of this subject it is anticipated you should be able to:
1. Analyse key concepts about gender, its intersections with other identities, and how these shape and are shaped by social, cultural, economic, and political institutions.
2. Examine Gender Studies as an interdisciplinary field and its contribution to understanding the contemporary world.
3. Review the historical development of different forms of feminism, what they have contributed the field of Gender Studies, and why they matter today.
4. Demonstrate the ability to research and synthesise media and scholarly texts.
5. Comprehend the relationship between scholarship, activism, and life. The material itself, which focuses on a range of contemporary issues to do with gender and other identities, will help you to develop a greater understanding of yourself and your world.
- Introduction to Gender Studies
- Bodies, Brains and Binaries
- 1970s Feminisms
- Femininities
- 1970s Men's Liberation and the Rise of Men's Studies
- Masculinities
- Paris is Burning: Performativity and Queer Theory
- Third Wave/Third World Feminisms
- The Transgender Movement
- Intersex and Trans Spectrums
- Gender and Intimacy
- Gender and Nation and Conclusions
What it means to be identified as male, female, or other on the gender spectrum varies with time and place. Meanings of gender and challenges to them are tied up with the dynamics of power, with dreams of freedom, with the distribution of resources, and with cultural representations in a society's gender order. This unit is an introduction to Gender Studies, an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand gendered meanings and differences, to recognize how these interlock with sexuality, race, class, disability, and other identities, and to analyse how such intersecting identities shape human experience at the social and individual level. We establish foundational knowledge of and key concepts in how gender has been theorised and researched over time, particularly since the late 1960s, and explore the interactions between grassroots gender liberation movements and scholarship in disciplines across the social sciences and humanities. The unit can be taken as a one-off elective in any degree, or in pursuit of a major or minor in Gender Studies.
- Key concepts assignment 1 (30%)
- Main Essay (40%)
- Participation (10%)
- Quizzes (20%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
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