Gender Studies
Qualifications
BA, CertArts, BA(Hons), MA, PhD
Introduction
Gender Studies enables us to question how gender as a social and cultural construction shapes people's lives, their relationships, the workplace, institutional structures, public policy and the production of knowledge.
The study of gender helps to broaden our understanding of culture and identity, the intersection of gender with 'race' and ethnicity, class and sexuality, health and body politics, popular culture and the media, everyday life and performance, environmental politics, nationalism, globalisation and citizenship.
Gender Studies emphasises the importance of applying critical gender analysis in all areas of social life and its impact on areas such as law, politics, science, education, art, commerce, psychology and health. It is interested in social issues, trends and politics. Using the principles and methods of critical inquiry, Gender Studies leads to in-depth awareness of social life. It teaches skills in critical thinking, development of your own understandings and communication of your ideas.
Students studying Gender Studies will develop critical thinking, research and writing skills, the ability to speak with confidence, an understanding of the meaning and importance of the politics of knowledge, and an enhanced understanding of gender and its intersections with ethnicity, and will make sense of these through historical, cross-cultural, international and contemporary perspectives.
First-year courses
Students intending to major in Gender Studies are advised to take GEND 101.
Beyond first year
At 200 and 300-level, course topics include:
- Postcolonialism and Identities
- African American Women Writers
- Gender and Development in International Relations
- Sexualities in Culture
- From Bambi to Kong: The Animal in American Popular Culture
- Heroines in History
- Killer Women, Tough Guys and Power Rangers
- Psychology, Culture and Society.
Further study
To do a BA(Hons) in Gender Studies, students take four Gender Studies honours courses, including GEND 407 Supervised Research. Students who have completed a BA(Hons) degree may proceed to the MA or doctoral programmes, both of which involve thesis work.
Career opportunities
Gender Studies is relevant to policy, research and practice in the areas of health, education, development, international relations, law and management. There is increasing recognition in employment about the vital importance of critical gender analysis in areas such as human resource management, conflict mediation and facilitation in corporate management arenas, industrial relations, social work and health services.
Gender Studies graduates are well-placed to develop work in areas of advocacy, specifically in the fields of health, the legal system, education and employment. A career in politics is another possibility, as well as government policy analysis and social research.
Gender Studies graduates have been employed in the following careers: banking industry 'women in business unit'; social policy analyst; the Treasury; university lecturer; independent researcher; librarian; coordinator of a community service; nursing; secondary school teacher.
Gender Studies is a useful addition to any course of study or established training programme. A background in Gender Studies is a useful component of established training in a number of mainstream careers where there is an increasing demand for people well versed in gender issues. Examples include nursing, law, management, commerce, journalism and other careers in social research.
Contact
School of Social and Political SciencesTelephone: +64 3 364 2899
Email: patricia.ydgren@canterbury.ac.nz