Gender Studies

Gender Studies is an exciting area of scholarship. Drawing insights from across many academic disciplines, Gender Studies explores the dynamics of relations between women and men in the past, present and future.

If you choose an MA in Gender Studies, you will engage with challenging, cutting-edge ideas at the forefront of developments within contemporary thought.

Our MA in Gender Studies is distinctive in the wide range of disciplines and theoretical and methodological perspectives that contribute to the programme, and in the number of options available to you as a student.

By the end of the course, you will have an advanced understanding of the nature of gender studies, its interdisciplinary frameworks and the range of theoretical perspectives and methods.

You will also have the ability to analyse social and cultural phenomena through the lens of gender in a way that appreciates a range of disciplinary perspectives.

You will have specific knowledge of some aspects of gender studies, both theoretical and applied, and the ability to conduct a piece of individual research, using appropriate conceptual frameworks and methods, on an aspect of gender studies.

Postgraduate Diploma in Gender Studies

Available on a 12-month full-time or 24-month part-time basis, the Postgraduate Diploma in Gender Studies covers similar ground to the MA, but does not include the dissertation module.

On the basis of a good performance in a full-time student's first semester, or a part-timer's first year, students initially registered for the Diploma may be transferred onto the corresponding MA.

MA Gender Studies is available on a 12-month full-time or 24-month part-time basis. The course has five modules: three compulsory, two elective.

Compulsory modules

Researching Gender provides you with the opportunity to focus on researching gender with a particular emphasis on feminist research practices. In exploring a range of disciplinary perspectives, you will focus on epistemological, methodological and ethical considerations. In particular, the course looks at these considerations with relation to research design and methods.

The module also encourages you to think beyond disciplinary boundaries and develop an understanding of the possibilities of interdisciplinary research. You will critically analyse research practice from a gender and feminist perspective, review and appraise research findings, and synthesise information and knowledge from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary sources and perspectives.

Theorising Gender engages with contemporary theoretical approaches within gender studies. Exploring the social and individual processes involved in the enactment of gender relations, the module investigates alternative, complementary and conflicting explanations for the source and operation of gender.

Investigating the historical, social and individual significance of gender, you will examine various areas of social life where gender shapes interactions and forms meaning: in particular, you will consider family roles, reproductive technologies, citizenship, sexuality, culture and personal biography.

Dissertation allows you to tailor your own programme of training and research in consultation with a member of staff drawn from the centre's MA/PhD supervisory panel.

Elective modules

In addition to the compulsory modules, you also choose two modules from the following list.

• Feminist Cultural Theory
• Revisioning Histories of Modernism (Femininity, Modernity, Representation)
• Feminist Criticism and Practice in the Contemporary Visual Arts
• Language and Politics
• Global Genders
• Que(e)rying Sexualities
• Contested Bodies
• Gender and Health
• Childbirth in Seventeenth Century England
• Representing Women in Medieval Literature
• Critical Musicology
• Gender, Globalisation and Development
• 'Race', Identity and Culture in the Black Atlantic

For more information about both the compulsory and elective modules, please consult the module catalogue

Full-time students may take either three modules in Semester 1 and one in Semester 2, as well as the dissertation, or two modules in Semester 1 and two in Semester 2, as well as the dissertation.

Part-time students have some flexibility as to when they take their modules, but we do advise candidates to consider the credit load between semesters. One pattern may be to take three modules in the first year, with two in Semester 1 and one in Semester 2. This leaves one module and the dissertation for the second year.

If you wish to apply for these programmes, you should normally hold a good honours degree (upper second class or first class) or an equivalent professional qualification. Relevant experience will be taken into account where appropriate. Candidates who have narrowly missed securing an upper second result may be considered on their merits. Postgraduate diploma routes are available for candidates that do not wish to take the full MA programme. It is also possible to consider candidates for the Diploma who are not appropriately qualified for immediate MA study. Such candidates may be considered for subsequent transfer to an MA programme, depending on performance. Language Requirements Successful completion of a postgraduate degree demands facility in English. It is a requirement that essays and dissertations be well-written. Prospective and intending students whose first language is not English will need to ensure that their linguistic proficiency is adequate. They may need to undertake some language training in the University or elsewhere. Minimum requirements Internet Based TOEFL: 92 with not less than 23 in speaking, 21 in reading, 22 in writing and 21 in listeningA minimum IELTS (academic) score of 6.5 with at least 6.0 in all componentsThe School keeps its requirements under review and may request a higher level of proficiency. The University's Language Centre offers courses in English and can provide more details on your English requirements. Important information about language tests New British government regulations state that an ...IELTSTOEFL iBTor PET Academic... test score must be less than two years old when the University of Leeds issues a Certificate of Approved Study (CAS) to an international student that has been offered a place on a postgraduate taught programme.An international student requires a CAS in order to obtain a British student visa. What this means for youWhen you apply to one of our postgraduate courses, you must ensure that your English Language Test score will be less than two years old when we make a decision on your application. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 60 (Grade C) IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

Tuition fees and/or maintence may be paid in part, or in full, by an awarding body, a bursary or other postgraduate grant.

For students applying to the Centre for Gender Studies, the most likely sources of funding will be the following bodies.

• Economic and Social Research Council studentships - for home and EU students
• Arts and Humanities Research Council - for home and EU students
• University scholarships - for all students
• Opportunities for self-funding