StudyQA — Master: Gender Studies and Law — School of Oriental and African Studies

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Description Contents Requirements

The MA Gender Studies and Law at SOAS caters for students with a variety of backgrounds and objectives:

those coming from Womens Studies or Gender Studies who wish to engage more deeply with gender theory in relation to regional specialisation and to connect this with legal knowledge, especially, but not exclusively, the societies of Asia, Africa and the Middle East;
those coming from Asian, African or Middle Eastern Studies who wish to incorporate the study of gender and law into their own areas of expertise; and
those having previously trained in particular disciplines, such as Anthropology, Comparative Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, History, Politics, Religious Studies, Sociology, Refugee/Diaspora Studies etc.

This programme provides:

specialised research training in Gender Studies, in addition to focused study of feminist legal theories and a particular area of law. This pathway is suitable for students considering advanced postgraduate research in Gender Studies with a regional specialisation;
a broad MA programme for students with some background in Womens Studies, Gender Studies, and Area Studies etc. who wish to enhance their knowledge of gender in relation to cross-cultural legal issues;
a special interest MA, which enables students to study gender issues in depth in relation to a particular regional or disciplinary specialisation alongside the acquisition of knowledge of feminist legal approaches and a study of a legal sub-discipline.

The MA Gender Studies and Law at SOAS is a unique programme, its principal aim being to re-focus issues prioritised in western Gender Studies and Legal Theory on the complex specificities of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East. Jointly housed by the Centre for Gender Studies and the School of Law, the programme offers the specialised study of gender and law in relation to the cultures of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, together with rigorous training in, and questioning of, contemporary gender theory. In terms of gender theory, it offers a solid foundation with sufficient breadth and depth to facilitate a range of specialist pathways. In terms of specialisation, it draws on the expertise of internationally recognised scholars of Asian, African and Middle Eastern Studies at SOAS.

Students take courses to the value of four units and complete a dissertation (which is also the assessment for the fourth course Feminist Legal Theory).

All students take the Preliminary course in law, legal reasoning and legal methods. This is a compulsory component which runs as an intensive two-week course in September, prior to the start of term.

All students take the compulsory core courses Gender Theory and the Study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East and Feminist Legal Theory (Dissertation). Further options include a wide range of gender and gender-related courses from a comprehensive list. Students also choose one Law option from the general MA in Law list (subject to course convenor approval).

Upon completion of coursework and written examinations in May/June, students will write a 10,000 word dissertation based on material acquired from Feminist Legal Theory.

Core Courses

Preliminary law, legal reasoning and legal methods - 15PLAC162 (0 Unit) - Term 1
Gender theory and the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East - 15PGNC002 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Feminist legal theory - 15PLAC155 (1 Unit) - Full Year

List 1- Optional Course

At least one unit (one or two courses) must be chosen from this list.

Childhood, Politics and Law - 15PPOH037 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Gender in the Middle East - 15PGNH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Gendering migration & diasporas - 15PGNH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Gender and development - 15PDSH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - 15PPOH020 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Issues in the Anthropology of Gender - 15PANH024 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Feminist legal theory - 15PLAC155 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Critical Theory and the Study of Religions - 15PSRC037 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2014/2015
Migration, gender and the law in South East Asia and beyond - 15PLAH023 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Gender, Armed Conflict and International Law - 15PLAH035 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2014/2015
Imagining Pakistan: culture, politics, gender (MA) - 15PSAC313 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Historical Perspectives on Gender in Africa - 15PHIH029 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Gender and Music (MMus) - 15PMUH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2014/2015
Gender and Christianity - 15PSRH033 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2014/2015
Judaism and Gender - 15PSRH029 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Genders and Sexualities in South East Asian Film - 15PSEH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2014/2015

List 2- Optional Course

Remaining units must be taken from this list.

Access to justice & dispute resolution: special applications - 15PLAC157 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Affirmative action law - 15PLAH024 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Alternative dispute resolution - 15PLAC104 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Chinese Constitutionalism - 15PLAH043 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Colonialism, empire and international law - 15PLAH025 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Comparative Constitutional Law - 15PLAH046 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Development, environment and the law in the South - 15PLAC158 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Foundations of international law - 15PLAH021 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Human rights and Islamic law - 15PLAC150 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Human rights of women - 15PLAC112 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Human rights in the developing world - 15PLAC111 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Indigenous Land Rights - 15PLAH048 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
International human rights clinic - 15PLAC145 (1 Unit) - Full Year
International Labour Law and Equality Rights - 15PLAC169 (1 Unit) - Full Year
International law and global orders - 15PLAH019 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
International protection of human rights - 15PLAC119 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law and development in Africa - 15PLAC160 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law and Governance in the Developing World - 15PLAH047 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Law and international inequality:critical legal analysis of political economy from colonialism to globalisation - 15PLAC131 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law and society in the Middle East and North Africa - 15PLAC130 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law and society in South Asia (MA/LLM) - 15PLAC129 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law, human rights and peace building: the Israeli-Palestinian case - 15PLAC133 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law, institutions and political economy of transition - 15PLAC134 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law, Multiculturalism and Intercultural Human Rights (MA/LLM) - 15PLAC109 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Modern Chinese Law and Institutions - 15PLAC139 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Minimum upper second class (II.1) or above honours degree (or equivalent). English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 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. 80 (Grade A) 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.