Gender Studies
Emerging as a challenge to academia in the late 1960s, Gender Studies is now a well-established interdisciplinary field of study, which examines issues of power and gender relations in society. Women’s lives and experiences are explored from a range of perspectives, and feminist theory and methods of analysis are employed to promote understanding of both the commonalties and diversities of female experience. Students will be introduced to the ideas which have inspired and produced the vast body of feminist knowledge, and will develop awareness of women’s situation, past and present, and across geographical boundaries. In addition to core modules, Gender Studies draws together units from history, literature, politics, sociology, social policy, anthropology and psychology.
Gender Studies is an empowering area of study, in which interactive teaching styles and student participation are positively encouraged. Peer support and small group work are highly valued, and a variety of assessment methods are used, including oral presentations, seminar discussions and reports, as well as the more conventional essays and exams.
Gender Studies is open to both men and women, and has proved particularly attractive to mature students, and those who have entered university from non-traditional routes.
Undergraduate students may choose a single honours degree, major honours, joint or minor degrees, or an option in Gender Studies.
For more informaton on gender studies contact Dr. Myrtle Hill (Director).
The Gender Studies Forum offers a range of extra-curricular activities, including seminars, lectures, book-readings and film screenings, and is concerned to ensure collaboration between the academy and women in the local community. Conferences and other special events are held regularly, both on the main campus and at the university’s outreach in Armagh where a Gender Resource Centre is situated.
