GENDER 700: Critical Theories and Methods in Gender Studies

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GENDER 700: Critical Theories and Methods in Gender Studies

SEMESTER 1, 2021

30 points

Lecturers:

Caroline Blyth (and Coordinator) c.blyth@auckland.ac.nz 

Ciara Cremin c.cremin@auckland.ac.nz 

Yvonne Underhill-Sem y.underhill-sem@auckland.ac.nz 

 

 Course delivery format:

Three hour weekly seminar

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

Zoom link for seminars:  https://auckland.zoom.us/j/95893645183?pwd=S2ZYNlY1STd3cnhFOGdFR0Z3cGpQUT09  (Password is 700 if you're prompted for one)

 Summary of Course Description:              

This course uses an interdisciplinary approach to engage in critical theories and epistemological debates within gender studies; it provides grounding in key gender studies methods and methodologies.

In 2021, the course will focus on the very timely theme of “gender in dangerous times”; we will consider theoretical, methodological, and practical approaches to studying gender by using three distinct but interrelated themes:

  • Constructing dangerous women in popular culture and the media.
  • Masculinities and transgender subjectivities.
  • Intersecting inequalities and ideologies.

Each theme will be presented from a different disciplinary context and explored through weekly lectures and readings. Students will engage with the underlying theoretical and methodological approaches relevant to each theme (including their shared principles, theories, and methods) and apply this learning within their own disciplinary area.

 

Our learning goals will enable students:

  • To develop the theoretical knowledge and methodological skills to interrogate the world through different critical lenses (e.g. feminist, intersectional, discursive).
  • To draw on a range of disciplinary contexts (e.g. education, humanities, social sciences) in order to explore the multiple ways in which the world is inherently gendered.
  • To foster the social responsibilities of the researcher as critic and conscience of society.
  • To develop independent research skills through their participation in class discussions and course assessments.

 

Assessments

Research essay (5000-6000 words) – 60%

Weekly reading responses (5000 words) – 30%

Presentation of research essay (week 11) – 10%

 

Weekly Topics:

Week 1 - Introduction to class

Weeks 2-4 (Caroline) - Constructing dangerous women - femmes fatales - in pop culture and the media, drawing on cultural studies to look at examples from film, art, literature, and TV.

Weeks 5-7 (Ciara) - masculinities and transgender subjectivities.

Weeks 5-7 (Caroline) - queer and transgender studies - pasts, presents, and futures.

Weeks 8-10 (Yvonne) - Intersecting inequalities and ideologies.

Week 11 - Student presentations of essay topics

Week 12 - Summing up and class party!

 

Required readings: 

These will be listed on the Canvas reading list.

 

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 20  hours per week on a 30-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.

Course summary:

Date Details Due