Studying at York
The Politics of Gender - POL00053I
- Department: Politics and International Relations
- Credit value: 30 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
Gender shapes our political and social landscape and our personal interactions. The module will explore gender theories and apply them to political issues at a domestic, international and transnational level.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
‘Politics is gendered’. ‘Gender is a political issue’. What do these statements exactly mean? And, how can gender theories help us make sense of politics and political theory? This module aims to introduce students to gender theories and to enable them to draw upon these theories in making sense of political issues, broadly conceived. The first part of the course will guide students through the established cannon of theoretical work on gender, including scholarship which considers the relationship between ‘sex’ and ‘gender’, on trans* issues, discourse and performativity theory, intersectionality, (post)coloniality, masculinity, and sexuality. In the second part of the course, students will be introduced to a broad range of political issues understood through a gender theatrical lens. These will include the family; multiculturalism and gender equality; surrogacy; prostitution; pornography; the state, citizenship, and nationalism; violence; and gender and the right. In addition to analysing the contributions and challenges of gender theory to thinking about politics, we will engage with a wide variety of positions within gender studies to appreciate the internal diversity about political issues characterising and dividing such a rich body of scholarship and activism.
Module learning outcomes
Upon completing this module, students will be able to:
- Explain, and critically evaluate, the most important theoretical approaches to understanding gender;
- Demonstrate understanding of the political nature of gender
- Identify how a gender lens can shift our understandings of what constitutes an important political question;
- Critically analyse key political (domestic and international) issues through a gender lens.
This module will also equip students with a range of key transferable skills:
- The ability to participate thoughtfully and actively in discussions over gender and political issues;
- The necessary skills to critically evaluate theoretical assumptions;
- Theoretical tools in written and oral course-related activities.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 60 |
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 40 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 60 |
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 40 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.
Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 20 working days; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.
Indicative reading
Judith Butler. 1990. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London and New York: Routledge.
R.W. Connell, Masculinities (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1995).
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Epistemology of the Closet (Berkeley, LA: University of California Press, 1990).
Susan Moller Okin, Justice, Gender, and the Family (New York: Basic Books, Inc. 1989)
Patricia H. Collins, Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment (New York: Routledge, 1990)