Master of Arts (Women's Studies)

The Master of Arts (Women&##39;s Studies) is a 72-unit program which incorporates the graduate program(s) available in Women&##39;s Studies. There are two levels of entry into the program - basic and advanced.

The course is offered by the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and can be taken by coursework or research and is offered only for students in the coursework stream.

• Admission requirements
• Course aims
• Learning outcomes
• Program of study
  
  

Admission requirements

Basic entry - offers a 72-unit program of study comprising the program for the Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development plus an additional 36 units as set out for advanced entry. This program would normally be available to applicants who hold an approved degree or an equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution. However, the Faculty Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature. Credit may be granted, on application, for comparable prior studies.

Advanced entry - offers a 36-unit program of study to suitable qualified applicants who have successfully completed one of the following

• an honours degree in Women&##39;s/Gender Studies
• a four-year bachelors degree in Women&##39;s/Gender Studies
• Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development, or an approved equivalent.

Course aims

The course is designed to develop an appreciation of the rich, diverse and rapidly growing field of Women&##39;s Studies; to extend students&##39; critical understanding and practice within the boundaries of a discipline area; to develop the capacity to apply interdisciplinary approaches to feminist questions; and to develop the conceptual and analytical thinking, and the research and writing skills, necessary to complete a successful thesis.

Learning outcomes

•  identify and apply interdisciplinary approaches to feminist questions
  
• analyse, evaluate and apply advanced theories of gender and feminism
  
• identify limitations and strengths in existing scholarship on gender and feminism
  
• use feminist epistemology to critically analyse gender within disciplinary boundaries
  
• research issues in advanced gender studies and feminism independently
  
• communicate complex ideas in speech and writing.
  

Program of study

To qualify for the Master of Arts (Women&##39;s Studies), a student must complete a 72-unit program with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study:

Basic Entry students must complete the following 72-unit program:

• 36 units according to the Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development Program of Study.
• and one of the following two 36 unit streams as set out below. Students considering the Research Stream should consult with the Course Coordinator prior to enrolment.

Advanced Entry students must complete the following 36-unit program of study:

• One of the following two 36 unit streams as set out below.

Coursework stream:

Independent, supervised study leading to a 13.5 - or 18-unit thesis plus 13.5 or 9 units of elective topics.

Stream - Coursework - Core topics

 WMST9017  MA Women&##39;s Studies 13.5 unit Thesis  (13.5 units) OR
 WMST9018  MA Women&##39;s Studies 18 unit Thesis  (18 units)

 Plus

 WMST9010  Thinking Through The Body: Feminist Questions  (4.5 units) AND
 DVST9023  Research Practice in Development Studies  (4.5 units) OR
 WMST9015  Women&##39;s Studies: Research Strategies  (4.5 units)

Stream - Coursework - Elective topics*

Note: any topic completed as a part of the Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development may not be repeated.

 DVST9029  Gender, Public Health and International Development  (4.5 units)
 DVST9031  Gender Analysis  (4.5 units)
 DVST9032  Gender Mainstreaming  (4.5 units)
 INTR9062  Contemporary Issues in Gender and Development  (4.5 units)
 WMST7017  Women&##39;s Studies Reading Topic  (4.5 units)
 WMST7021  Feminist Political Perspectives: the Challenge to Political Theory  (4.5 units)
 WMST8005  Indigenous Women&##39;s Voices: Negotiating Differences  (4.5 units)
 WMST8007  A Walk on the Wild Side: Gender and International Politics  (4.5 units)
 WMST8008  Engendering Justice, Rights, and Representation: Gender, State and Citizenship  (4.5 units)
 WMST8010  Women in World Religions  (4.5 units)
 WMST9016  Critique and Construct in Feminist Knowledge  (4.5 units)
 WMST9019  The personal is political: governing conjugality  (4.5 units)
 WMST9021  Sex, Gender and the Law: Exploring feminist legal issues and law reform  (4.5 units)

* Candidates should consult the postgraduate convener for the list of topics available in any one year.

Research stream:  

Independent, supervised study leading to 27-unit thesis plus 9 units of core topics as set out below.

Stream - Research - Core topics

 WMST9027A  MA Women&##39;s Studies 27 unit Thesis (4.5/27 units)  
 WMST9027B  MA Women&##39;s Studies 27 unit Thesis (4.5/27 units)  
 WMST9027C  MA Women&##39;s Studies 27 unit Thesis (4.5/27 units)  
 WMST9027D  MA Women&##39;s Studies 27 unit Thesis (4.5/27 units)  
 WMST9027E  MA Women&##39;s Studies 27 unit Thesis (4.5/27 units)  
 WMST9027F  MA Women&##39;s Studies 27 unit Thesis (4.5/27 units)  

Plus

 WMST9010  Thinking Through The Body: Feminist Questions  (4.5 units)

 DVST9023  Research Practice in Development Studies  (4.5 units) OR
 WMST9015  Women&##39;s Studies: Research Strategies  (4.5 units)