Women's & Gender Studies - Graduate Study

Qualifications Available

Graduate Certificate (GradCert(WomGenSt))
Graduate Diploma (GradDip(WomGenSt))
Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours (BSocSc(Hons))
Master of Social Sciences (MSocSc)
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert(WomGenSt))
Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip(WomGenSt))

Why undertake graduate study in this subject?

Our taught graduate programme offers interesting, stimulating, socially relevant papers that address important issues for women and men locally and globally. Graduate study in this subject is also very relevant to employment, particularly since g ender analysis has now been mainstreamed within a range of government departments i n New Zealand, as well as numerous international agencies. Gender and development issues have also risen to prominence in most developing nations, and are a key priority for many NGOs. Addressing gender disparity is now recognised as central to the security and wellbeing of communities around the world. These and other developments are generating a growing range of employment opportunities for suitably trained graduates.

The graduate programme in Women's and Gender Studies seeks to offer that training by specialising in the areas of theory, gender, policy and development, gender analysis, and new technologies. Graduate study in this subject is designed to prepare students for employment in public sector agencies, policy units, non-government organisations and human service organisations in New Zealand or overseas. Our taught papers focus on developing the following skills and attributes:

• Advanced capacity to apply relevant theoretical concepts to current social debates and policy developments in ways that help clarify and/or critique the nature of contemporary relations of gender and power;
• Demonstrated understanding of the central issues of relevance to gender and development policy;
• The capacity to offer accurate assessments of gendered impacts of policy developments and make appropriate recommendations for strategic interventions;
• The ability to conduct gender analysis following an accepted methodology;
• Understanding of, and ability to reflect upon, the ways in which emerging biological, medical, reproductive, media and computer technologies serve to reproduce, challenge and potentially transform normative categories of nature, gender, sexuality and the body;
• The ability to articulate an informed, critical perspective on the potential social impacts and gendered effects of such new and emerging technologies;
• Advanced understanding and applied knowledge of core qualitative research methods in the social sciences; and
• The ability to independently conduct and evaluate qualitative research.

BSocSc(Hons) in Women's and Gender Studies, PGCert(WomGenSt) and PGDip(WomGenSt)

To be eligible to be considered for enrolment in a BSocSc(Hons) in Women's and Gender Studies, a student should normally have majored in Women's and Gender Studies in their undergraduate degree and have at least a B average in either the best three of their 300 level Women's and Gender Studies papers or all their undergraduate Women's and Gender Studies papers. Students must also have successfully completed the core Women's and Gender Studies papers at undergraduate level.

To complete the BSocSc(Hons) in Women's and Gender Studies, students must complete 120 points at 500 level including the compulsory papers:
     at least 30 points of research, usually WGST591 or an approved equivalent
     WGST506 Theorising Gender
     and 30 points chosen from:
     GEOG519 Crossing Boundaries
     WGST505 New Natures: Gender, Culture and New Technologies
     WGST507 Gender, Policy and Development

MSocSc in Women's and Gender Studies

To complete a MSocSc in Women's and Gender Studies, students must take either a 120 point thesis, a 90 point thesis and 30 points from approved 500 level papers, or a 60 point dissertation and 60 points from approved 500 level papers.

The GradCert(WomGenSt) and GradDip(WomGenSt)

The Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are available in Women's and Gender Studies for graduates who have not included the subject at an advanced level in their first degree.

Each programme of study must include:
     WGST209 Re-Thinking Women, Sex and Gender
     WGST211 Gender at Work
     WGST303 Gender, State and Public Policy

Papers

Graduate Women's and Gender Studies Papers (Catalogue of Papers)

Useful Links:

Graduate Adviser
Convenor