The Master of Arts (Women's Studies) is a 72-unit program which incorporates the graduate program(s) available in Women's Studies, which may be completed in two years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time).
The course articulates with the 36 unit Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development and sequentially developed topics facilitates progression through the two awards.
The Master of Arts (Women's Studies) is offered in flexible delivery online with a limited range of optional topics. Students may undertake the course online, mixed mode or fully on campus.
The topics available online are indicated by an asterisk (*). A computer with internet access is required for study online.
Admission requirements
The Master of Arts (Women's Studies) requires the completion of a 72-unit program of study comprising the program for the Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development plus an additional 36 units and is normally be available to applicants who hold an approved degree or an equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution.
Advanced Entry (1 year) applicants may be eligible to complete a 36-unit program of study if they have successfully completed one of the following
- an honours degree in Women's/Gender Studies
- Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development, or an approved equivalent. Credit may be granted, on application, for relevant work already completed in other approved programs.
The Dean (Education) may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.
Course aims
The course is designed to develop an appreciation of the rich, diverse and rapidly growing field of Women's Studies; to extend students' critical understanding and practice within the boundaries of a discipline area; to develop the capacity to apply feminist epistemology with interdisciplinary approaches; and to develop the conceptual and analytical thinking, and the research and writing skills, necessary to complete a successful thesis.
Learning outcomes
Students successfully completing the course will be able to:
- identify and apply interdisciplinary approaches to gender issues
- 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'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:
Students must complete the following 72-unit program:
- Advanced Entry students would complete the program of study as set out below only.
Core topics
WMST9010 Thinking Through The Body: Feminist Questions (4.5 units)* AND
DVST9023 Research Practice in Development Studies (4.5 units)* OR
WMST9015 Women's Studies: Research Strategies (4.5 units)*
Plus
WMST9017 MA Women's Studies 13.5 unit Thesis (13.5 units)* OR
WMST9018 MA Women's Studies 18 unit Thesis (18 units)*
Students are required to consult with the Program Coordinator before enrolling in a specific weighted thesis component of the degree. Online students will be required to maintain contact with their supervisor through either on campus intensives or via online mediums such as Skype.
Option topics
Students should choose the requisite number of option topics from the list below to complete their MA program.
DVST9031 Gender Analysis (4.5 units)*
DVST9032 Gender Mainstreaming (4.5 units)*
INTR9062 Contemporary Issues in Gender and International Development (4.5 units)*
POAD9026 Management in Non-Government Organisations (4.5 units)*
POAD9135 Project Management (4.5 units)*
WMST7017 Women's Studies Reading Topic (4.5 units)
WMST7019 Sexualities: Politics and Theories (4.5 units)
WMST7021 Feminist Political Perspectives: the Challenge to Political Theory (4.5 units)*
WMST7022 Media and Cultural Identities: Representing Relations of Power (4.5 units)
WMST8005 Indigenous Women's Voices: Negotiating Differences (4.5 units)
WMST8011 Memory and the Politics of Difference: Gender, Race and Nations (4.5units)
WMST8020 Researching Women's Life Stories (4.5 units)
WMST9021 Sex, Gender and the Law: Exploring feminist legal issues and law reform (4.5 units)
Note: any topic completed as part of the Graduate Diploma in Gender and Development may not be repeated.
*Candidates should consult the Postgraduate Coordinator for the list of topics available in any one year.
