You will study the concepts through histories of imperialism and colonialism from the early conquests in the Atlantic World through to the present day. In addition, you will look at a broad range of cultural case studies from different linguistic contexts to explore themes such as the intersectionality of race, class and gender; the instability of gender ideologies; the construction of the family, the regulation and ordering of gendered bodies, gendered violence and gender and the politics of migration.

The historical framework will enable you to come to an understanding of the changing material conditions of production, circulation and reception of cultural materials. A central goal of the module is to demonstrate that cross-cultural work on gender must be attentive to the micropolitics of context, subjectivity and struggle, as well as to the macropolitics of global economic and political systems and processes. To this end, the module also examines how theorists have defined gender issues and imagined global change from an intersectional cross-cultural framework.

By the end of the module, you will understand how gender materialises through culturally and linguistically specific practices at local and transnational scales and, through the study of a number of specific examples, how it is manifest in literary, visual and popular culture

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module, you will have achieved the following:

• A systematic understanding of how gender and sexuality and the inequalities they give rise to are embodied across a range of other binaries and social categories (such as race, class, sexual orientation, disability, age) that they intersect with.
• A thorough grasp of how gender and sexuality are articulated in colonial, postcolonial and transnational contexts.
• Have learned how transnational flows of people, goods and information inform gender and sexual identities, expressions, aesthetic forms and politics.
• A systematic understanding of the centrality of representation to the study of gender and sexuality and broad knowledge of the academic tools used to approach its analysis.
• The ability to think critically about the different methodologies used to analyse issues of gender and sexuality and to evaluate their value in different contexts.
• The ability to analyse a diversity of cultural productions and to discuss the representation of gender and sexuality in them using the most appropriate theoretical framework.
• The ability to interpret the intersections between the personal and political intersections of gender and sexuality.
• The ability to communicate effectively and with cultural and contextual competence in a range of professional and interpersonal contexts.
• The ability to recognise gender inequalities and to identify ways to address or change them.
• The ability to identify a research topic and design an analysis of it.
• The ability to engage in robust but respectful dialogue about subject matters that might be sensitive or controversial.
• The ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally.
• The ability to recognise the value of personal experience and activism in the subject area and apply that to the practical components of the programme.

The standard entry requirements comprise:

• A 2:2 honours degree or international equivalent,
• A CV and personal statement outlining your reasons for study,
• English language band C (for example, IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in reading & writing and 6.0 in listening & speaking).

Assessment

You will be assessed through a 3,000 word assignment.

This module is taught online and you will be expected to attend live webinars as part of your programme of studies. In most cases, modules will have more than one webinar group, which will be scheduled at different times of the day so students can make reasonable efforts to attend the sessions from where they are based in the world. In some cases, however, modules might only have one webinar group available. The day and time of webinar sessions will be available in the Global Cultures Hub on KEATS upon enrolment and are normally scheduled on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays.

In the webinars you will have an opportunity to critically explore the module contents in more depth within small groups. These will be facilitated by your tutor and held via MS Teams. These 60-minute live sessions normally take place once a week and run throughout the six weeks of the teaching period. The sessions might include (but are not limited to) breakout rooms to discuss topics in smaller groups; open-floor discussion; presentations from students; debates; and close-reading analysis.

The most important aspects of these sessions are interaction and participation. It is paramount that you prepare in advance and take an active role in these sessions. Webinars are not recorded. If you miss a session, you are encouraged to use the weekly forums to catch up on the discussion and get in touch with your study group. Module tutors will provide feedback on the forum posts where applicable and may offer slots during ‘office hours’ (availability may vary) to discuss specific queries.