GENDER 208 : Thinking Gender

Arts

2023 Semester One (1233) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Interdisciplinary examination of feminist theories of gender and sexuality. Focuses on contemporary issues, debates, and practices, while grounding them in foundational theories and investigating how these issues and debates play out across disciplines and practices. Examples include the perils of identity politics, tensions between feminist and queer theories, the politics of representation, and gender justice in a globalised world.

Course Overview

This course explores the interdisciplinary fields of feminist and gender theory, looking at their historical development across the humanities and social sciences but emphasising current developments in feminist and gender theorising around questions of activism, identity, embodiment, gender construction, queer theory, and the relationship between gender and sexuality. The primary objective of this course is for students to develop a broad understanding of a range of feminist approaches to analysing social structures, texts and cultural phenomena so that they can compare and apply these approaches in their written academic work and everyday life.

A Note About Course Content:  
In a course on gender, sexuality, and feminism, we will regularly be addressing questions of inequality, social exclusion, marginalisation and similar phenomena. Issues such as racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexual violence and related social ills are likely to arise regularly throughout the semester. As such, a blanket course content advisory applies. 
In order to tackle oppression we have to talk about it, sometimes explicitly. Every eort will be made to be as sensitive as possible to the eects such discussions can have, but please be aware that some readings and lectures will need to address directly these challenging topics.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 30 points passed Restriction: GENDER 308

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate Mohio / knowledge, insight or wisdom about contemporary feminist theorising about gender and sexuality, both within New Zealand and beyond (Capability 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.1)
  2. Demonstrate Wahapu / eloquence or articulateness in speaking/writing about a topic (Capability 1.2, 2.2, 2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3)
  3. Demonstrate Manaakitanga / respect or care shown to others, including the opinion of others, in lectures, tutorials and written assignments (Capability 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 4.3, 5.1 and 5.2)
  4. Demonstrate Rangatiratanga / independence as a learner, taking responsibility to act as rangatira / leaders of your own learning process by developing a structured study plan so you keep up with course content and submit assignments on time wherever possible and by practicing academic integrity skills (Capability 1.3, 3.2, 5.1 and 5.2)
  5. Define and analyse differing theoretical approaches to thinking about gender, sexuality, and feminism (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3)
  6. Demonstrate an understanding of core readings and how they relate to other readings in both discussion and writing (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
  7. Apply theoretical ideas to real-world contexts (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 100% Individual Coursework

This course will be 100% internally assessed. The structure of the assignments and breakdown of marks will be announced on Canvas on or before the start of Semester 1.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 3 hours of lectures, to read all required readings each week, to participate in lecture discussions, and preparation for, and submission of, ALL assessments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

This course is not available for delivery to students studying remotely outside NZ in 2023.

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities.
Lectures will be available as recordings, which are to be used for course revision or in the event of illness. Lecture recordings are not a replacement for regular class attendance.
The course will not include live online events.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

The course is regularly updated based on previous years' experiences and to keep the material up-to-date.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Class representatives are not tutors. All questions about course content should be directed to the lecturer.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 01/11/2022 12:12 p.m.