New…
… Centre: Centre for Gender & Feminist Studies
… Degree: MLitt/MSc in Gender Studies (Applied)
… Professor: Karen Boyle, inaugural professorial lecture: ‘What’s the Point of Feminist Media Studies’ (March 5)
… Event: ‘Challenging Everyday Sexism’ (17 March)
… Survey: enhancing gender equality at the university
Some really exciting developments are taking place within the Division of Communications, Media & Culture and, indeed, across the University as a whole.
We have recently launched the Centre for Gender & Feminist Studies, an inter-disciplinary research centre, which brings together leading feminist and gender-focused scholars working in and across a range of disciplines at the University of Stirling (http://www.stir.ac.uk/artshumanities/research/centres/centreforgenderandfeministstudies/
We have a number of academics within our Division who are actively involved in the Centre and whose research and teaching focus on gender, feminist and queer studies, including Karen Boyle, who is Professor of Feminist Media Studies and co-director of the Centre, Susan Berridge, Dee Amy-Chinn, Richard Haynes, Sarah Neely, Julia Jahansoozi, Philippa Lovatt and Katharina Lindner.
The Centre is home to a new interdisciplinary postgraduate degree in Gender Studies, the MLitt/MSc Gender Studies (Applied), which will run from autumn 2014.
In addition to staff in CMC, there are colleagues in other Schools and Divisions across the University who will contribute to the programme: in Management, Politics, English Literature, Hispanic Studies, French, Social Policy, Criminology and Religion. The new programme is a result of pooling the expertise around gender that already exists across the University, which means that the degree will be truly interdisciplinary. We are all very excited about it!
At the heart of the programme is a concern about how academic debate informs, is shaped by and, is at times distanced from, how gender “works” in real word contexts. The MSc/MLitt in Gender Studies (Applied) will therefore offer students the opportunity to take their classroom learning and apply it in real-world contexts through a Research Placement module – this is what the ‘Applied’ refers to. We have already established excellent links with placement providers, including the leading feminist organisations in Scotland as well as a range of organisations who are committed to gender equality as part of their work in arts, culture and sport. They include the Women’s Library, Scottish Women’s Aid, the Macrobert Arts Centre, Zero Tolerance, the Women’s Department of the Scottish Football Association, Glasgow Film Theatre, Rape Crisis Scotland, the Women’s Support Project and Glasgow City Football Club.
The core modules for the programme are Understanding Gender, Feminist Research and Key Feminist Thinkers. There will also be a range of optional modules that students can choose from, which include Feminist Film Theory, Gender & the Labour Market, Public Affairs and Advocacy and Children’s Literature and Gender.
You can find more information about the new programme via the following link: http://www.stir.ac.uk/postgraduate/programme-information/prospectus/slcr/gender-studies/
In addition to providing a home for the new Gender Studies degree, the Centre runs a series of events throughout the year in order to develop gender and feminist research. We are also involved in a range of activities, across the University and beyond, that engage with feminist and gender related issues and themes.
There are two particularly exciting events coming up in the near future:
1) Karen Boyle, Professor of Feminist Media Studies and co-director of the Centre for Gender & Feminist Studies, is giving her inaugural professorial lecture, ‘What’s the Point of Feminist Media Studies’, on Wednesday 5 March, 6 pm, in the Pathfoot Lecture Theatre. There will be a drinks reception in the Crush Hall directly after the lecture. Please RSVP to marie.obrien@stir.ac.uk
2) Challenging Everyday Sexism:
On Monday March 17th we hold a day of talks, workshops and debates at the MacRobert Arts Centre on campus. Confirmed speakers include Laura Bates (Everyday Sexism Project), Professor Gail Dines (author of Pornland) and Kezia Dugdale MSP, with workshops to be led by the Women’s Support Project, Hollaback Edinburgh, Rape Crisis Scotland and White Ribbon Scotland.
Booking form available here: http://www.stir.ac.uk/artshumanities/research/centres/centreforgenderandfeministstudies/ (click on ‘events’)
As part of the event, and in line with the University’s commitment to enhance gender equality, we are also aiming to collect further, and more detailed information about the range of experiences of sexism, harassment and bullying in the University context. We have put together a survey for this purpose and would be enormously grateful if you could take a minute or two to complete the survey.
Survey available here: http://www.stir.ac.uk/artshumanities/research/centres/centreforgenderandfeministstudies/ (click on ‘events’)