Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and MA Women's Studies

What is Women’s Studies?

Women's Studies is in many ways a unique subject which is ideally suited to the interests of mature students. It attempts to challenge traditional structures of knowledge about gender and also, the usual ways in which we learn. Women's Studies draws on many disciplines, including sociology, literature, history, psychology and politics, and is accessible to students whose previous academic backgrounds are in any area. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own life experiences and combine this with theoretical insights that cross discipline boundaries.

Women's Studies involves intellectual discussion of a wide range of issues that impact directly on women's lives today. It has relevance to those working in a wide range of sectors who wish to understand more about gender relations in society and who also want to acquire up-to date academic skills and qualifications. Women's Studies recognises the value of women's personal lived experiences, and the skills and awareness learned through everyday social interaction, and believes in listening to what women themselves have to say about their own lives.

Women’s Studies at Bangor

Women's Studies has been taught at Bangor since 1994 and is currently the only course of its kind in Wales. Over the last decade women from across North Wales and from many walks of life have studied on this course. It has a reputation for being both intellectually stimulating and practically relevant.

Recent dissertations have been on topics as diverse as women in local politics, the experiences of young gay people in North Wales, a feminist analysis of embroidery, a study of Ruth Ellis and the portrayal of women in Hitchcock's films! Some of our students' dissertations have been published. To read more about them click here.

The degree is located within Lifelong Learning but the teaching staff come from departments across the University and represents a wide range of academic interests. Lifelong Learning has as its core mission the aim of making part-time study available to all. All our students are adults and study part-time alongside other responsibilities so as staff we are very familiar with the pressures and problems that can arise.

The course we teach covers the established areas of Women's Studies content, theory and method but also has a distinct Welsh flavour reflecting the interests and expertise of staff, so, for instance there is a module on Welsh women's history, and modules on work, education and literature will focus on Welsh issues as well as wider British and global perspectives. We feel that our course gives students a strong grounding in Women's Studies but with a particular Welsh dimension.

The Teaching Team

The current teaching team includes the following members of staff:

Shân Ashton - Feminist & Action Research, Feminist Theory, Women and Work
Kathy Hopewell - Literature and Film
Pam Michael - History and HealthStudies
Jenny Parry - Criminology and Disability Issues
Brec’hed Piette - Feminist Psychology, Gender and Education

All staff members are active in their various fields and have published material on feminism, gender and women’s lives / experiences. They each regularly contribute to conferences and working groups in the field. Other members of University staff and speakers from outside bodies also contribute to teaching on the MA.

Structure of the course

The course consists of 6 modules. The three compulsory ones are

Gender Equality and Diversity (30 credits)
Theory into Action (30 credits)
Research Methods (20 Credits)

There are also a range of optional modules from which students choose two.

In order to achieve a post-graduate certificate (60 credits), students must complete the first 2 core modules; this will normally be done in one year of part-time study. For a postgraduate diploma (120 credits), students complete the three core modules and two optional ones, normally over two years. To gain a masters' degree, students must pass the diploma and also produce a dissertation of 15,000- 20,000 words (60 credits). This is normally done in the third year of study.

Studying Individual Modules

Please note that students may opt to enrol on single modules, the two certificate modules or the whole degree. The module on gender, equality and diversity in particular is one that many will find relevant to their work, which people may wish to follow without necessarily following the complete degree.

Modules

The three compulsory modules are:

Gender Equality and Diversity

This module introduces students to a wide range of issues relevant to women, and has both a theoretical and an experiential focus. The approach adopted is a critical one and will begin to outline and develop a feminist understanding of the issues of gender, equality and diversity in a range of contest such as health, housing and education. The emphasis will be on contemporary issues but an historical perspective will also be provided, especially in relation to lived experience and policy development.

Theory into Action

A range of feminist theories will be studied here, and we will also explore the relationship between feminist theory and feminist actions. A wide range of feminist theories will be considered and their application in a number of subject areas.

Research Methods

In this module students will discuss issues of feminist research theory and practice, both in preparation for undertaking a research project of their own and in order to engage with questions of methodology, ethics and data management that arise in undertaking research from a feminist perspective.

Optional Modules

Optional modules include the following, but are liable to change from year to year:

Women Crime and Deviance

The focus of this module is on women who are considered to be deviant, and/or who commit crime and suffer punishment.

Women and Literature

The study of a range of nineteenth and twentieth century authors, including the work of Charlotte Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Adrienne Rich, Angela Carter, Brenda Chamberlain and Toni Morrison.

Welsh Women's History

This module will provide an overview of economic, social and political change in Wales during the nineteenth and twentieth century. It will look at women's work patterns, family life, domestic roles, the suffrage movement, welfare reforms, the impact of wars, the role of the women's movement and popular protest - from the Hunger Marches to Greenham Common.

Women, Film and Popular Culture

A wide-ranging module that looks at the visual representation of women in a range of visual and popular media. There is a particular emphasis on films about women.

Gender and Education

In this module one focus will be on the gendered nature of the experience of children and young people in schools, and also on the experience of adults of all ages engaged in other forms of learning. A second focus will be on the role of the education system in promoting and sustaining gender differences in society.

Women, Work and Community

A critical analysis of the experiences of women in the world of work and their communities.

Women and Management

This module looks at the history and theories around women in management. It includes presentations on women in specific fields of management such as ehealth / education / civil service.

Our students

Students are accepted onto the course with degrees in any subject which may have been obtained at any time in the past, or who have other relevant experience. The majority of our students are in fulltime work, and the course is designed to fit in with work and other commitments. Our students range in age from mid-twenties to early seventies and come from all walks of life.

The MA and careers

Although many of our students enrol on the MA primarily for reasons of personal interest, it is also a valuable qualification for career development for many. Topics such as women's experience in the workplace, equal opportunities, gender differences, and women's mental and physical health are important and relevant issues for women in many walks of life. Students also develop valuable and upto- date transferable skills in research, information gathering and writing. A large proportion of our students carry out dissertations in areas directly related to their field of work, and may be supported financially by their employers.

Teaching arrangements

Each module is taught over one term, with most modules being taught on one evening a week for 10 weeks - Tuesdays usually. There are six taught modules in all, and the 20,000 word dissertation is then completed over a one to two year period.

In addition we hold Saturday day schools in November and March to which we generally invite guest speakers. At the end of the academic year we have a residential school (lasting approximately two days), probably the highlight of the year for the course.

Assessment

All assessment is by coursework. The course utilises a variety of assignments aimed to develop oral, written and research skills. It is recognised that many students will not have been involved in academic study for some time, and plenty of support will be given.

Welsh Language Provision

The course aims to reflect the Welsh context in many elements of the programme content and delivery. You can submit work in the medium of Welsh and their work will be marked and moderated in the language of their choice. Welsh-medium tutorial support is also guaranteed.

Fees and funding

Current information on fees is available on the following university web-site.

http://www.bangor.ac.uk/ar/main/fees/index.php.en

Please note that information on bursaries and other forms of financial support are also available on this website and through Lifelong Learning.

Entry requirements

We welcome applications from graduates of any discipline and from people over 25 who have equivalent work or voluntary experience.

How to apply

Application forms can be obtained from Lifelong Learning. On receipt of a form we will arrange for you to have an informal interview with a member of staff. If you would like more information prior to completing a form we are very happy to do this.

For further information contact Sian Lloyd Owen (administrator) on 01248 383668 or Shan Ashton (course co ordinator) on 01248 383224