Feminist and Queer Praxis

This subject examines the relationship between feminist and queer theories and the practical contexts in which they are enacted. It will provide Gender Studies students with the opportunity to reflect on, expand and synthesise the rich skills base from the Humanities and Social Sciences which they have cultivated during their studies. It explores how critical concepts such as intersectionality, performativity, embodiment, and resistance inform lived experiences, social movements, cultural practices, and political struggles. Students will investigate how feminist and queer praxis challenges dominant power structures, interrogates norms of gender and sexuality, and creates possibilities for more just and inclusive futures. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, case studies, and activist traditions, the subject considers the tensions and synergies between feminist and queer approaches, as well as their diverse applications across global and local contexts. Students will be encouraged to reflect critically on their own positionality and the ethical dimensions of applying theory to practice.

• 1Locate themselves as participants in the scholarly discipline of Gender Studies and reflect on how their positionality shapes their engagement with knowledge production.
• 2Appreciate the role of feminist theories and politics in the institutionalisation of Gender Studies in the Academy and the methodological and conceptual contributions of disciplines across the Social Sciences and Humanities to shaping contemporary Gender Studies.
• 3Analyse unequal and unethical systems, critique the power structures they emerged from, and propose just alternatives.
• 4Assess national and international debates on contemporary issues and complex problems relating to sex, gender, sexuality and race.
• 5Formulate a conceptually rigorous topic suitable for an independent research project in Gender Studies and design a methodological approach using primary and secondary sources.
• 6Communicate their analysis of sensitive and/or contentious concepts effectively in a range of oral and written formats.