ENGENDERING WORLD POLITICS - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module seeks to introduce students to a range of topics relating to the roles of gender structures and sexuality in defining world politics.

The module will explore the complex interactions that underpin the relationship between the personal and the international. The module will look at key debates in feminist theorising, in order to show how the concepts of gender and sexuality require scholars to unpack key defining concepts such as “masculinity” and “femininity”.

This will allow us to interrogate and critique a number of challenges facing world politics today such as, gender mainstreaming in politics and demographic trends, but also domestic politics and representation, who is representing whom, and how?

Module provider

Politics & International Relations

Module Leader

CHAPPELL Laura (Politics IR)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

The module will cover a range of theoretical perspectives and will apply them to the analysis of key issues and case studies.

The syllabus is likely to include but is not restricted to:

• Key issues and theories of sexual politics


• Equality & Diversity Training


• Gender in the international arena


• Intersectionality & gender neutrality


• Feminist Approaches in practice


• Gender mainstreaming


• International Human Rights and gender equality


• Gendering representation


• Women elected: Global trends


• Gendering the politics of resistance

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the development of core skills and the application of theoretical knowledge to applied cases studies. 

The Case Study (3000 words) will assess the student's ability to 

1. Apply feminist theories and/or gender approaches to the analysis of empirical data, e.g. texts, policies and statistical trends. 


2. Apply a range of research methods to analyse empirical material (published research studies and reports, existing data sets, policy documents, media)


3. Explore a particular situation or event in a structured fashion, systematically addressing factual and interpretive dimensions.


4. Evaluate in detail the theoretical implications of current tends in global gender politics. 


5. Choose from a range of topics, such as political leadership in national and international contexts, international conventions (e.g. CEDAW), UN conferences, EU relations (external action, social policies, etc.), country cases (Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia etc.), womens rights, human rights, employment rights, reproductive rights and relevant current trends and issues

The Online Seen Exam will assess the students':

1. Knowledge of gender approaches to the study of political phenomena and events, international relations and global current affairs


2. Ability to draw on different theoretical approaches in order to answer specific questions alongside examples

The seen exam questions will be released in advanced allowing sufficient time to students to revise and upload their work, thus testing their ability to work quickly and accurately within a scope of a limited deadline, uesful for later career prospects.

Formative feedback will be provided in a number of occasions throughout the module.

Module aims

• To introduce students to a range of concepts relating to gender and feminist approaches to Politics and International Relations
• To understand the link between the "personal" and the "international" in the study of world politics.
• To evaluate the role of key actors in domestic politics and international relations.
• To identify and assess the impact of social trends in world politics.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

This module touches on a number of sensitive and controversial issues and seeks to build resilience in dealing with these issues.

The module seeks to provide students with an opportunity to discuss and test ideas about gender and politics. Students are encouraged to explore different concepts within the reading and class discussion. It is therefore a key expectation of the module that students are respectful of each other and the learning environment provided.

The teaching strategy developed for this module is based on a discursive teaching style in which borders between lectures and seminars are fluid.

The weekly sessions thus blend lecture and seminar into a single workshop-style session lectures/seminars will maximise opportunities for active participation. Students’ engagement with the reading and the class discussion is key to the overall success of the module.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lecture


• Seminar


• Workshops


• Possible invited guest talks open to students

Additional resources will be provided on SurreyLearn but captured content maybe limited or restricted due to the sensitivity of the subject of study. Some weeks contain longer session to provide time for more hands-on activities.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: POL3067

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.