Gendering Practices: Master's Programme

About the Programme

Equipping you to work towards equal opportunities

The master’s programme in Gendering Practices gives you theoretical and practical means to work in fields that focus on securing equal opportunities and challenging social and cultural norms based on gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, and functionality. The programme offers four different strands of study, developed to prepare you for different parts of the labour market:
• Equality Politics, Organization, and Law
• Cultural Theories and Practices
• Cultural Heritage
• Body Politics and Social Health

Knowledge of gendering practices can help improve equality at the workplaceOur programme focuses on the complexity of gendering practices, intertwining theory and practice and embracing interdisciplinary encounters. The overall objective of the curriculum is to build a platform between different academic disciplines, generating new ways of understanding and working with gendering practices. Hence, we emphasize integrating the core courses and courses specific for the different strands.

Internship opportunities

You will have the opportunity to put your learning into practice with an internship. Some of our students have participate in various research projects at the University of Gothenburg, including The National Secretariat for Gender Research and Genderlab research project at the School of Design and Craft. They have also had internships at the following institutions and organizations, among others.
• The Center for Equity in Health Care, region of Västra Götaland
• Göteborgs rättighetscenter, one of Sweden's 15 anti-discrimination bureaus
• The Hasselblad Foundation in Gothenburg
• Knowledge center for Equal Health Care in Gothenburg
• Euro Mediterranean Feminist Initiative
• Diversity Group AB, a Stockholm consulting firm supporting organizations in their strategic diversity efforts
• Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency of Germany

Some completed their internships in research at other universities, such as:
• The Centre of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies at the Faculty of Sociology, University of Trento, Italy;
• Lab LABICA at the Department of Political Science, Roma Tre University, Italy;
• REMESO (Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society) at Linköping University, Sweden;
• And Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, University of Vic – Central university of Catalonia, Spain.

Who Should Apply?

Do you find it important to critically examine power and different kinds of power relations?

Are you interested in working with issues of gender and equality in your everyday practice?

Do you want to challenge social and cultural norms about gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, functionality, age?

If you have a background or interest in feminist theory and want to be a positive change in society, then apply for the master’s programme in Gendering Practices.

Programme Structure and Content

The first semester consists of two core courses, and provides you with the knowledge to choose your strand of specialization:
• Theoretical Perspectives in Gender Studies
• Methodologies in Gender Studies

During the second semester, you achieve deeper knowledge of your chosen strand with one core course in the chosen strand and one elective course. During the second half of the second semester, you can also choose to take the programme specific course, Independent Explorations in a field of Gender Studies, in order to deepen your knowledge within a specific field. You can choose between the following four strand courses, where you are guaranteed a place:
• Critical Studies on Gender Equality, Policy and Diversity
• Cultural Theories and Cultural Practices
• Equality work and public administration
• Independent explorations in a field of Gender Studies
• Gender and global development
• Global Health and Micro Perspectives of Health Economics (together half a semester)
• Gender and sexuality across culture

You may also take courses at other departments at GU or other Universities in Sweden.

The first part of the third semester consists of an eight-week Internship. The internship can also take place during the second half of the semester to accommodate for additional courses within your chosen strand. There is an additional course, Interdisciplinary Challenges.

The fourth semester consists entirely of completing your master’s thesis. You will reflect and discuss the relation between Gender Studies as theory and as practice, within and outside the academic context, and carry out a theoretically informed and analytical thesis, addressing ethical dilemmas in relation to your independent research.

Application process

Gendering Practices have two application rounds each spring. One for students outside the EU/EEA are, and one for students within the EU/EEA area. 

We strongly recommend all applicants from countries outside the EU/EEA to apply in the first application round as the application deadlines and decisions come several months before the semester starts. This permits you time to apply for and receive your resident permit (if needed) and arrange for housing.

Students within the EU can choose to apply in either the first or second application round and Swedish students should seek in the second application round.

First application round

The application process contain two steps. Firstly, apply via the national application website University Admissions. Secondly, send us your finished and passed Bachelor's thesis (in pdf.). The pdf should clearly state your name and the name of the University in which you graduated. Send your thesis to Student Affairs Office and wait for a confirmation that we have recieved your thesis.

Deadlines:
15 January 2021: last day to apply.
1 March 2021: The last day to send in your thesis and other complementary documents.
3 April 2021: Your application decision will be published at University Admissions.

Late application

f you missed the deadlines for the first round, you can make a late application.

Deadlines:
1 March 2021: Last day to apply.
8 March 2021: Last day to send in your thesis and other complementary documents
May 2021: Your application decision will be published at University Admissions in the beginning of May.

Second application round

The application process contain two steps. Firstly, apply via the national application website University Admissions. Secondly, send us your finished and passed Bachelor's thesis (in pdf.). The pdf should clearly state your name and the name of the University in which you graduated. Send your thesis to Student Affairs Office and wait for a confirmation that we have recieved your thesis.

Deadlines:
15 April 2021: last day to apply.
12 June 2021: The last day to send in your thesis and other complementary documents.
9 July 2021: Your application decision will be published at University Admissions.

Late application

If you missed the deadlines for the second round, you can make a late application after 15 July. Note that the application only will be processed if there are places left and that the application decision will come in the end of August or in the beginning of September. There is a risk that you will miss the first lectures in the first course.

Criteria for evaluation of Bachelor’s thesis

Students that have written a Bachelor’s thesis in a discipline other than Gender Studies will go through an evaluation process to secure the level of knowledge in the field of gender and feminist theory. The evaluation is based on the Bachelor’s thesis, and conducted by the programme co-ordinator. To be up for evaluation the thesis has to be written in Swedish or in English.

The following criteria will be used during the evaluation process:

• The aim of the thesis should be formulated in such a way that the gender relevance is pronounced. Theses with an aim that is explicitly oriented towards a gender theoretical field will have precedence.
   
• The description and application of the study’s theoretical framework has to relate to and make explicit use of relevant gender theory within the field.

Language requirements

Gendering Practices: Master’s Programme is based on courses given in English, hence there are specific language requirements to secure the level of knowledge in English. International students will have to verify their knowledge of English.

The following groups of students meet the language requirements without further evaluation:

• Students with a Bachelor’s degree from a Swedish university
   
• Students with a Bachelor’s degree from a country where higher education is held in English

The following group of students have to verify their knowledge of English:

• Students with a Bachelor’s degree from a country where higher education is held in another language than English

After Graduation

Graduates of the programme receive the degree Master of Arts in Gendering Practices.

You will be prepared for a variety of jobs depending on your chosen strand of studies.

You will also be prepared to apply for doctoral studies in Gender Studies, Social Medicine, Global Studies, History, Comparative Literature, History of Science and Ideas, Art History and Visual Studies, Ethnology, Film Studies and Musicology.