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Undergraduate Gender Studies

Undergraduate Inquiries

Associate Professor Maryanne Dever
Tel. 9905 3259
Room W10.20 Menzies Building
Clayton Campus

maryanne.dever@arts.monash.edu.au

Welcome to the Centre for Women's Studies and Gender Research at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. The Centre was established in 1987 and is based in the School of Political and Social Inquiry in the Faculty of Arts at Monash University's Clayton Campus.

The purpose of the Centre is to offer units in both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, to encourage and supervise graduate research, and to foster an active research environment through seminars, workshops and funded research projects. The Centre provides a formal and informal focus for those interested in gender issues and feminism across the university. For information about Staff research interests, please visit our staff website:

Women's Studies and Gender Studies are comparatively new branches of academic study. Not so long ago, issues such as gender, sexuality, and the relationship between the sexes were not systematically theorized, researched or taught. Today, however, there is such a large body of feminist knowledge and theory on these topics that it cannot be adequately covered within traditional disciplines. Instead, it forms part of a specialised interdisciplinary field called Women's Studies and/or Gender Studies that brings innovative theory and research techniques to the study of women's lives, their status in society, men and masculinity, and the dilemmas and contradictions in gender relations and sexualities. The interdisciplinary nature of Women's Studies and Gender Studies scholarship is an important feature of its success and promise. Today, these fields of study have their own texts, journals and methodologies and some of the most innovative, scholarly work in feminist theory and gender research is being done by Women's Studies and Gender Studies scholars internationally.

The teaching, research and outreach activities of the Centre are all informed by the belief that all social processes are 'gendered', and that understanding gender relations is therefore a crucial component in any teaching and research.

The undergraduate program is designed to introduce students to a variety of feminist models of analysis and to assist them in developing a range of methodological skills. The Centre also fosters the development of transferable professional and personal skills among its students and its units actively engage with a range of innovative feminist pedagogies. Units offered by the Centre's staff are complemented by a wide range of electives offered by staff throughout the faculty.

Note regarding the 2008 title change from Women's Studies to Gender Studies for undergraduate study

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