Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE GDS5002

 
TITLE Research Methods in Gender Studies

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL Not Applicable

 
ECTS CREDITS 15

 
DEPARTMENT Gender Studies

 
DESCRIPTION The Gender Studies Research Methods study unit will examine approaches to research and research methodologies used to study issues related to intersectionality, gender, race, disability, LGBTI, and postcolonial issues among others. The study unit starts by giving a short historical overview of the various methods used to study women and gender.

It will consequently move on to explore various research methods such as ethnography, interviewing techniques, focus groups, oral history, textual analysis, and narrative. Students will be shown how these can be applied in gender studies. They will also be shown how secondary data can be analysed from a gender perspective.

Students will also be made aware of the substantive, ethical and political implications involved when it comes to conduct research in gender studies. The final objective of this study unit is to help students become familiar with the various tools and approaches they can utilize when it comes to writing their dissertation and/or other research projects.

Study-unit Aims:

- To provide students with an overview of feminist and other research methods and key issues involved in research. To provide students with a framework for thinking about methods of research from a gender perspective;
- To familiarize students with a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods including interviewing, oral history, ethnography, textual analysis, narrative, etc.;
- To show students how they can apply these in their own research projects and discipline. Students will be helped develop a research project, from research question to research proposal;
- To provide students with hands-on experiences with research;
- To provide students with knowledge and skills to engage actively with issues related to gender studies such as ethics, the politics of representation and identity.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be:
- Able to identify different methodologies and methods involved in gender studies and know when these methods can be applied, and with what objective;
- Conversant with the ethical and political issues concerned when conducting research;
- Able to design and write a research proposal;
- Able to present this proposal in class.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- demonstrate familiarity with the key concerns in conducting gender studies research;
- demonstrate familiarity with and analytically assess the work and issues raised by feminist thinkers as well as exponents in intersectionality, gender, disability, queer, race and postcolonial studies;
- demonstrate competence during the workshops in the use of the internet and electronic databases in research, desigining and conducting interviews;
- demonstrate that they can apply one or more of the methods they learnt about;
- design a research proiect and be able to present it.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Shulamit Reinharz and Lynn Davidman (1997) Feminist Methods in Social Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- S.N. Hesse-Biber (Ed.) (2012). Handbook of Feminist Research. Theory and Praxis. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.
- S.N. Hesse-Biber (2014). Feminist Research Practice. A primer. London: Sage Publications, Ltd.
- W.L. Neuman ( 2006). Social Research Methods. Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Boston: Pearson International Edition.
- M. Andrews, C. Squire, (M. Tamboukou 2013). Doing Narrative Research. London: Sage Publications.
- Truman, C, Mertens, DM & Humphries, B 2000, Research and inequality. UCL Press, London.
- Bagele, C, (2012) Indigenous Research Methodologies, Sage: London.
- Reading pack.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Fieldwork, Independent Study & Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Essay See note below Yes 40%
Assignment See note below Yes 60%
Note: Assessment due will vary according to the study-unit availability.

 
LECTURER/S Jean-Paul Baldacchino
Jamie Bonnici
Angele Deguara
Andreana Dibben
Anne Marie Mangion
Brenda Murphy
Marceline Naudi
Gisella Orsini (Co-ord.)
Roberta Scerri
Rachael Scicluna

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit