Master Thesis in Gender Studies, 15 credits

Main field of study

Course level

Advancement level

Course offered for

• Master´s Programme in Gender Studies - Intersectionality and Change

Intended learning outcomes

Through completion of the master thesis, the student should, on an advanced level within the field of Gender Studies – Intersectionality and Change, be able to:
- critically and independently define a relevant research problem, and anae it in a scholarly way, based on a well-argued project design, including reflections on choice of theoretical frameworks, methodological tools, ethical approaches, empirical materials and methods for collecting them;
- account for a broad overview as well as an in-depth knowledge of the sub-field within which the master’s project is defined;
- argue, in a relevant scholarly way, for the possibilities and limitations of their research project and relate the arguments to the more overarching role of research in society and to discussions of individual responsibilities for how it is used;
- position themselves in relation to the research questions of the thesis in a relevant and self-reflexive way;
- identify their personal needs for further knowledge and take responsibility for their ongoing learning processes;
- produce a coherent and independently written documentation of the research (one year master thesis) in a style and genre which documents academic accountability and competence, including the appropriate use of scholarly citations, references and sources.

Course content

The course contains:
- tools for critically and independently defining a relevant research problem in the field and for analysing it in a scholarly way, based on a well-argued project design, including reflections on choice of theoretical frameworks, methodological tools, ethical approaches, empirical materials and methods for collecting them;
- tools for ensuring that the master research is anchored within a broad overview as well as an in-depth knowledge of the sub-field within which it is defined;
- tools for articulating relevant scholarly arguments for the possibilities and limitations of the chosen master research project and for relating the arguments to the more overarching role of research in society and to discussions of individual responsibilities for how it is used;
- tools for positioning oneself in a relevant self-reflexive way in relation to the research questions of the thesis;
- tools for identifying personal needs for further knowledge and for taking responsibility for ones own ongoing learning processes;
- tools for producing a coherent and autonomously written documentation of the research (one year master thesis) in a style and genre which documents academic accountability and competence, including the appropriate use of scholarly citations, references and sources.

Teaching and working methods

- The student’s work on the master thesis is supervised online by a teacher (senior researcher and teaching staff from the Unit of Gender Studies or equivalent).
- The students choose the topic of the master thesis within the framework of the field of Gender Studies – Intersectionality and Change. Choice of topic, project design and the writing of the thesis are carried out in online dialogue with the supervisor(s). In addition to individual online supervision sessions with the supervisor(s), joint online feed-back sessions are also organized. The individual as well as the group supervision sessions support the students’ independent learning process. They also learn to act as critical discussants (peer reviewers) in relation to each other’s projects.

Examination

The thesis is submitted online and examined and evaluated in a seminar which is held face-to-face on campus. The seminar is chaired by a senior member of the research and teaching staff of the Unit of Gender Studies (examiner), and includes a peer-review procedure, where students comment and evaluate the work of one another.
Detailed information about the examination can be found in the study guide and the key information document.
Students failing an exam covering either the entire course or part of the course twice are entitled to have a new examiner appointed for reexamination. Students who have passed an examination may not retake it in order to improve their grades.

Grades

Other information

Planning and implementation of a course must take its starting point in the wording of the syllabus. The course evaluation included in each course must therefore take up the question how well the course agrees with the syllabus. 

The course is carried out in such a way that both men´s and women´s experience and knowledge is made visible and developed.

Department