MA Women's Studies Programme Specification 2023-24

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1	ACADEMIC QUALITY TEAM
2	Programme Specifications 2023-24
3	Revised February 2023
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6	Programme Title			MA Women's Studies
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8	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:			2023		Award type			MA
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10	What level is this qualification?			7		Length of programme			1 year ft; 2 years pt
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12	Mode of study (Full / Part Time)			Full/Part time
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14	Will the programme use standard University semester dates?			Yes		For York Online programmes, will standard dates for such programmes be used?			Semester 1: 18/9/23 - 2/2/24; Semester 2: 5/2/24 - 17/9/24
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16	Awarding institution			University of York		Board of Studies for the programme			Centre for Women's Studies
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18	Lead department			Centre for Women's Studies		Other contributing departments			English & Related Literature; Sociology; Research Centre for Social Sciences
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20	Language of study and assessment			English		Language(s) of assessment			English
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22	Is this a campus-based or online programme?			Campus-based
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24	Partner organisations
25	If there are any partner organisations involved in the delivery of the programme, please outline the nature of their involvement. You may wish to refer to the Policy on Collaborative Provision
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29	Reference points
30	Please state relevant reference points consulted in the design of this programme (for example, relevant documentation setting out PSRB requirements; the University's Frameworks for Programme Design (UG or PGT); QAA Subject Benchmark Statements; QAA Qualifications and Credit Frameworks).
31	The University of York’s Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design UK Quality Code for Higher Education Part A: Setting and Maintaining Academic Standards: Characteristics Statement – Master’s Degree UK Quality Code for Higher Education Part A: Setting and Maintaining Academic Standards: The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies UK Quality Code for Higher Education Part B: Assuring and Enhancing Academic Quality
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34	Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning
35	Will this programme involve any exemptions from the University Policy and Procedures on Credit Transfer and the Recognition of Prior Learning? If so, please specify and give a rationale
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39	Exceptions to Regulations
40	Please detail any exceptions to University Award Regulations and Frameworks that need to be approved (or are already approved) for this programme. This should include any that have been approved for related programmes and should be extended to this programme.
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44	Internal Transfers
45	Please use the boxes below to specify if transfers into / out of the programme from / to other programmes within the University are possible by indicating yes or no and listing any restrictions. These boxes can also be used to highlight any common transfer routes which it would be useful for students to know.
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47		Transfers in:	Transfers into the programme will only be possible from programmes within the Centre for Women's Studies or within the University of York			Transfers out:	Yes
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50	Statement of Purpose
51	Please briefly outline the overall aims of the programme. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
52	The MA in Women’s Studies offers you a unique opportunity to study at one of the world-leading centres for feminist scholarship. Working alongside prominent academics in the fields of, for example, gender and sexuality, masculinity, queer studies, critical race and intersectional feminist studies, trauma and disability studies, activism, digital culture, feminist pedagogy, political violence, terrorism and perpetrator studies, you will explore a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to Women’s and Gender Studies. You will engage in key debates within these areas, developing a critical awareness of the gendered aspects of social, cultural and everyday life, as well as a detailed understanding of the role that cultural production plays in shaping and challenging these. Studying together with students from diverse disciplinary, cultural, national and activist backgrounds, you will be encouraged to engage creatively and critically within and across these differences. You will join a thriving international community, working closely alongside our parent departments of English and Related Literature and Sociology, as well as with other affiliated scholars from across the university. Our innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to challenge your preconceptions, encouraging you to reflect on the wider ethical implications of feminist research, including power relations and the researcher’s own positionality. The programme will foster your understanding of a range of significant issues and developments within feminist theory and practice. The emphasis furthermore on interdisciplinary feminist methodologies and practical research skills will enable you to conduct a substantial piece of independent research, which will further enable you to develop a range of transferable career and analytical skills. The MA in Women’s Studies offers an equally suitable foundation for those wishing to pursue doctoral research, a career/career development in NGOs, women’s organisations, academia, social and other public sector work; and for those who are passionate about the subject and want to explore future options.
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63	If there are additional awards associated with the programme upon which students can register, please specify the Statement of Purpose for that programme. This will be most relevant for PGT programmes with exit awards that are also available as entry points. Use additional rows to include more than one additional award. Do not include years in industry / abroad (for which there are separate boxes).
64	Exit Award Title			Is the exit award also available as an entry point?	Outcomes: what will the student be able to do on exit with this award?			Specify the module diet that the student will need to complete to obtain this exit award
65	PG Certificate in Women’s Studies			Yes (entry & exit)	The Postgraduate Certificate in Women’s Studies is a tailored programme for those with a particular interest in interdisciplinary approaches to Women’s and Gender Studies. On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to: - Interrogate and explain complex issues and debates within Women’s Studies, including the problematics of the concept ‘gender’ and the differences amongst women with regard to categories such as race, ethnicity, class, age, dis/ability, sexuality. - Analyse gendered lives and wider socio-political and cultural issues through the application of interdisciplinary feminist approaches to knowledge, with a nuanced understanding of the intersections between feminist thought and wider social and cultural debates. - Independently locate, manage, synthesise and present complex ideas from multiple sources through the use of digital skills. - Communicate complex arguments cogently and with nuance in written form to a standard expected of professionals and scholars.			As an exit award, students must have passed 60 credits, which would normally include 20 credits from the module ‘Approaching Women’s Studies’ (sem 1) and 20 credits from the module ‘Ways of (Feminist) Knowing’ (sem 2). The certificate gives recognition to students who have demonstrated sophisticated knowledge of feminist theories and the ability to analyse gendered lives through interdisciplinary feminist approaches, as set out in the PLOs. (PG Cert only 1 year ft)
66	PG Diploma Women’s Studies			Yes (entry & exit)	The students must complete the required credits for the respective exit award and meet learning outcomes 1-4 and 6-7 for the PG Dip, or learning outcomes 1-2 and 6-7 for the PG Cert.			The PG Diploma is available as both an entry and exit award. As an exit award, students must have passed 120 credits, which must include 20 credits from each of the four core modules ‘Approaching Women’s Studies’ (sem 1), ‘Introduction to Qualitative Methods and Data Analysis’ (sem 1), ‘Ways of (Feminist) Knowing’ (sem 2), and ‘Feminist Research Methodologies’ (sem 2).
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68	Programme Learning Outcomes
69	What are the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) for the programme? (Normally a minimum of 6, maximum of 8). Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme and represent the outcomes that students progressively develop in the programme and achieve at graduation. PLOs should be worded to follow the stem 'Graduates will be able to...'
70	1	Interrogate and explain complex issues and debates within Women’s Studies, including the problematics of the concept ‘gender’ and the differences amongst women and gender-non-conforming persons with regard to categories such as race, ethnicity, class, age, dis/ability, sexuality.
71	2	Analyse gendered lives and wider socio-political and cultural issues through the application of interdisciplinary feminist approaches to knowledge, with a nuanced understanding of the intersections between feminist thought and wider social and cultural debates.
72	3	Recognise the complexity of power relations and how these inform one’s critical practice by demonstrating reflexive insight into the ethical and political issues inherent in scholarship. (N/A for PG Cert option)
73	4	Apply and demonstrate sophisticated knowledge of interdisciplinary research methods, with a nuanced understanding of their strengths and limitations. (N/A for PG Cert option)
74	5	Plan, design and undertake a substantial independent research project, through the application of appropriate theories and methodologies. (N/A for PG Dip/PG Cert option)
75	6	Independently locate, manage, synthesise and present complex ideas from multiple sources through the use of digital skills.
76	7	Communicate complex arguments cogently and with nuance in written and oral form to a standard expected of professionals and scholars.
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78	Diverse entry routes
79	Detail how you would support students from diverse entry routes to transition into the programme. For example, disciplinary knowledge and conventions of the discipline, language skills, academic and writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity.
80	The Centre for Women’s Studies provides information on studying at and living in York before you arrive for the academic year. We also provide an introductory reading list and advice from former students, both of which help you to prepare for your studies. At the start of the academic year, all students are required to attend a 45-minute IT training session at the Centre. The aim of this session is to ensure that you know how to navigate the IT systems within the University, including the VLE and library and IT resources. Furthermore, all students are asked to complete the Academic Integrity Training course on the VLE before submitting the procedural essay in the middle of semester 1. This ensures that students have basic knowledge of academic requirements in the UK. The Centre also runs workshops to enhance academic writing skills. This enables students to understand and meet the academic requirements at the Centre and in UK academic culture more generally. Members of staff at the Centre are all aware of the support offered by the University and can refer students to the Centre for English Language Teaching, the Writing Centre and the Maths Skills Centre for support.
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87	Inclusion
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89	Please confirm by ticking the box on the right that the design, content and delivery of the programme will support students from all backgrounds to succeed. This refers to the University's duties under the Equality Act 2010. You may wish to refer to the optional Inclusive Learning self-assessment tools to support reflection on this issue.
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91	Employability
92	Please give a brief overview - no more than 5 sentences - of how the programmes helps develop students' employability. Your Faculty Employability Manager can help reflection on this issue. This statement will be used by Marketing as the basis for external content with respect to employability.
93	The programme enhances students’ critical thinking and research skills, fosters the ability to communicate complex ideas with nuance and awareness of difference and diversity and helps students to develop as independent researchers who are able to successfully carry out substantial research projects. These skills are crucial for students who want to pursue a research degree after the programme – and many of our students do – or work in international or national organisations that engage with issues around, for instance, human rights, politics and welfare support. The learning outcomes on digital literacy and the communication of ideas are more ‘general’ skills that are transferable to all careers. Every year, the Centre for Women’s Studies organises workshops and talks – as part of the Feminist Research and Careers Skills (FRACS) events – inviting our alumni to share their experience and careers after Women’s Studies. These events make explicit the skills – and their usefulness – that the programme can help you to develop, enabling you to reflect on possible careers that you might pursue after the programme. In addition, you can get involved in the running of FRACS events to gain experience in teamwork, project management and event planning.
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