The aims of this module are to provide students with a solid understanding of both the theoretical perspectives and concepts that have underpinned the field of gender and development; and to enable students to understand the link between gender and key debates within development studies such as poverty, violence, religion and the role of men in gender and development. The module begins by exploring the various approaches to theorising gender and development, as they have evolved in recent decades. It then introduces and explains a range of key concepts as the foundations of gender analysis. The second part of the module applies these concepts in examining a selection of important and policy relevant debates: the nature of the household and kinship, gender roles, power and empowerment, poverty, violence, masculinities, religion and the gendered nature of institutions. The module builds the foundation for the more applied units which follow, and whilst it touches on policy implications as they arise, it does not focus on gender policy as such.