MA Gender Analysis in Global Development

Key details

MA GENDER ANALYSIS IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Start Year

2023

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Master of Arts

Duration (years)

There’s never been a better time to study gender identities and how important they are to international development policies and outcomes. You’ll learn how to use important concepts in gender analysis of development for understanding key problems of social justice, poverty and inequality through a gender lens.

You’ll also tackle gendered approaches to social and human development such as capabilities, social exclusion, human rights, violence, religion and identities, and you will engage with gender and development policies and practices.

We offer a broad training that integrates theory and development policy experience, which is both sectoral (for example, education, land and property, credit and finance, rural livelihoods, sustainable development, environment and conservation) and cross-cutting (such as migration, and masculinities in development). Your optional modules allow you to customise your course towards a focus on particular issues (eg conflict or climate change) or on acquiring skills, or research methods.

You’ll graduate ready to make your impact on the world of international development through taking the first step in your career or moving on to PhD study.

Please note we are changing our name to the School of Global Development from 1 August 2023, as we mark our 50th Anniversary.

About

This Master’s degree has been taught in the School since 1990. It was born from a need for people with an advanced social science expertise in gender analysis to contribute to development policy formulation, practical development activities and development education and research. The intervening years have certainly shown this to be the case – our graduates have gone on to work with the World Bank, UK DFID, Oxfam and as academics.

You’ll study both the theory and practice of gender in development. This will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to work in an advisory capacity for organisations concerned with integrating gender awareness into their programmes and policies.

The course also emphasises skills in research techniques and methods that are essential not only for further academic research but also in practical development work and policy formulation, such as gender planning and gender policy approaches, including gender mainstreaming.

The School of International Development at UEA (changing to Global Development from 1 August 2023) is a globally renowned department for teaching, research and consultancy on international development.

You’ll benefit from small class sizes, a friendly, open learning environment and added extras such as our series of regular seminars on 'Working in Development', with guest speakers from development agencies.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll be assessed using a variety of methods, including presentations, essays, tests and a dissertation or placement report. Assessment methods will differ depending on the optional modules you choose.

You’ll receive feedback on your arguments and ideas during seminars, which helps you develop skills in articulating an argument orally, and you will be encouraged to prepare essay plans or outlines in advance of essay deadlines, and receive oral and/or written feedback on plans in advance of your deadline for the main coursework assignment.

If you have additional needs due to disabilities such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties such as dyslexia, please talk to our Student Support Services about how we can help.

Structure

Our Master’s courses require students to undertake 180 credits:

Compulsory and optional modules (120 credits)

Either a Dissertation or a Development Work Placement (both 60 credits)

Your compulsory modules are Gender Perspectives in Global Development (GPGD), in the autumn semester) and Gender Diversity and Social Development (GDSD) in the spring semester. The aim of GPGD is to provide you with a solid grounding in the concepts in the framework of gender analysis of development, as well as to enable you to understand the link between gender and key debates within development studies such as poverty, violence, religion and environmental change.

The module introduces and explains the range of ideas, debates and tools, which are the foundations of gender analysis, within a discussion of key issues in gender analysis of development. These include feminisms, the nature of the household and kinship, power and empowerment, and economic development. It stands alone as a foundation for gender analysis of development, but it also builds the necessary basis for the more applied units, which follow in the spring semester, and for dissertations based on gender topics.

Your second compulsory module, Gender Diversity and Social Development, has a more policy and practice focus which equips you with the knowledge and skills to understand and explore relations between social policies and practice, and key actors in addressing various forms of difference and diversity, with a particular, but not exclusive, focus on gender.

You’ll develop the analytical and conceptual skills needed to critically assess social policies (including gender) and social development at international, national and institutional levels. These skills will also help you consider a range of intersecting inequalities (for example, disability, migrant status) with reference to addressing social exclusion and deficit modes of development. The module has both theoretical and more practical components, and you’ll have the opportunity to work on your own projects through linked seminar sessions.

You have a wonderful, large, range of optional modules available to you (eg in media, development practice, education, rural development, climate change, conflict, economic development), allowing you to pursue particular interests and training strategies. These are all taught in-house, by established scholars in their fields, and your Course Director will help you choose a package of modules to fit your previous training and future needs.

Finally, the dissertation enables you to pursue a topic of special interest to you in greater depth, to develop specific research skills, such as primary data collection where circumstances allow, or secondary data analysis and desk studies. You will also be offered a number of short ‘professional skills’ courses in the semester breaks which give you further employability strengthening competencies for your CV.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching

In the School of International Development (Global Development from 1 August 2023) , we excel at sharing our enthusiasm and subject knowledge in the classroom with our amazing and diverse postgraduate students from over 40 countries. Alongside this, we have also been building extensive capabilities in the use of technology for online teaching. Teaching is conducted through lectures and seminars, and we have developed methods which sustain our interactive approaches in on-line teaching. We use close reading sessions to explore seminal literature, student-led seminars for group based, in-depth teaching, and video discussions to vary our learning experiences and source material. Through seminar work and presentations, you’ll be able to develop transferable skills such as articulating an argument both orally and presenting academic information in a clear and cogent manner.

Independent study

You’ll read suggested academic articles and books, submitting assignments as specified for each module. Your independent study gives you the chance to prepare for in-class sessions and assignments, to concentrate on the areas that interest you the most, and develop your ability to learn and apply knowledge independently.

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Assessment for Year 1

If you have additional needs due to disabilities such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties such as dyslexia, please talk to our Student Support Services about how we can help.

Compulsory Modules

GENDER PERSPECTIVES IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7060A

Credits 20

The aim of this unit is to provide you with a solid grounding in gender analysis of development, and to enable you 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 introduces and explains the range of ideas, debates and tools, which are the foundations of gender analysis, within a discussion of key issues in gender analysis of development: the nature of the household and kinship, gender roles, power and empowerment, and environmental change. The unit stands alone as a foundation for gender analysis of development, it also builds the necessary basis for the more applied units which follow in the spring semester, and for dissertations based on gender topics. If you are writing your dissertation on a gender topic you will need to have completed this module.

Optional B Modules

(40 credits)

INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7002A

Credits 20

The aim of the module is for you to gain an understanding of current debates on the principles and theories linking education to development in a range of social contexts. The module will introduce you to theories of education and development including international and comparative education. These are examined in relation to the broader challenges of development. Topics in the module may include: theories of human development and capabilities, human capital and rights based approaches, theories of equity, social justice and inclusive education. You will examine schooling in contexts of chronic poverty, models of schooling and de-schooling, formal and non-formal education, the challenges of linguistic and cultural diversity, inclusive education and disability, gender inequalities, and the education of nomads and other migratory groups.

RESEARCH TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS

Code DEV-7005A

Credits 20

The course lectures and seminars will include the following topics: • Development research & research ethics • Research design and method; sampling, questionnaire design, interviews • The role of qualitative methods in quantitative research and mixed methods • Participatory and action research • Design and implementation of household surveys on various topics, e.g. income, consumption, employment, health, nutrition, education, etc. Basic data processing and statistical analysis and presentation are shown based on tools such as Excel, SPSS and STATA.

RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND AGRARIAN CHANGE

Code DEV-7020A

Credits 20

Poverty and hunger remain key developmental challenges, driving poor health and ill-being on the one hand and conflict and violence on the other. This is the central question addressed by this module. In this module, you will explore different approaches to understanding rural livelihoods. You will be equipped with the tools and frameworks to critically assess different strategies for livelihoods-building and their implications for poverty and inequality, including those of class and gender, at the micro-level. Starting with an understanding of key concepts of poverty, food security, gender, capabilities, capitals and entitlements, you will apply these to a host of contexts and programmes through seminar discussions. This will enable a deeper understanding of the interconnections between the wider policy context, the social structure that shapes entitlements, the assets available to groups and individuals and their livelihood strategies. You will also explore the links between the rural and urban, and the changes over time. You will have an opportunity to experience some of the dilemmas confronting the rural poor through an experiential game.

SOCIAL ANALYSIS FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7061A

Credits 20

Effective social development and policy are based on sound conceptual foundations, and this module focuses on the conceptual tools that underpin policy relevant social analysis. You will develop skills to analyse social contexts which influence interventions and social change (‘development’), using concepts from sociology, anthropology and political analysis. There is an old development adage that ‘if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you give him a fishing rod you feed him for a lifetime’. Think about social theory and concepts as a fishing rod! The module is about social concepts and theory, but we always apply these concepts to practical social development issues and interventions. You will apply your knowledge and understanding of social concepts to important global development issues, for example (and these can vary each year) the social analysis of HIV, the social analysis of poverty & micro-credit interventions, or the social analysis of conflict and peace.

Optional C Modules

(40 credits)

CONTEMPORARY WORLD DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7000B

Credits 20

The objective of Contemporary World Development is to examine key debates around development objectives, processes and agencies. While issues discussed here are of contemporary significance, references will be made to the historical contexts in which these debates have arisen. Concerns central to development policy making will be reviewed through theoretically grounded critical perspectives. Topics covered include the Millennium Development Goals, donors and aid politics, state and NGOs, and poverty.

EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PRACTICE FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7011B

Credits 20

The aim of this module is to help you understand and critically examine, policy-making processes and specific policies for educational development. You will discover the relationships between policy and practice in a range of international, national and local development contexts. Through this module you will explore different approaches to policy development and familiarise yourself with dominant global policy agendas in education - asking who makes or influences policy, and considering policies as socially situated documents, practices and processes. The module introduces you to educational policy-making to address a range of development challenges and how related strategies are enacted in practice; drawing on policy theory and ethnographic and school-based research, as well as practical sessions to critique policy-related writing, examine models of educational quality and curricula, and explore issues of school-related gender based violence.

CONFLICT, CIVIL WARS AND PEACE

Code DEV-7015B

Credits 20

The number of violent intrastate conflicts has outweighed the number of violent interstate conflicts for more than five decades. Yet it was only with the end of the Cold War that academics and policy-makers started paying more attention to the possible causes and consequences of large-scale intrastate violence. Today, questions of effective conflict management, especially of large-scale civil wars, are among the top priorities of international development agencies. The aim of the Conflict, Civil Wars and Peace module is to critically assess the possible causes and consequences of violent intrastate conflicts as well as their implications for the wider development agenda. Key topics to be discussed in the module include causes, dynamics and consequences of different types of violent conflict, strategies and causes of terrorism, the role of gender during and after violent intrastate conflicts, the (contested) relationship(s) between natural resource wealth and civil wars, institutional approaches to conflict management, the rationale and possible effects of third-party intervention in civil wars, and post-conflict reconstruction efforts, including state- and peace-building as well as transitional justice. Throughout the module, you will be expected to assess the strengths and limitations of central concepts and theories from the academic debate by applying them to relevant empirical evidence, such as the role of gender during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 or the performance of Bosnia and Herzegovina's post-civil war power-sharing arrangement.

MEDIA AND DEVELOPMENT IN PRACTICE

Code DEV-7039B

Credits 20

You will be working in the university and in the local community to design, implement and evaluate your own ‘live’ media and development project. The aim of this module is not only to provide you with the opportunity to gain experience of media and development in practice but also to provide the opportunity to reflect on that experience. Past projects have involved content production, audience research, social media strategy, project design and capacity building. This module is not taught through conventional lectures and seminars. Instead, there are opportunities to talk, listen and reflect on our work and the issues and processes encountered. An important element of this process is peer review.

PROJECT DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

Code DEV-7058B

Credits 20

This module will provide the environment for the student to gain a strong practical and grounding in the key tools and analytical techniques needed for the design and management of development projects. It does this by providing an intensive introduction to a number of key development tools, from the analysis of evidence and context to the design of a theory of change and results framework that reacts to complexity, to the design of the appropriate monitoring, evaluation and learning architecture, to the proper resourcing. Students are supported to engage with worked examples of these tools themselves and will be assessed through their preparation of a fully-developed project proposal that they will prepare in a team. The module also encourages student to think critically about development projects, the role that they play – and their own roles in the sector.

Optional A Modules

(60 credits)

DISSERTATION

Code DEV-7056X

Credits 60

Production of a short (8000-12000 words) dissertation on an approved topic.

DEVELOPMENT WORK PLACEMENT

Code DEV-7057X

Credits 60

This module gives you an opportunity to identify, apply for and do an internship or work placement, worth 60 credits, as an integral part of your Masters programme. You would take this module in the summer semester as an alternative to the Dissertation module, and it is open to most MA /MSc programmes. The placements are for a period of 8-10 weeks between May and, preferably, the end of July. In recent years, students have done placements across a range of United Nations institutions, in specialist consultancy and research Organisations, and non-governmental organisations both in the UK and across the world. You are responsible for finding a suitable placement but will be given a range of support from International Development which includes giving the students access to the International Development internship host data base compiled over nearly a decade; advice on identifying appropriate placements; advice on CV design, fund-raising (where necessary), health and safety, ethical considerations etc.; facilitate communication between student and potential host, in some cases acting as a mediator. Whilst we cannot guarantee a placement we are confident that most students who take this module and apply themselves to identifying an internship, will be successful. The module is assessed by the production of an Analytical Report based on the internship which allows you to reflect both on the content of the placement, and the personal expense of undertaking this work.

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Open Days

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.

Entry Requirements

Degree classification

UK 2.1 or equivalent

Degree subject

Social Science

Additional entry requirements

Applicants should normally have a good undergraduate degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.

If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study one of the International Graduate Diploma programmes offered by our partner INTO UEA. These programmes guarantee progression to selected masters degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details please click here:

International Graduate Diploma in International Development

Students for whom english is a foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in only two components with 6.0 in the others)
PTE (Pearson): 64 (minimum 59 in two components only with 64 in the other two)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests

INTO University of East Anglia

International Graduate Diploma in International Development

INTO UEA also run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk