Gender Studies

In this program you’ll look at how gender shapes people's lives. You’ll explore:

Indigenous and racialized identities
class
sexuality
age
ability
geographical location

Potential careers

What can you do with a gender studies degree? Here are a few jobs that relate to the program:

community outreach worker
equity, diversity and inclusion specialist
librarian
archivist
cultural programs coordinator
international development officer
program or education coordinator
volunteer coordinator
social media manager
human resources coordinator
legal professional
counsellor
midwife
student services
teacher or instructor
entrepreneur

Some of these roles may require post-graduate studies or training.

Find a career that fits you

Explore your career options at an appointment with a career educator.
Attend career development workshops as you search for work.
Take part in the Career Clarity program to generate career ideas and plan your next steps.

Experience & connections

Opportunities in the gender studies program

With the Co-op Program you can alternate study with paid work.

Opportunities outside your program

With a work study position you can develop skills during your study term.
Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while you build skills.

Networks you can connect to

Here are a few professional associations related to gender studies:

Hands-on learning opportunities

These courses in the gender studies program offer extensive hands-on learning.

Co-op

Co-op work terms
Alternate academic study with paid work terms to gain workplace experience

Course-based

GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
Reflect on your own position of privilege and lack thereof in an essay, write a report on a social justice issue or produce a creative work

GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
(involves engagement with Indigenous communities)
Engage with Indigenous guest speakers

GNDR 207 - Gender, Globalization and the Love Industry
Collaborative Research Blogs

GNDR 300 - Gender Studies Seminar
Engage with guest lecturers; gain work-search, funding, portfolio and website building skills.

GNDR 306 - Gender and International Development
Learn to apply for funding from NGOs and implement a gender and development project

GNDR 332 - What's Race Got To Do With It?
Create anti-racist fact sheets which are uploaded to a website

GNDR 340 - Indigenous Cinema Decolonizing the Screen
(involves engagement with Indigenous communities)
Engage with filmmakers and Indigenous guest speakers

GNDR 341 - Indigenous Womxn's Autobiographies
(involves engagement with Indigenous communities)
Engage with Indigenous guest speakers

GNDR 400A - Critical Research Practices
Interview a person involved in social justice

Creative or design project

GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
Produce a creative project

Field experience

GNDR 202 - Globalization and Resistance
Undertake an act of resistance through a globalization action assignment

GNDR 320 - Queer Desire
Take part in a queer activist group project

GNDR 332 - What's Race Got to Do With It?
Go into the community (airport, library, etc.) to study racism in daily life

Field placement

GNDR 450 - Practising Feminism in the Field
(involves engagement with Indigenous communities)
Gain experience working with a community organization (100 hours)

Professional and technical skill development

GNDR 300 - Gender Studies Seminar
Engage in various forms of professional development work

GNDR 305 - Gender and International Human Rights
Develop practical writing skills preparing policy notes and briefs

Research project

GNDR 306 - Gender and International Development
Prepare a grant proposal for a community group

GNDR 325 - North American Asian Feminist Thought and Action
Develop a small group project on Asian-Canadian feminist resistance

GNDR 335 - Border Crossing, Migration and Gender
Do a group research project and present results on a blog

GNDR 400B - Research Seminar for Independent Project
Do an independent research project (may involve the community)

GNDR 499 - Honours Graduating Essay
Research, write and orally defend a graduating honours essay

Work experience

Work experience work terms
Take part in a modified co-op program requiring one or two work experiences

These courses are not always offered as described.

What you'll learn

Every student at UVic builds skills all employers look for. At UVic Co-op & Career we call these "competencies". This is what you’ll learn in the gender studies program.

Theory

explore feminist theories and activism as they pertain to women, trans and non-binary people’s lives
consider the role of colonization, capitalism and neo-liberalism and resulting climate change in shaping social structures and lived experience
understand the importance of intersectionality as theorized by women of colour
use diverse feminist theory to analyze historical and contemporary social structures
use feminist theory to analyze power relations, development of ideas and varieties of cultural production
understand historical and philosophical influences on and debates within feminism and queer and trans theory
examine debates on experience, knowledge and power within feminist theory and political strategy
understand how decolonial, anti-racist feminist activism has empowered individuals to fight for social justice
analyze western feminism by placing it within a global and historical context
examine the emerging field of transnational feminist thought

Dynamics of power, identity and difference

examine the complex ways power affect women and trans and non-binary people’s lives
understand the socially constructed meanings of and intersections among gender, race, class, sexual orientation, age, ability, citizenship and national identity
analyze how feminists have challenged the definitions of rights throughout history
examine diverse spaces of human experience including popular culture, language and work
explore the complex and often problematic relationship between women, race and colonization
explore feminist and non-feminist theories of race, racism and racialization in relation to other structured social inequality
examine key assumptions underlying feminism and feminist anti-racist discourses

Political, economic and cultural perspective

understand how global interdependence in political, economic and cultural areas affect women’s lived experiences
examine the evolution of feminist responses to and critiques of mainstream development policies and theories of international development
analyze western feminism by placing it within a global and historical context
understand the connections between the local and global as well as theory, practice and social justice
understand how the social construction of gender has influenced ideas of nation
examine the historical relationship between women and regulatory practices of the state and the criminal justice system
explore how women’s resistances to regulatory practices were shaped by gender, class, race, ethnicity and sexuality
explore women’s challenges to economic restructuring, poverty, militarization and human rights abuses
explore the rise of masculinized ideas of national sovereignty
examine how international human rights theories, organizations, laws, and practice are gendered, racialized, sexualized and class based, and how they affect freedom, equality and dignity in the international system
explore theories and practices of representation in cultural production
understand human experience across time, place and culture
appreciate cross-cultural differences

Community engagement

help build communities through active engagement in community-based groups and projects
work to bring about positive social and political change
work with community-based groups and organizations including advocacy groups, human rights groups, environmental organizations, health care providers and social service organizations
advocate on behalf of individuals and communities
facilitate group process and take a leadership role
write grants to generate funding for community-based organizations and projects
research, document and archive the stories, histories and artifacts of individuals and communities
use wikis, blogs and film-making

What's next?

To explore more visit the gender studies site. For degree planning contact your adviser for help.