Sex and Gender

This unit introduces students to the discipline of Gender Studies. Gender Studies is an independent scholarly discipline that intersects with other humanities and sociology disciplines, such as, anthropology, literary studies, cultural studies, film studies, politics, history, psychology and philosophy. Students will consider the complex notions of sex and gender, sexualities and gendered subjectivities. Gender is introduced as a socially constructed category and the ways in which this construction impacts on our everyday lives. This unit examines the complex array of processes at work which produce specific types of gendered subjects. The unit challenges traditional gender binaries, gender stereotypes and questions conventional beliefs about sex and gender.