Gender Studies (Research)

Overview

How do gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, dis/ability and/or religion contribute to the formation of social identities? What role do ensuing power differences between these vectors play in our globalised and mediatised world?

The Gender Studies (Research) programme at Utrecht University  combines a thorough grounding in the historiography and contemporary state of Gender Studies as a discipline with intensive training in the critical practice of cultural theories and epistemologies from feminist, postcolonial, critical race, and queer perspectives. 

In a highly interdisciplinary setting and with academic staff and fellow students representing a range of fields in the Humanities and Social Sciences, you will be trained to apply these theories to the analysis of representations of gender in artistic practices, literary texts, political discourses and (new) media and technology. The international and intellectually challenging setting of this programme offers you the opportunity to broaden your horizon and to build an academic and professional network.

Career Prospects

Gender researchers usually work at universities or research institutes, and it is likely that your first step after completing the Master’s programme will consist of PhD research. Those who complete a Reserach Master in Gender Studies are qualified to apply for a postgraduate or doctoral research programme in the field of women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies.

Gender experts can also work at governmental organisations, NGO's, national and international women's organisations, and cultural institutions. There, your critical approach to sociocultural processes will help to set up policies with attention to processes of in- and exclusion. You can also use your analytical skills in the field of (research) journalism, such as in the arts and media sector.

After successfully completing the Research Master in Gender Studies, you will be able to formulate a research proposal for a PhD project in a specialisation within the field of gender. You will have an overview of the position that your own research plan occupies in the context of international research in women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies.

Accreditation

Accredited by the NVAO - Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders.