Module HEAS44330: Gender, Sex, Health and Politics

Department: Health [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

HEAS44330: Gender, Sex, Health and Politics

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce students to theoretical approaches in gender and sexualities studies
• To engage students with social, cultural and historical characteristic responses to sexualities, sexual health and politics
• To promote an understanding of the historicity and political context of concepts of gender, sexualities and sexual health
• To identify changes and continuities in sexual knowledge and practices related to sexual health and sexualities
• To engage students with current issues of sexual health and sexualities in different social, political and cultural contexts and to promote understanding of how gender and sexuality inform and are relevant to those contexts, associated policy responses and health outcomes.

Content

• Key issues of gender, sexualities, sexual health and politics from the past to the present. An introductory session will introduce students to the main theoretical approaches and concepts in gender and sexualities studies. The following sessions will involve discussion of exemplary issues of gender, sexualities and sexual health, covering the themes of gender identities, sexual behaviours, sexual moralities and policies relevant to these.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students should have:
• A critical understanding of topics related to gender, sexualities, sexual health and politics in specific cultural contexts and historical periods up to the present;
• A familarity with key writings on sexualities and sexual health
• Understanding of how these intersect with policies on sexualities and sexual health.

• By the end of the module students should be able to:
• Evaluate different social, cultural and historical interpretations of key developments of sexualities and sexual health
• Demonstrate critical skills in interpretation of historical sources as well as contemporary material related to gender, sexualities, sexual health and politics
• Present their research on a selected topic about gender, sexualities, sexual politics, and/or sexual health in form of a poster using both illustrations and short texts
• Provide a brief, accurate and engaging oral summary of their research
• Write a critical and well-informed essay on a selected topic about gender, sexualities, sexual health and politics.

• The ability to think critically and creatively and to argue coherently
• The capacity for sustained interprofessional learning and work at an advanced level
• The ability to think independently, including problem-solving ability and the ability to discriminate and use judgement
• The ability to communicate effectively across specialised subject and professional areas.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Seminars include a short introduction to the topic by the lecturer; students’ interpretation of selected historical and contemporary sources; students’ short presentations of key primary and/or secondary literature; and joint critical discussion of pre-read research publications (partly in group work).
• Structured reading will allow students to pursue topics in greater detail enabling both familiarity with key texts and a deeper understanding of the subject knowledge generally.
• Poster presentations allow students to learn from each other in understanding how to design and present information succinctly and engagingly in a poster format.
• Independent study, research and analysis will focus students' knowledge more deeply by pursuing aspects of the module that are of special interest to themselves.
• Assessment of students’ posters and oral presentations will test their ability to present their critical knowledge and understanding of key arguments and concepts in a visually appealing creative and focused form, to formulate a clear relevant research question, to contextualise their research in the wider social, cultural and historical context, and to communicate this verbally in a given time frame to the peer-group and lecturers in an accurate, direct and concise manner.
• Essay assessment will test students' critical knowledge and understanding of key concepts, their ability to argue coherently and communicate effectively in writing, and to reflectively assess their proficiency in thinking through how the various social, cultural and historical perspectives on gender, sexualities, sexual health, politics and/or policies are represented in the literature.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment consists of a classroom presentation and a 2,500 word essay on a separate topic to the poster. This then forms the basis of the summative essay.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University