Gender Studies (research)

• 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? 

• How have feminist theorists rethought dominant understandings of subjectivity?

• How does geo-political context shape the conditions for films, literature and artistic production to appear?

• How can established power relations be transformed by feminist thinking in view of a more inclusive society?

In the two-year research MA in Gender Studies, you will approach a myriad of questions related to gender and other social categories through an intersectional approach.

Critical practice of cultural theories and epistemologies

The programme 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. 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. During the courses and seminars, you will learn about subjectivity, representation and power dynamics from feminist and queer epistemological, political, and ethical perspectives. 

Why this programme in Utrecht?

Transdisciplinary and intersectional approach

The strength of this research-based MA programme in Gender Studies is its transdisciplinary and intersectional approach, which is represented in the wide range of research expertise of both the academic staff and students, as well as in the curriculum itself. The programme starts from an intersectional understanding of gender as a perpetually emerging factor in the structuring of society and culture, closely interacting with other social categories, and it sees ‘gender’ as an individual, institutional, and symbolic ordering principle that impacts people’s everyday lives.

International reputation

Utrecht University’s research MA in Gender Studies is one of Europe’s most successful interdisciplinary teaching and research programmes in Gender Studies. You will benefit from engaging in a challenging and international setting that offers multiple avenues of investigation into complex social phenomena. The programme is closely affiliated with academics and institutions both within and outside Europe and offers an internationally recognised degree. Our lecturers are internationally recognised as experts in their fields. 

After graduation

After completing the research Master in Gender Studies you are qualified to apply for a postgraduate or doctoral research programme in the field of women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies. Furthermore, gender experts can also work at governmental organisations, NGO's, national and international women's organisations, and cultural institutions.