Graduate Research in Gender, Sexuality and Culture - Overview

Graduate Research in Gender, Sexuality and Culture offers the opportunity to undertake interdisciplinary and innovative research leading to either a PhD or MPhil degree. We are a compact but active field with two main campus locations: the School of Humanities in the Faculty of Arts and the Gender Relations Centre in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. However, supervisors and advisors can also be drawn from the large number of scholars working on gender, sexuality and culture across the ANU. We have strengths in feminist theory, feminist anthropology, feminist history, literary, critical and cultural studies, gender and development and international studies. More specific areas of expertise include trauma studies; feminist and cultural studies of medicine, health and embodiment; law, literature and popular culture; feminist international relations; nationalism, maternity and sexuality; gender, migration and globalisation; gender, cinema and visual culture. Because staff and students in Gender Studies are drawn from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, our students are exposed to different approaches to the study of gender.

A regular seminar series to which staff, students and visitors contribute is an important part of Gender, Sexuality and Culture intellectual life.

CAREERS

Our graduates have gone on to rewarding careers in a wide range of areas. As well as academic positions, they are employed in fields such as government policy development and research, development consultancies, archival management, arts administration, the media, journalism and community and social work.

THE DEGREES

The degrees of MPhil (Master by research) and PhD are awarded for the completion of a thesis based on original and scholarly research. There is no prescribed coursework. The MPhil in Graduate Research in Gender, Sexuality and Culture is a two-year degree, requiring a thesis of 60,000 - 80,000 words. The PhD in Graduate Research in Gender, Sexuality and Culture is a three-year degree, requiring a thesis of 80,000 to 100,000 words. These degrees may also be undertaken part-time.

SUPERVISION AND STRUCTURE

A distinctive feature of graduate study at ANU is the supervisory panel, which ensures that students benefit from expertise specifically tailored to their research project. As well as a primary supervisor, who must be a full time member of ANU's academic staff, students have between two and four advisers on their panel, who can be from any area of the university or, if appropriate, from outside the ANU or even from overseas. As a graduate student in Graduate Research in Gender, Sexuality and Culture you are therefore guaranteed access to a wide range of academic advice and guidance.

Graduate students choose and pursue their own topics, in consultation with their supervisors. They are expected to work independently, with self-discipline and self-direction, however both formal and informal mechanisms are in place to provide intellectual and professional guidance, including a system of Annual Plans and Annual Reports, and a Thesis Proposal Review for commencing students during the first year of candidature. These provide an opportunity to assess the student's progress and the effectiveness of their supervision, as well as being a forum for discussing the student's work and offering suggestions for timely completion of the thesis.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FUNDING

Scholarships are available for both Australian and overseas students intending to pursue full-time MA and PhD candidates on a competitive basis. Details of these scholarships can be found at http://www.anu.edu.au/graduate/scholarships/
Enquiries should be made to the Graduate Studies Convener.

Students are also eligible to apply for funding to pursue fieldwork and research in Australia or overseas, and to attend conferences.

Depending on funding and course schedules, graduate students may be offered opportunities to tutor or give lectures in the undergraduate program in Gender, Sexuality and Culture. However, teaching cannot be relied on as a source of income.

RESOURCES

The location of ANU in the national capital makes it a particularly suitable base for contact with and research on government departments and non-governmental agencies relevant to gender, international politics and cultural studies. Proximity to the National Library of Australia, the National Archives and other major cultural institutions also enriches the ANU research experience.

ADMISSIONS

Applicants should hold (or expect to hold) a first class or upper second honours degree in a relevant discipline or have completed an equivalent degree at a sufficient standard. Candidates with other qualifications and/or experience in high-level research may be considered.

Degrees and Diplomas offered:

PhD
MPhil