• Offered by School of Politics and International Relations
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject Political Science
  • Areas of interest Gender Studies, Political Sciences
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Mode of delivery Online or In Person
  • Offered in Second Semester 2026
    See Future Offerings

This course examines the roles of gender and feminist research in political science. The point of departure of this course is women’s long-standing underrepresentation in politics and its consequences for political research. The focus is on a comparative analysis of gender and politics; however, on many occasions we will draw on specific country experiences, including Australia, to illustrate particular topics. Issues of global importance will be discussed such as social movement, representation, elections, political parties, public policies, body politics, and LGBTIQ. The course will emphasise the theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions of gender and feminist approaches to political science. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. reflect on the importance of gender, race, and identity to understand political phenomenon;
  2. explain the key concepts and themes in the study of gender, race, identity, and politics;
  3. apply these concepts and themes to current cases and/or countries;
  4. research and argue about a specific topic concerning gender, race, and identity; and
  5. produce a research paper on a specific topic in the study of gender, race, identity, and politics.

Indicative Assessment

  1. Paper proposal 1,500 words (15) [LO 2,3,4]
  2. Research Paper 2,500 words (35) [LO 2,3,4,5]
  3. Discussion Leader 15 minutes (10) [LO 1,2,3,5]
  4. Tutorial Participation (10) [LO 1,3]
  5. Takehome Exam (30) [LO 1,3]

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

130 hours of total student learning time made up from:

a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials.

b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must have completed 12 units of 2000 level POLS or GEND courses, of which a minimum of 6 units must be from POLS2010, POLS2114, GEN2023 or GEND2024, or with the permission of the convenor. You may not enrol in this course if you have already completed POLS2134

Prescribed Texts

N/A

Preliminary Reading

Aileen Moreton-Robinson. 2020. Talkin' Up to the White Woman. Brisbane: University of Queensland Press.

Pamela Paxton and Melanie M. Hughes. 2017. Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective. Los Angeles: Sage.

Mona Lena Krook and Sarah Childs, Eds. 2010. Women, Gender and Politics: A Reader. New York: Oxford University Press.

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees

Student Contribution Band:
14
Unit value:
6 units

If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Second Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
8603 27 Jul 2026 03 Aug 2026 31 Aug 2026 30 Oct 2026 In Person N/A

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