Women’s Studies
Teacher: Alice Healy
In Women’s Studies, students look at the world from the perspectives of women. Students examine the diversity of women’s experiences and their relationships to others, and the diversity in gender representation of women in cultural texts. Through the study of women’s diverse experiences, gender identity can be recognised as a key characteristic of all societies.
Students identify complex and contradictory ideas that exist about femininity and masculinity, and how being a woman or a man may influence an individual’s experiences and expectations. As students engage with how gender shapes, and is shaped by, societies, they develop a critical insight into their world from a gender perspective.
This subject will discuss areas such as: women in cultural texts; women and work; family life and caring; women and the law; women’s struggles, achievements and empowerment; women, culture and society; lifestyle and choice; development and globalisation.
Assessment:
School Assessment (70%)
- Assessment Type 1: Text Analysis
- Assessment Type 2: Essay
- Assessment Type 3: Folio
External Assessment (30%)
- Assessment Type 3: Issues Analysis
Pathways:
While Stage 2 Women’s Studies is not a specific prerequisite for any tertiary course, it would be a great basis for most humanities courses. This subject will also form a strong foundation for developing an understanding of gender identity in current society.