Honors in Gender & Transformation
Courses
Successful completion of this programme (an overall average result of not less than 69%) will qualify a student for entrance into a Research Masters Programme in Gender Studies (see criteria for entrance in Research Masters in Gender Studies).
Admission requirements
1. Faculty requirements as set out under Rule FH3 apply (See UCT Postgraduate Handbook).
2. Programme requirements:
An undergraduate degree in Gender and Women Studies or in the Social Sciences majoring in a cognate discipline, with an average pass mark of not less than 68% in the final year of study. Acceptance is on the recommendation of the Head of Department.
How to apply
Applying to study for an Honours in Gender and Transformation is simple! Application can either be done online or through post. For the online application, please click HERE. For application through post, please see the information that follows.
The university requires you to download and complete an APPLICATION FORM, attach a curriculum vitae and certified copies on degrees/transcripts and a letter of interest. Please return the completed application form and the above-mentioned documents together with the application fee to the Admissions Office, University of Cape Town, Level 4 Room 4.03, Student Administration Building, Middle Campus, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa.
International students are advised to approach their governments, bilateral agencies and multilateral institutions based in their countries for scholarships. All international students must obtain a STUDY PERMIT before coming to South Africa. You should consult your local South African Embassy, Diplomatic Mission or High Commission in this regard. Please note that these applications take considerable time to process and that you should apply at the earliest opportunity. Regrettably, we are unable to provide scholarships ourselves, or facilitate applications for these. Please do not forget to include your recent email and physical address so that we are able to keep in touch.
Programme structure
Compulsory Courses
The year comprises 4 taught courses (96 HEQF credits) and a research essay/project (30 credits).
- AXL4106F: Introduction to Gender and Transformation
- AXL4100W: Research Essay/Project
- AXL4102W: Gender Analysis and Research Design
- AXL4103S: Development, Conflict and Political Change
Elective courses
The fourth course can be selected from the following courses offered as electives by other departments.
- AXL4101F: Gender and Violence
- AXL4104F: Gender, Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice in Africa
- AXL4201F: Debates in African Studies
- AXL4403F: Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
- SLL4041F Problems in the Contemporary Literary & Cultural Theory I
- SOC4010H Development Theories
- SOC5022F Critical Issues in the Study of HIV/AIDS & Society
A different course may be selected in consultation with and subject to the approval of the programme convener. Please consult the course outlines at the back of this handbook for descriptions of the courses offered. Subject to the necessary approval, students may also select an approved course offered by the University of the Western Cape's Women's and Gender Studies Programme (details of these courses are available from the section of Gender Studies, AXL).
Assessment
- DP requirements: Attendance at all seminars/workshops and submission of all written work by due date.
- Each taught 36-credit course is weighted at 20% of the final result. Courses may be examined by a combination of coursework and formal examination, or by a series of written assignments.
- The research essay is weighted at 20% of the final result.
- To be awarded the Honours degree, not less than 50% must be obtained for each component of the programme.
Past research topics undertaken by AGI Honours students
- Analysis of national gender policy frameworks of Rwanda
- Exploring the intersections of race, class, and gender through the music of popular cultures in Langa, Cape Town
- Discussion of heterosexual discourses of "safer sex" among middle-class black women
- Discussion of the experiences of "illegal immigration" into South Africa of Zimbabwean women
- Analysis of leadership and gender in Cape Town NGOs
- The process of "trans-gendering" and masculinity theories