Interdisciplinary Introduction to Gender Studies

Teacher(s)

Grandjean Nathalie;

Language

French

Content

This introductory course offers students the opportunity to discover the major debates that structure gender studies and to acquire the main tools for analysing society from this perspective. The aim is to question the social construction of female/male categories and to highlight the social, political and cultural effects produced by their naturalisation. 
The course takes a chronological approach, tracing the emergence and development of gender theories until their gradual recognition as an interdisciplinary field of research. Students will thus come to understand how gender, as a category of analysis, shapes knowledge, identities, social relations, institutions and systems of power. On the other hand, it adopts an interdisciplinary approach by addressing the various contributions from sociology, anthropology, history, literature and the arts, law and philosophy. 
The course will be divided into two main stages:
•    Part One: introduction to the fundamental concepts of gender studies and feminist approaches to knowledge production. We will examine how different disciplines have appropriated these tools and how this has transformed scientific research.
•    Part Two: exploration of major cross-cutting themes (feminist epistemologies, nature/culture division, intersectionality, etc.) based on a set of compulsory readings. This part will also provide an opportunity to put the critical analysis grid developed into practice in preparation for the final assessment.

Teaching methods

Lecture

Evaluation methods

• Group work (3 or 4 students), to be submitted by 16 December 2026 (4/20)
  
• 2-hour written examination
  
• Closed and open-ended questions on the course material (12/20)
• One question on Adèle Yon’s book (4/20)
• For the resit examination, the assessment methods remain the same, except that the group work will become an individual assignment.
  

Other information

Guidelines on the Use of AI
Students are required to complete a declaration of honour concerning referencing and the use of AI at the beginning of their assignment. When using artificial intelligence tools (e.g. for translation, transcription, or as a search engine), students must do so responsibly and transparently (see the ESPO guidelines of July 2024). In addition, all information sources must be systematically cited in accordance with the relevant bibliographic referencing standards. Students remain fully responsible for the content of their work, regardless of the sources or tools used.
Prohibited practices:

1. Presenting AI-generated content as one’s own, or reproducing verbatim any material generated by AI without appropriate attribution and full referencing (including quotation and citation of the source).
   
2. Using information provided by AI without cross-checking and verifying it against other sources.
   

Online resources

Course slides and other resources are available on Moodle.

Teaching materials

• Powerpoints et lectures complémentaires disponibles sur Moodle

Faculty or entity

> PSAD