Gender, Sexuality and Society (Postgraduate Certificate)

Birkbeck's Postgraduate Certificate in Gender, Sexuality and Society is built around the interdisciplinary study of gender and sexuality, an exciting and growing area of study. This course is ideal if you are interested in how gender and sexuality are constructed, understood and represented in different historical, cultural, geographic and social contexts. We bridge the divide between the social sciences and the arts and humanities and, if you are interested in focusing on political and social issues, this course allows you to explore the diverse and changing nature of personal relationships, economics and the workforce, and development and legal studies.

This course explores current debates and incorporates the cutting-edge research of world-leading academics at Birkbeck, who are working in feminism and gender studies, LGBTQ+ history and activism, queer theory, and histories of medicine, sexology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis. Our academics are passionate and engaged in the real world, working towards social justice with activists, policy-makers, academics, and charities and NGOs. You will find yourself in a classroom with a diverse range of people, from many different backgrounds and careers, which generates a lively, enthusiastic learning environment.

You will consider competing ideas and theories about gender and sexuality and explore the ways in which these intersect with concepts of race, ethnicity, age and class. The course will develop your ability to critically discuss these theories and to consider how the social sciences can help us understand gender and sexuality.

If you are interested in studying gender and sexuality at postgraduate level for personal or professional reasons, but you don't want to commit to a full Master's degree (which includes a dissertation), then this is the course for you.