MA/PGDip Gender, Sexuality and Culture / Course details
Year of entry: 2025
- View tabs
- View full page
Course description
The MA in Gender, Sexuality and Culture isn’t just a degree, it’s an invitation to rethink the world we live in.
Whether you're passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, feminist theory, queer and trans theory, or the cultural politics of identity, this bold and interdisciplinary course gives you the tools to explore gender and sexuality in powerful, transformative ways. Taught by leading voices in the field, you’ll connect theory with real-world impact — from trans studies and queer cinema to race, pop culture, and political resistance.
What makes us unique?
- Interdisciplinary to the core – Study across English, American Studies, Art History, Politics, History, Modern Languages, Theology, Sociology, Anthropology and more
- Research-rich environment – Home to the Centre for the Study of Sexuality and Culture (CSSC), a national and international centre of excellence for gender and sexuality studies
- Live culture meets academic thought – Manchester’s festivals, museums, and queer arts scenes add fuel to your studies
-
Global perspectives – Tackle debates that matter across borders: intersectionality, trans rights, postcolonial identities, and the legacies of the AIDS crisis
This course is made for the curious and the critical.
Special features
Sexuality Summer School
An unforgettable week-long event bringing together international scholars, artists, and students to explore the cutting edge of feminist, queer and trans theory, culture, and activism.
Dynamic Research Culture
Join a buzzing intellectual community shaped by the CSSC
, t he Morgan Centre
, CIDRAL
, and many scholars working across the University on diverse topics from LGBTQ+ inclusion in healthcare, to the cultural politics of chem sex.
Student Voices
“This course gave me the language, histories, and methods to understand my identity as a Black woman from the Caribbean.”
– Kristina, MA student
Teaching and learning
You will learn through a variety of teaching methods, depending on the units you take, including lectures, seminars and independent study.
Academics that teach on the course include:
Prof. Jackie Stacey - Media and Cultural Studies
Dr Monica Pearl -20th Century American Literature
Dr Gareth Gavin - Creative Writing
Dr Ben Nichols - Gender and Sexuality Studies
Prof. Daniela Caselli - Modern Literature
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed in a variety of ways depending on the units you take, including written assignments, participation in discussions, and presentations.
Course unit details
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissertation (MA) | ENGL60000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Critical Thinking in Gender and Sexuality Studies | ENGL60971 | 30 | Mandatory |
| Race, Gender and Power in the American South: From Slavery to Segregation | AMER62002 | 15 | Optional |
| Historicising the Contemporary: Literature and Politics 1970-2000 | ENGL60081 | 30 | Optional |
| Queer Cinema and Beyond | ENGL60152 | 30 | Optional |
| Modernisms | ENGL60451 | 30 | Optional |
| Postcolonial Literatures, Genres and Theories | ENGL60462 | 30 | Optional |
| Before `Sexuality': Bodies, Desires and Discourses, 1660-1900 | ENGL60882 | 15 | Optional |
| Key Issues in Literary and Critical Theory | ENGL70032 | 30 | Optional |
| Twenty-first Century Literature and Literary Culture | ENGL71212 | 30 | Optional |
| Displaying 10 of 18 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
Facilities
You will have access to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries at Manchester, as well as 24/7 study facilities at the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons and cultural assets such as the John Rylands Library, the Whitworth and the Manchester Museum.
Find out more about facilities for master's students .