This master’s in Gender, Power and Violence explores current academic, policy and practice debates in the specific field of gendered harms, considering issues from multiple disciplinary lenses to understand how gendered violence and harms differentially affect gendered bodies and lives. The programme will combine theoretical, empirical and applied content to explore how gendered experiences of abuse can be explained, experienced, researched and challenged in local and global contexts.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an area of increasing policy and public concern, described by the World Health Organisation as a global public health pandemic. This programme’s content is at the forefront of current issues and debates in the field, such as tech-facilitated gendered harms, engaging men and boys, and debates around online misogyny.
Throughout your studies, you will develop an advanced understanding of critical feminist theories of gender, violence and harms, as well as methods for conducting research into gendered harms. The programme will grapple with debates about how we can develop effective, theory-led interventions and improve research capabilities in this field to produce higher-quality evidence about ‘what works’ to reduce and eliminate gendered harms.
Alongside this, you will learn about specific forms of gendered violence and harm, the key policy and practice responses to them in local and global contexts, and how to both develop interventions and evaluate what works (and what doesn’t) to address gendered harms in different contexts.
Why Gender, Power and Violence at Swansea?
You will benefit from having access to interdisciplinary teaching that is based on active research being undertaken by award-winning colleagues in Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy. The result of this is a distinctive and unique programme that is based on innovative research, delivered by experienced academics that are recognised for their ground-breaking research at local, national and international levels.
Our programme puts a strong emphasis on co-production as a means of academics, practitioners, policy-makers and survivors working together to improve how we can better respond to gendered harms and trauma. As such, the central ethos of our teaching will include involving you in unique, cutting-edge research developments.
An example would be the development of pioneering immersive Virtual Reality training techniques to be used to train Violence Against Women Domestic and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) first responders, using scenarios that are too dangerous or complex to create in real life settings. As a student on this programme, you will have the opportunity to experience and be involved in the evaluation of these pioneering tools, and will also be encouraged to apply your learning to explore how to address GBV in your own communities.
Throughout the programme, you will also learn to:
Design, implement, and evaluate your own interventions focused on gendered violence prevention, survivor support, or public education, with skills in setting objectives, intervention development and monitoring outcomes.
Build effective partnerships and collaborate with a range of community organisations, government agencies and survivors.
Conduct research and practice in a way that is sensitive to trauma, ensuring ethical engagement and minimising harm when working with those who experience gendered harms.
Your Gender, Power and Violence Experience
Our programme philosophy is grounded in feminist principles, emphasising inclusivity, empowerment, critical thinking, and transformative learning, encouraging the exploration of gendered harms through multiple lenses. It prioritises intersectionality to understand the diverse nature of gendered harms, exploring the multiple, interlocking layers of oppression and how these shape experiences of gendered harms.
Our learning environment is a safe space, led by inspirational and experienced staff, who will cultivate a sense of belonging and community, and embed approaches that enable us to learn from one another in pursuit of our shared goal of reducing gendered harms. In line with the feminist standpoint of the programme, assessments will be inclusive, reflective, and encourage creative and diverse ways of thinking about gendered harms.
You will be able to meet with Module Co-ordinators, one-to-one, on a weekly basis via their published ‘office hours’. We work hard to provide student-centred learning opportunities that deliver a high quality and flexible learning environment.
By embedding these feminist principles and elements into our programme, we strive to cultivate cohorts of informed, compassionate, and proactive individuals committed to eradicating gendered harms and advancing gender justice in their future careers.
Our learning aims and outcomes allow you to be well-equipped with the knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding necessary to contribute safely and effectively to the prevention and response to gendered harms, and to promote gender equity and social justice in your professional and personal life.
Our learning and teaching methods also encourage the integration of practice and theory. Throughout this programme, you will experience both tutor-led learning, peer and group-learning, and self-directed methods of learning. This increases independence, autonomy and reflection, encouraging you to develop a positive attitude toward lifelong learning, as well as increasing skills around team-working, collaboration, decision-making and leadership.
Gender, Power and Violence Employment Opportunities
In its diverse forms, Gender Based Violence (GBV) poses current issues of pressing concern that Governments, both at home and internationally, are committed to addressing, leading to strong employment prospects in a range of fields.
Importantly, GBV is increasingly framed as a ‘multi-agency’ issue that requires a ‘whole system response’, meaning that it is not just the responsibility of criminal justice agencies, but also health, education, social care, housing and voluntary sector organisations. With an increasingly wide array of sectors forming part of this vital multi-agency response, as a graduate you will be well placed to lead the response to GBV through a wide variety of roles where GBV is a significant aspect of your work.
The programme is optimally positioned to address the ‘implementation gap’ between the ambitious policy strategy and direction, and improving the capacity and capability in the sector, in terms of knowledge and research skills, to adequately respond to these policy objectives. As a result, this master’s will help you to develop skills that will equip you effectively for work, supporting your career ambitions and development in a range of sectors such as:
Public Sector/National and Local Government, NGO/Charity Work, Further Study, Research and Academic, International and Regional Institutions, or Equalities and Diversity Work within Organisations.
Modules
The programme consists of 180 credits, made up of 6 20-credit modules, and a 60-credit dissertation.
Two compulsory modules and one optional module are taken in semester one, and three compulsory modules are taken in semester two, with the dissertation completed throughout the summer period.
Ideally applicants will hold a 2:1 undergraduate degree, or equivalent, in Sociology or Criminology or a cognate discipline i.e. Law, Psychology, Politics or Social Policy. Candidates with a 2:2 or with relevant professional work experience may also be considered (this may involve attending an interview).
If English is not your first language, you will need an acceptable pass in an approved English language qualification. We consider a wide range of qualifications, including the Swansea University English Test, the British Council IELTS test (with a score of at least 6.5 and 6.0 in each component) and TOEFL (with a score of at least 88 and at least Listening: 21, Reading: 22, Speaking: 23, Writing: 21).
Learning and teaching methods within the programme will include weekly two-hour sessions, which will integrate lecture-style delivery with interactive workshop-style delivery, discussions, group work and projects, and guest speakers. Our Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas) is also an integral aspect of the learning package that supports your needs. The central ethos of teaching will be your involvement in groundbreaking developments for public benefit, facilitated by the staff involved in delivering this programme.
Learning and teaching will be achieved through:
Interactive Lectures - integrating discussion, workshop activities and group projects
Real world experiences of interventions and scenario-based learning e.g. VR training tools and other case studies of real-world interventions
Engaging and inspiring guest speakers
Peer learning and group projects applying learning from the programme to emergent issues and problems in the field
Written and verbal feedback on a variety of assessments
Verbal feedback on group tasks and individual contributions to interactive workshops
Individual dissertation supervisions (supporting written and oral communication skills)
Independent study and research
Your own self-reflection and self-evaluation of learning
For your dissertation, you will work with the delivery team to consult with the sector about current evidence gaps, using this to help shape your own research ideas and questions. You will also present your research plan to a panel of academics and practitioners, who will give you valuable feedback on how to shape your project and its findings to be practice-relevant, as well as presenting you with opportunities to build practitioner networks.
Unfortunately, there is currently no formal Welsh-medium provision on this
course. If you would like to let us know that you are interested in pursuing an
element of your course through the medium of Welsh, please email astudio@abertawe.ac.uk to indicate
your interest along with your year of entry and we will do our best to see what
is possible.
Whilst this course does not offer academic content delivered in Welsh, the
University can provide you with the following, and Academi Hywel
Teifi is here to support you:
An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
Personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
The opportunity to create and submit your coursework or sit your exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be assessed in Welsh.
A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
The opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
Our postgraduate degrees give you the opportunity to learn from academics who are industry experts, with a wealth of academic and practical experience. The School of Social Sciences and School of Culture and Communication are both home to vibrant academic communities dedicated to understanding some of society’s most challenging issues.
Tuition fees for years of study after your first year are subject to an increase of 3%.
You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.
International students and part-time study:
It may be possible for some students to study part-time under the Student Visa route. However, this is dependent on factors relating to the course and your individual situation.
It may also be possible to study with us if you are already in the UK under a different visa category (e.g. Tier 1 or 2, PBS Dependant, ILR etc.).
Please visit the University information on Visas and Immigration for further guidance and support.
Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
If you're a UK or EU student starting a master’s degree at Swansea University, you may be eligible to apply for Government funding to help towards the cost of your studies.
To find out more, please visit our postgraduate loans page.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's
scholarships and bursaries
page.
Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually.
For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.
Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.
You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):
Travel to and from campus
Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your
personal tutor, the Centre for Academic
Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas
such as:
Academic writing
Maths and statistics
Critical thinking
Time management
Digital skills
Presentation skills
Note taking
Revision, memory and exam techniques
English language skills (if English is not your first language).
In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability,
mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have
Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and
requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.
We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application
deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can
find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.
