Politics, Sexuality and Gender

This cutting-edge degree places sexuality and gender at the heart of political study, taking an inclusive and intersectional approach.

You will dive into critical issues like reproductive politics, trans* rights, and the rise of ‘anti-gender’ movements, exploring them through feminist, queer and trans* theory.

Customise your studies with option modules that align with your passions, and gain hands-on experience through practice-based projects that tackle global challenges.

Placements with local feminist and LGBTQI+ groups provide real-world experience. You will graduate equipped with the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful impact in the field.

We offer three other politics undergraduate courses.

• Politics BA(Hons)

• Politics and International Relations BA(Hons)

• Politics and Social Change BA(Hons)

TOP REASONS TO CHOOSE THIS COURSE

• Brighton is unique in offering an undergraduate course focused on this vital field.

• You will have the opportunity to apply to spend a semester studying abroad in your second year at a partner university.

• You can work with the Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender, which hosts regular talks, seminars, workshops and conferences, as well as offering research internships.

• Learn in a vibrant, progressive city with a reputation for radical, environmental and LGBTQI+ activism.

• Your lecturers are internationally recognised researchers on issues including populism, gender studies, the Middle East, environmentalism, migration, housing and political theory.

• You will engage with cutting-edge academic research. The university’s Centre for Philosophy, Politics and Ethics hosts regular talks, seminars, workshops and conferences and offers an annual undergraduate research prize.

• Guest speakers have included Caroline Lucas and Sue Shanks (Green Party), Yousef Eldin (BBC documentary producer), Nancy Hawker (Amnesty International) and Prof Angie Wilson (ex-Chair of the Political Studies Association, researching sexuality and politics), as well as representatives from Make the Shift, The Free West Papua Campaign and Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust.

• Assignments don’t just mean essays, we offer you assessment methods including films, podcasts, data visualisations, political speeches, social media campaigns; the types of projects that will be valued by employers.

• You will graduate with both theoretical and practical knowledge. Our courses offer practical skills and real-world experiences, with opportunities to undertake placements, design a campaign for a political organisation and learn digital communication skills.

• The university’s commitment to addressing global challenges is the lens through which you will learn and issues such as climate change, equality and inclusivity, and sustainability are embedded in all teaching on our politics courses.

• Our decolonised approach to teaching and learning places emphasis on lived experience, recognising that knowledge is held in communities not only in academic institutions.

Year 1
Core modules
Foundations in World Politics
Introduction to Politics, Sexuality and Gender
Politics in Practice
Introduction to the  Global Challenges Lab
Global Ethics
Comparative Political Systems

Year 2
Core modules
Unruly Bodies: Understanding and Contesting Normativity
UK Politics
Gender, Race and the Environment
Researching Politics

Options*
Global Challenges: Communicating Research and Policy
Contemporary Issues in International Relations
Authority, Democracy and Justice
Queer Writing
Reproduction, Sex and Power
Experiencing the Workplace: Practices and the Community
Gender and Sexuality
We, the People
International Institutions

Optional Placement Year

Final year
Core modules
Activism and Social Change
Sexual Utopias: Imagining Radical Futures
Social Change Project
Politics Dissertation

Options*
Neoliberalism, Imperialism and Resistance
Language, Gender and Sexuality
Radical Political Economy and Anarchist Politics
Global Social Policy
Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention
Feminism and Post-Feminism
Politics of the Right
Colonialism, Capitalism and Climate Crisis

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS