Keele Badge

PIR-20124 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Business, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 17 March 2026

PIR-20124 - Gender, Identity and Activism
Coordinator:
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2026/27

How can we create change in global politics? In this module, you will explore how feminist and LBGTQ+ campaigns challenged the masculine and heteronormative social and global order, and how this changed how we study world politics. You will learn how gender and sexuality can be used to police societies, how activists worldwide contest tyrannies, and how identity can inspire change and hope but also create division. You will devise an action strategy for change inspired by real-world scenarios.

Aims
The module aims to:
a) introduce students to ideas about how change has been and can be made to happen in global politics, by exploring a range of historical and contemporary examples of protest and activism.
b) enable students to explore how gender and identity have shaped activism, and how concepts of gender, identity and activism relate and overlap
c) encourage students to focus on cases where gender, identity and activism have combined to shape particular protest movements or moments of change
d) develop students' understandings of the relationships between power, gender, identity and activism in global politics
e) introduce students to ways of devising strategies for change and to different interpretations of how those strategies might take effect
f) develop students' critical understandings of why and how change in global politics might happen.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explain key features of particular case studies of protest or activist movements: 1
Illustrate understanding of the inter-relationships between power, gender, identity and activism in global politics: 1
Apply concepts from the study of gender, identity and activism to design a strategy for change: 2
Propose a strategy for change and demonstrate understanding of the potential challenges and shortcomings it presents: 2
Analyse how gender, identity and activism have inter-related to create change or to resist particular global orders: 3
Appraise the relationships between power in global politics, and gender, identity and/or activism: 3

Study hours

Active learning hours:
22 hours lectures, 22 hours tutorials, 4 hours workshops to discuss assessments.
Independent learning hours:
56 hours engaging with materials for lectures and tutorials; 60 hours preparation of report; 60 hours preparation of project; 76 hours preparation of research paper

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 30%
Case study - report on a particular example
Students will write a report analysing a particular case study or a protest or activist movement. They will note its key features and consider the inter-relationships of power, gender, identity and activism. A list of potential case studies will be provided by the module leader or can be devised by the student by negotiation with their seminar tutor. 1250 word limit.

2: Project weighted 30%
Students devise a strategy for change
Students devise how to approach a particular issue they wish to assess in order to achieve change; they will create a strategy, discuss the pros and cons and potential risks of this approach, and consider the likely outcomes. 1250 word limit.

3: Research Paper weighted 40%
research paper
Students will write a research paper of 1500 words on a topic analysing one of the module's themes. A list of questions will be provided, as well as clear guidelines on writing a research paper. Students will be expected to conduct independent research, draw on scholarly and political activism outputs and news in their research paper.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 17 March 2026