This course examines the concept of gender as it is understood in different sites globally. It explores the links between?gender identities, sex and biology, as well as the relationship between gender and coloniality. Major areas of contestation and social change are examined through the lens of activism, international development programming, and in humanitarian and conflict contexts. Areas of particular focus include human rights, economic and social?empowerment,?gender-based?violence and sexual abuse. You will explore the role of gender regarding political and social processes, the division of labour, and the prospects for human and material development. Everyday experiences from a range of sites around the globe-including the home, the 'workplace', the political realm- will be considered in order to understand contemporary approaches to gender. You will consider masculinity and femininity as social constructs, interrogate concepts of gender binary and gender fluidity, and explore perspectives as they relate to the frequent dichotomisation of sexes between women and men and the impact of conflating that with gender identities.