Masculinity Studies Course

Lesson 1 • History of Masculinity as a Field

Traces masculinity studies from men's liberation movements through feminist and queer theory influences. Contextualises why the field emerged and how it evolved.

Lesson 2 • Key Theoretical Frameworks

Introduces structural, psychoanalytic, and poststructuralist lenses used to study masculinity. Equips students to select appropriate frameworks for specific research questions.

Lesson 3 • Defining Masculinity as a Concept

Distinguishes biological sex, gender identity, and masculinity as an enacted social category. Grounds all subsequent analysis in precise, shared terminology.

Lesson 1 • Masculinity and Institutional Power

Examines how workplaces, military, and political institutions reproduce hegemonic norms. Connects abstract theory to observable organisational practices.

Lesson 2 • Connell's Theory of Gender Structure

Presents Connell's three-part model of labour, power, and cathexis as organising gender relations. Provides the structural vocabulary central to critical masculinity analysis.

Lesson 3 • Critiques and Revisions of Hegemony Theory

Reviews scholarly critiques of hegemonic masculinity, including agency, globalisation, and empirical gaps. Prepares students to apply the theory critically rather than mechanically.

Lesson 1 • Sexuality and Queer Masculinities

Examines gay, bisexual, and queer men's relationships to dominant masculine norms. Introduces queer theory as a tool for destabilising heteronormative masculinity.

Lesson 2 • Class, Labour, and Working-Class Men

Explores how economic position shapes masculine identity, pride, and vulnerability. Connects class analysis to structural power concepts from Chapter 2.

Lesson 3 • Race and Racialised Masculinities

Analyses how racial hierarchies construct distinct masculine scripts for different racial groups. Builds on hegemony theory by adding racial power dynamics.

Lesson 1 • Schools as Gendered Institutions

Investigates how curriculum, teacher expectations, and school culture reproduce masculine norms. Connects institutional analysis from Chapter 2 to educational settings.

Lesson 2 • Family and Early Gender Socialisation

Examines parental practices, sibling dynamics, and household norms that instil masculine expectations. Establishes socialisation as a lifelong, multi-agent process.

Lesson 3 • Media, Advertising, and Masculine Ideals

Decodes how film, advertising, sports media, and social platforms construct and circulate masculine ideals. Equips students to perform critical media analysis.

Lesson 4 • Resistance and Alternative Socialisation

Identifies how boys and men resist, negotiate, or redefine masculine norms through counter-socialisation. Introduces agency as a counterweight to structural determinism.

Lesson 1 • Men's Mental Health and Emotional Life

Examines how masculine norms suppress emotional expression and increase depression, anxiety, and suicide risk. Builds the case for gender-sensitive mental health approaches.

Lesson 2 • Masculine Norms and Health Behaviours

Links stoicism, risk-taking, and self-reliance norms to measurable health disparities in men. Establishes the causal pathway from ideology to behaviour to outcome.

Lesson 3 • Body Image and Masculine Ideals

Analyses muscularity ideals, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders among men. Extends body analysis from socialisation chapter to health consequences.

Lesson 1 • Intimate Partner Violence and Gender

Examines patterns, motivations, and masculine ideologies underlying intimate partner violence. Connects power and control dynamics to hegemonic masculinity theory.

Lesson 2 • Violence Prevention and Bystander Programmes

Evaluates evidence-based prevention programmes targeting masculine norms and bystander behaviour. Prepares students to design and assess gender-transformative interventions.

Lesson 3 • Theorising Masculine Violence

Reviews biological, psychological, and sociological explanations for the gender gap in violent behaviour. Establishes a multi-causal framework that avoids biological determinism.

Lesson 1 • Romantic Relationships and Masculine Scripts

Examines how masculine scripts govern courtship, sexual initiation, and relationship power dynamics. Connects socialisation patterns to adult relational behaviour.

Lesson 2 • Redefining Intimacy and Vulnerability

Examines emerging models of masculine intimacy that challenge emotional suppression and relational dominance. Connects to health and violence prevention themes from prior chapters.

Lesson 3 • Male Friendship and Homosociality

Investigates the structure, emotional limits, and social functions of male friendship and homosocial bonding. Builds on peer socialisation analysis from Chapter 4.

Lesson 1 • Policy Frameworks for Engaging Men

Reviews international and organisational policies that engage men in gender equality and health promotion. Applies institutional analysis to policy design and implementation.

Lesson 2 • Future Directions in Masculinity Studies

Identifies emerging research agendas, methodological innovations, and unresolved debates in the field. Positions students to contribute original scholarship and practice.

Lesson 3 • Gender-Transformative Approaches Defined

Distinguishes gender-sensitive, gender-neutral, and gender-transformative interventions in policy and practice. Establishes a typology for evaluating programme ambition and impact.

Lesson 4 • Designing Gender-Transformative Programmes

Guides students through needs assessment, theory of change, and programme design for masculinity interventions. Integrates all prior course concepts into applied programme development.