 So welcome, everyone, to today's information session about the distance learning, MA, gender, sexuality, and global politics. My name, as Amy just mentioned, is Shreeta, and I'm the course convener for this MA. I'm going to talk you through the structure of the course and what's different about distance learning today, and then we can have a little Q&A session at the end. So let me start by introducing distance learning and how it's different from on-campus teaching. Yeah, as Amy just mentioned, if you have any questions, please feel free to put them in the chat while we're going through this presentation. So what is the difference between distance learning and on-campus teaching? So distance learning is a form of independent study. It happens purely in online virtual space, and it's centered around online discussions. And what's really appealing about distance learning is that it's very flexible, and it's mostly suited for people that have other commitments while they want to learn as well. So you can study at your own pace, and you can study according to your own needs. Normally, all the modules are around 16 weeks, and during these 16 weeks, you're pre-given some reading material, as well as questions for each particular week and the theme that each week is going through, and you'll be expected to engage with the reading material in an online discussion forum, as well as engage with some of the assessments that are expected. So there are around six assessments that will take place, and the point of each assessment is that it builds your skill so that by the end, you're able to produce an incredible written essay. Along with the online forum, we're also in gender studies. We also offer four to five online thematic seminars, which is a rare occasion where you can come together on Zoom with a lot of your colleagues and peers and have a discussion around the topics that are covered. We try and give you all the dates for the seminars before the course starts so that you can schedule your work around it. So yeah, what's really incredible about distance learning is that it's very flexible. You can do a lot of the work at your own pace and for your own needs, and that's what really distinguishes it from on-campus learning, which can sometimes be quite rushed and students are kind of forced to engage with material according to the on-campus requirements, and that's what's really different for distance learning and that you can take part in this course no matter where you are in the world. So yeah, that's what really is different from distance learning but also the kind of students it attracts, which is quite incredible. A lot of the distance learning students are established all over the world and they're engaging in lots of different things which means that discussions are very fruitful and there's a lot of learning to be had from both your peers and the actual course content. So that's what makes distance learning very unique. So what is the SOAS approach to gender studies? Now, what brought me to SOAS in particular is that it approaches gender studies very differently than a lot of other institutions. And a lot of other institutions, gender studies, normally equates to women's studies. However, at SOAS we take a very intersectional and decolonial approach, which means that we specialize in the study of gender and sexuality in relation to Asian, African and Middle Eastern cultures. What this means in practice is that we draw from literature on gender and sexuality from around the world. And that means that we kind of really interrogate this idea that knowledge is only produced by the West and a lot of the material we cover challenges Western ideas around gender and sexuality. So that's really a unique approach of gender studies, which means that we kind of don't understand gender as just women, but also we take an intersectional approach, which means that we kind of interrogate how gender, race, class, location, disability are all connected to each other. So there is something very unique about the way gender studies is taught at SOAS, which kind of isn't really found anywhere else. And the last thing that's really special about this program is that it's very interdisciplinary, which means that we draw from lots of different disciplines while we kind of interrogate a lot of the topics. So we draw from political theory, from anthropology, from law, from media studies. And we kind of like bring all these different strands together to understand the different ways gender is understood in different regions and stuff. So that's the real selling point of like studying gender studies at SOAS is that it is a very unique approach and it's an approach that isn't really found anywhere else. So that is why you should come to study gender studies at SOAS. So I'm going to talk you a little bit through the actual MA in gender, sexuality, and global politics and how it's actually structured and how it runs. So it's a two-year program where you're expected to take four modules altogether over the course of the two years. Each module is around 16 weeks long and there are two study sessions per year. So you are expected to take two modules in a year. So over the course of the two years, you will have completed the four modules that you're expected to take. There are three compulsory core modules, which you will be expected to take. And once you've done the three core modules, there'll be one elective one at the end. And you can pick a module from all the online distance learning courses SOAS provides, which are quite a few. So you can pick one from development studies, from media studies. So there's lots of options available when you do come to your final elective module. So the three core modules that you're expected to take are gender, sexuality, and global politics, gender and social inequality, and gender and conflict in the Middle East. So depending on when you start, one of these core modules will be available. In addition to this, you'll also be expected to do in your second year a compulsory dissertation module. This module will just give you the skills and guide you through how to carry out an independent research project, because at the end of the two-year program, you'll also be expected to write a dissertation. So the point of this module is to guide you through and give you the skills to be able to produce a dissertation. So a little bit about the entry requirements. So I'm not the admissions person, so I know very little about it. But I'm sure Amy will be able to answer some of the questions you might have around this. So the expectation is that most people that apply will have an upper second class honors degree or an equivalent, depending on where you're applying from around the world. And we encourage applicants to have an academic degree in gender studies or any other degree in humanities or social sciences. However, this isn't a key requirement as long as you demonstrate an interest in gender studies. Without these qualifications, you'll still be considered for admission. So don't be too stressed if you haven't done a gender studies program or a program in humanities or social sciences. We currently actually have a student that studied medical science in their undergraduate and wanted to do a degree in gender studies. So we definitely do accept students that have an interest in gender studies but haven't studied it before. Finally, who is this program for? So the MA program is very flexible. So it's designed for recent graduates as well as professionals who are working alongside doing the degree, who are just looking to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for careers in government and education and NGOs, media, and the United Nations. Because the course is so interdisciplinary and so varied, the kind of job opportunities that are available after doing the course are quite wide. So job prospects are great normally after the course. That is all for me. But sorry, that was really quick. If you have any questions, I'm really happy to answer them. I'm going to stop sharing my screen now. Great. Thank you, Shreeta. That was a really useful overview of the online and distance learning gender studies program. So we've got some participants in the session today. So if you have any questions, feel free to pop them into the chat box. You can also unmute yourself if you would like to ask verbally. But just to note that we are recording the session today that will be sent out to other students. So you may prefer to put your question into the chat box. Maybe while you're thinking about your questions, I know that there are quite a few people here. I'd love to just know a bit more about why you're here today, what brought you here, why you interested in the program in itself. So if any of the people that are here might want to share, yeah, what brought them here today. And maybe we can use that as like a spring board for questions or a spring board for knowing more about the program. Don't want to put you on the spot, but. Perhaps I'll kick off with a question. It's just around access to, obviously, the library. So the library is a fantastic resource for SOAS. So how does it work then for online and distance learning students? Do they still have access to online resources that will help them with their studies? That's a great question. So distance learning students have access to two different kinds of online libraries. So the first one is the online resources available at SOAS. And during the pandemic, actually, SOAS actually shifted a lot of the material that they had online, which means that there is a lot more accessible online than there previously has been. But in addition to having access to the SOAS online library, students also have access to the University of London online library, which collates resources from universities around London as well. So there's a lot of resources that are available. And as part of the MA program and gender studies, a lot of the core reading that is required is already uploaded onto the BLE page, which means that students don't have to go searching for it. Great. Yeah, that sounds great. And as you mentioned, access to the University of London library is also a great benefit for any students who study with us. And a question I do get from a lot of students is around age restrictions. Are there any age restrictions for students studying a degree, especially online and distance learning? And I mean, you said that there was a great mix of students from all around the world. So I'm guessing it is a very diverse mix of students who take up online and distance learning. Yes, it definitely is. There is no age restriction. There tends to be, as you just mentioned, a diverse background. So the cohort from this year, for example, ranges from someone that just finished their undergraduate degree to someone that is in their 70s and retired, but wanted to learn something new. It's incredible the kind of discussions this brings up is that people bring up conversations from not only their experiences in their life, but also the kinds of jobs that they've done and how that affects discourses. So it's something very unique to distance learning is having such a diverse age range, but also other kinds of backgrounds, which means that the knowledge we can gain from each other is very vast and incredible and very unique to distance learning. Yeah, absolutely. I reckon it is, yeah, a really diverse mix of students. I think that the discussions will be very fruitful. So I can see that there's a question that's just popped up from Juliet. So thank you ever so much, Juliet. And the question is, what type of study routine would you recommend for prospective students? So this is a very difficult question to answer because it really will depend on what your other commitments are. So what's very incredible about the distance learning program is that it's very flexible. So depending on whether you have a part-time job or other commitments, you're able to kind of navigate your study routine depending on that. The ideal study routine, in my opinion, so there's like 16 weeks. Each week has around two to three core readings, as well as a discussion forum. And so if you can, and this is what I've been recommending to a lot of my students, is to try and do all the readings every week rather than piling them up and trying to engage in the conversation because the topics build on each other every week. And so it's quite difficult to just do week six without doing week one, for example. So the recommendation is to try and read as you go along each week, but that's not an expectation. It's not a requirement. It's just a recommendation. Yeah, I hope that helps. Do students have the option to take the course for longer than two years? Can it be spread across multiple years for those that really want to take their time because perhaps they do have quite a few commitments with work and personal life, et cetera? So the two years is not set in stone. You can finish your degree slightly quicker if that's something you want, or you can also take longer as well. What happens is that a core module is offered for a study period. And that means that even if you've missed a particular study period, it will be offered again. So you can retake it when it comes about again. So you can definitely spend longer than two years or shorter than two years, depending on how you want to finish your program. Great, yeah, it sounds really flexible. And I think for students who do have those commitments, like a full-time job, and who aren't able to take any study leave to come and do an on-campus masters. And I think, yeah, it's a great option for students to be able to work and study part-time. And then just perhaps one more question for me. How many students do you typically get each intake period? Just thinking about the discussions that students will be having, how many students would you normally have in those discussions? So the current module that we're running is the Gender, Sexuality and Global Politics module and that currently has around 36 students. And so some of them are just from the program, but also this program is offered as an elective for people doing a degree in an online distance degree and other disciplines. So development or media as well. So that means that you can have people, part of the discussion, that have come from also different discipline or trajectory, which is great because the way they might understand gender might be different. I see that there's another question in the chat which says, are there deadlines, exams and other forms of evaluation? So there are no exams in this MA program. There are assessments. So we call them ETIVITIES and they're six per module and the deadlines for them are given to you prior to them as soon as the module starts so that you can plan around it. So there are six ETIVITIES. They all kind of help build your skill towards the final ETIVITIES, which is ETIVITIES 6, which is a 5,000 word essay and the essay questions will be given to you beforehand as well. And the idea of ETIVITIES 1 to 5 is to kind of help you start writing your essay. So they kind of build on that. So it's all kind of connected. But yeah, so the main form of grading is through the ETIVITIES. And I might just post some links into the chat sessions, into the chat box, sorry. And if any of the participants want to find out more then you can do so. Also, if you think of questions after this session, please feel free to email me. And if I can't answer your question, I can guide you to the people that might be able to answer your question. So my email should be on the program page which Amy has just shared. So please do feel free to email me with questions. Okay, I guess if there's no normal questions from the participants, then we might end the session. But as Trita mentioned, if you do have any follow-up questions on the program, then you are more than welcome to drop her a line and she'll get back to you. So I guess we'll end the session now. So thank you ever so much for joining the online open day this evening. It's been really great to connect with you and hopefully you found it an informative session. And we look forward to hearing from you soon. And thank you ever so much to Trita as well for a really great presentation and for answering those questions. Thank you so much, Amy. And hopefully I'll see all of you in the classes next year. Well, in April. Great, thanks ever so much and take care of everybody. Bye-bye. Bye.