In spite of the vast wealth created in Ireland in the so-called 'Celtic Tiger' years, Ireland remains one of the most deeply unequal societies within the European Union. How do we explain the persistence of injustices in a relatively wealthy country like Ireland and how can we bring about change? The aim of this course is to enable students to develop a critical understanding of human-rights-related inequalities in Irish society and to identify ways of addressing these. It will use a range of academic materials and sources from different disciplines, including case studies and electronic resources, to develop a critically informed orientation. The course will be taught through a series of lectures and tutorials. The active participation of students will be encouraged through dialogue and discussion

The aim of this module is to enable students to develop a critical, multidisciplinary child-centred perspective on childhood inequalities in the global context. Throughout the module differences in the understanding and experience of childhood in selected poor majority-world countries will be a key focus. There will be particular emphasis on the interaction between the local and the global in terms of the political, economic and cultural conditions which shape childhoods around the world. The module will examine such issues as child-adult relations, children's education, poverty, health, child labour, children's care worlds, and children's rights and statuses.

This module provides an introduction to contemporary feminism and feminist theories. We will explore a wide range of theoretical perspectives which have been central to the thought and practice of modern feminisms. We will analyse the major strands of feminist thought: liberal, socialist/Marxist, radical, and cultural / women of colour feminism. We will then apply these feminist traditions to issues that are crucial to women's lives and experiences: sexuality, the body, motherhood, work, health/mental health, religion and education (academic, college life), race and class. We will then look at what we have learned of our own history and what this tells us about future, third-wave feminism.

Across the globe people stand together in struggles to create a better world. Social justice movements refer to forms of collective action that seek to challenge oppression and transform society. The overall objective of this module is to provide students with a theoretically-informed understanding of these movements. The module uses a case study approach, applying various theoretical perspectives to illuminate attempts to achieve social change. Some of the social movements covered include anti-capitalist, feminist, civil rights, and disabled people's movements.

The purpose of this module is to develop with students a clear understanding and analysis of the phenomenon of racism as well as anti-racist strategies to counteract and prevent racism. It is centrally concerned with racism and anti-racist strategies in an Irish context and the contexts which impinge on this including European and International developments. The scene is set through an outline of historical factors and review of concepts. Other lectures examine particular sites of racism such as migration and an exploration of specific forms of racism experienced by particular groups such as Travellers as well as the issue of multiple and intersecting oppressions e.g. the experience of women from Black and minority ethnic groups. This module is coordinated by Catherine Lynch. We encourage you to search for other School of Social Justice (SSJ) modules. Graduates who have completed at least 15 credits of undergraduate electives offered by the School of Social Justice will have this noted on their UCD transcripts as the completion of Structured Electives in Social Justice.

This module will examine biography as a genre of historical writing. We will examine how the feminist approach to writing biographies has changed the historical craft of biography. In writing forgotten or unknown women back into history we demonstrate how women’s history can and does profoundly change the nature of history. 

The purpose of this module is to explore disability as an equality issue. The module discusses current theories or models of disability and analyses the economic, political, social and cultural implications of these differing perspectives. The impact of the modern disability movement and the emergence of disability as a socio-political phenomenon are examined. In the context of equality, differing approaches to research and legislation in the field of disability are explored. Particular attention is also given to issues of impairment, gender, employment patterns and minority social status with regard to how these interact with disability

This is an inter-disciplinary module that takes a critical look at the studies of men, masculinities and gender relations. It is aimed at men and women from a wide variety of disciplines who are interested in gender, masculinities and gender equality. This course draws upon the assumption that masculinity is an organizing principle of society, which shapes ideologies and practices, and intersects with factors such as race, ethnicity, social class and sexuality. This course introduces the field and current topics such as multiple masculinities; male friendship; “machismo”; racialised manhood; heterosexual, “metrosexual” and gay masculinities; violence and gender inequality; non-western masculinities; men at work; male health and wellbeing; “new masculinities” and popular culture.