Area I: Curriculum development: forging links between education and research in a European dimension, and Output Area II: Research on education. Developing tools for quality assessment and evaluation

Cooperation in the field of graduate and postgraduate training has a long tradition in European Women's/Gender/Feminist Studies (WGFS). In this working group the plans to develop different forms of joint PhD training within the field, including new teaching materials, are further developed. The group is working towards joint curricula in graduate and postgraduate training within the field of WGFS as well as towards a "networking the networks"-exercize, organizing existing and emerging cross-institutional, national and regional WGFS graduate schools and networks. Through this work, the group increases cooperation and initiates integration processes, resulting in the development of new joint intensive training courses for MA and PhD students, MA and PhD student mobility, and cooperation with among others Erasmus Mundus MA training programme (GEMMA), Marie Curie Research Training Network (GENDERGRADUATES), and other transnational WSGF PhD training programmes such as the Nordic Research School in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies (NordForsk, Nordic Council of Ministers) with 40 partners in 9 countries. The overall aim is to assess and reflect on new trends in graduate and postgraduate training in WGFS in Europe as well as on the integration of WGF perspectives in graduate and postgraduate training within existing disciplines. Issues such as WGFS curriculum development at graduate and postgraduate level, institutionalization of WGFS doctoral training, theories and methodologies in WGFS, cross-disciplinary collaboration, employability of MAs and PhDs who have dedicated their PhD research (or part of it) to WGFS are on the agenda of the group, including comparisons of the diversity of European models. The group builds on the knowledge on curriculum development, the Bologna process and its implications for the development of WGFS in Europe today, acquired in Athena and ATHENA2. Against the background of an outspoken need for advanced level teaching materials within WGFS, the group began collecting material for a Handbook for postgraduate training in Women’s/Gender/Feminist Studies (WGSF) in the final stages of Athena2. This work is continued and planned to result in a publication within the framework of Athena3. Moreover, following specific recommendations about how to foster and improve curriculum development in WGFS and how to develop comparative European perspectives and teaching methods, the Tuning methodology is explored and assessed with the aim of developing necessary recommendations as regards change of the gender (in) sensitivity of Tuning.