New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is all set to launch a Master Degree programme in Women’s & Gender Studies, through the School of Gender & Development Studies (SOGDS), from July 2013 session. As per IGNOU’s notification, the program addresses the need to examine gender issues from an academic perspective through the dissemination of the growing body of knowledge in the areas of women’s and gender studies.
According to the official announcement, students who have undergraduate degree in any discipline and are interested in acquiring conceptual, theoretical and analytical knowledge in the areas of women’s and gender studies can seek admission in the programme. Women’s & Gender studies being inter-disciplinary areas, the program focuses on developing analytical and critical perspectives by examining given knowledge discourses across various disciplines from a gender perspective.
The statement issued by IGNOU official said that the 2 years, 64 credit MA programme comprises of a total of eight courses and project work. The 4 core courses of the first year provide an introduction to women’s movements, feminist theories & concepts, and gender perspectives in relation to social power hierarchies, arts & media and representations of gendered bodies. The modular programme allows students to exit at the end of the first year with a PG Diploma in Women’s & Gender Studies, or continue for the full MA degree.
Furthermore, in the second year, students can go for a specialization either in Gender, Literature & Culture or in Women’s Studies. Besides a compulsory course in Research Methods, specialized courses in the two streams are aimed at providing enhanced knowledge in the area of specialization. The courses are intended to equip students with foundational as well as advanced knowledge in a chosen area to prepare them for relevant employment opportunities later on.
After obtaining the Master Degree in the programme, the students can have their career paths and employment opportunities in higher education, teaching, NGO’s, public and private sector, counseling, media, mass communication, journalism, writing, editing, or any other fields, where a conceptual and analytical understanding of gender issues is required. Persons already employed in various fields (NGO’s, counseling, psychology, law, medical field, journalism, media, etc) may also be interested in taking this program as an avenue of additional knowledge enrichment and for betterment of career opportunities within their respective fields.
As per the notification issued by IGNOU, the deadline for admission in the July 2013 session is 8th July (without late fee) and 31st July (with late fee). Further information regarding admissions can be obtained from the Common Prospectus available at the university website: www.ignou.ac.in. Details regarding the programme can be obtained from: www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/school/sogds/forthcomingprogrammes, or by contacting the programme coordinators: Prof. Anu Aneja (anuaneja@ignou.ac.in) and Dr. Nilima Srivastava (nilimasrivastav@ignou.ac.in).
