WOMEN'S
STUDIES PROGRAMME (WSP)
School of Social Sciences
Faculty | Courses | Discussion Forum | Library & Documentation Centre
The Women’s Studies Programme (WSP) is a school-level Programme that seeks to study questions of gender in an interdisciplinary and comparative framework. Women’s Studies in India emerged out of the conjunction of such diverse forces as the women’s and democratic struggles, and state initiatives that critically examined the status of women in the country. The past three decades have witnessed the influence of these trends within academia, leading to path breaking feminist research in different disciplines, particularly in the social sciences and humanities. The growth of Women’s Studies Centres/ Programmes in different Universities (and some autonomous research institutions) all over the country has demonstrated recognition of the issues that have been highlighted by the women’s movement and feminist research over the past many years. The WSP, JNU though as yet in its early years, undertakes both innovative, and intensive, interdisciplinary research and teaching, besides providing the space for creating a vibrant community of feminist academics, students, activists and artists concerned with issues of gender, and wider issues of power in society.
The WSP was launched in 2000 when Prof. Utsa Patnaik, the then Dean, along with Prof. Zoya Hasan and others established the Programme with UGC funding in the School of Social Sciences. At the very outset, the WSP was conceived of as integral to incorporating and integrating a gender perspective in the teaching and research of social sciences. Currently, the WSP has two faculty members. In addition, a Professor of the School is appointed as the Director every two years, on a rotational basis, to co-ordinate the overall functioning of the Programme. Professors Zoya Hasan (CPS), Jayati Ghosh (CESP), Tanika Sarkar (CHS) and Maitrayee Chaudhuri (CSSS) have all been associated with the Programme as its Directors and have helped to give it a distinctive, interdisciplinary, character. A Standing Committee consisting of members from among the faculty of the School of Social Sciences supports the activities of the Programme. Additionally, an Advisory Committee with members from both within the University as well as experts and specialists in other fields working on these and related issues reviews the progress and working of the Programme.
The activities of the WSP, like other Centres of the School of Social Sciences, involve both teaching and research. Currently, the Programme offers optional courses at the Master’s level which are open to students not only in Social Sciences but also to those enrolled in other Schools and Centres of the University. Students learn to examine the historical, social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions of gender, while gaining a more complex understanding of the construction of gender and its intersection with other categories of difference, power, and inequality. By understanding how interlocking systems of power and difference function locally and internationally, students will be better situated to apply their critical thinking skills as they work toward social justice in a global society. Additionally, the WSP, as part of its activities, regularly organizes lectures, seminars, workshops and film screenings on a wide range of subjects to which all are welcome. These, along with research and documentation constitute the principal activities of the Programme. The WSP also has a Library and Documentation Centre which is open to students and faculty members from all over the University.
Director (2008-10) Professor Saraswati Raju
Room No. 414, SSS I.
Tel.: 011 26704571
Email: saras@mail.jnu.ac.in
Dr. G. Arunima
Associate Professor
Room No. 304, SSS II.
Tel: 011 26704178
Email: arunima@mail.jnu.ac.in
Courses
offered:
Please contact the faculty members for further details of their courses.
Monsoon Semester (July-December)
WSP 402: Gender and Visual Culture: An Introduction (Optional, M.A., 4 credits)
Instructor: G. Arunima
Winter Semester (January-May)
WSP 401: Women’s Movements and Gender Studies (Optional, M.A., 4 credits)
Instructor: G. Arunima
Feminist Theory and Social Research (Optional, M.Phil., 4 Credits)
Instructor: Dr. G. Arunima
Discussion Forum
Interdisciplinary Research Students Colloquium
Open to all research students (M.Phil. and Ph.D.) working with any aspect of
gender as part of their research. Students interested in presenting any aspect
of their work may contact the faculty directly.
Library and
Documentation Centre
The WSP Library and Documentation houses a wide collection of books and growing
number of documentaries and other films relating (principally) to different
aspects of gender and society. The Library is open to students and faculty
members from all over the University.
The WSP Office, Library and Documentation Centre: Room 318, School of
Social Sciences, II
Contact person: Ms. Kanchan Mann
Tel: 26704166
Email:
womenstudiesprogramme@gmail.com