A one-year MSS degree programme shall be of 32 credits and divided into two semesters. Each semester shall be of 19 weeks, of which 15 weeks will be for class teaching, one week break for preparation and three weeks for holding the semester final examination. The programme will include teaching of eight course units for a total of 800 marks, of which 700 marks shall be for six full unit taught courses and 100 marks for written and oral comprehensive examination. Some students, based on their BSS (honours) result will be eligible to do a 100 marks thesis against one course.
9 courses · 36 credit hours across 2 terms
| Code | Course title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSS 1 | Feminist Debates and Discourses | 4 |
WGS MSS 1: Feminist Debates and Discourses Course Credit: 4
Learning Objective Students will be acquainted with:
Course Description The course will briefly go through the feminist theoretical approaches in order to raise different views and debates around particular issues. The course will focus on a critical understanding of Postmodernism and Structuralism as approaches to feminist discourse and contemporary debates centring on different key concepts in feminist study. Identity, intersectionality, agency, and sexuality will be discussed. Approaches and concepts will be applied to the analysis of controversial issues such as pornography, female foeticide, abortion, etc. The course will examine processes through which women become political subjects and agents of social change. In short, the course will attempt to question and problematize the categories of intersectionality, agency, sexuality and the like and recognize their changing meaning over time. Thus the course will broadly analyse how these key concepts intersect and are defined and produced as well as enacted by women and relate those in the context of Bangladesh.
Section 1: Contemporary Feminist Thoughts and Debates: An Overview The section briefly introduces students to different feminist thoughts and theories that have evolved over time and space and how these have formed and contributed to the ongoing feminist movement. Required Readings
Recommended Reading:
Section Two: Postmodernism as a Method of Inquiry and Approach of Study The section focuses particularly on postmodernism and structuralism as methods of feminist inquiry as well as a debated approach of study. Students will be introduced to current debates on postmodernism. Feminist positioning for and against postmodernism will be analysed based on the approaches of Judith Butler and Martha Nussbaum respectively. Particular positioning among feminists in the South Asia including Bangladesh on post modernism will also be examined.
Required Readings:
Recommended Reading:
Section Three: Contemporary Feminist Debates: Selected Concepts Tensions stemming from diverse understanding of key concepts in contemporary feminist thoughts with their critiques such as intersectionality, agency, empowerment and sexuality will be discussed in this section. These concepts will be applied to debate and discussion of key issues such as reproductive rights, media and representation, pornography etc.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section Four: Post Modernism: Challenges and Dilemmas for Future This section discusses the future challenges and dilemmas for feminism. It will stress on moral dilemmas, reactionary forces and possible backlashes and impediments for a positive feminist future.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section-wise additional reading list
Section One: Contemporary Feminist Thoughts and Debates: An Overview
Section Two: Postmodernism as a Method of Inquiry and Approach of Study
Section Three: Contemporary Feminist Debates: Selected Concepts
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| MSS 2 | Gender and Development: Issues and Debates | 4 |
WGS MSS 2: Gender and Development: Issues and Debates Course Credits: 4
Learning Objectives Students will be acquainted with:
Course Description This course provides a foundation on the critical understanding and analysis of the concepts of “gender” and “development”. It examines development theories/models of the past and provides an understanding of developing an alternate model of development for women in Third World countries. These issues are placed in the context of the emergence of women in the development/gender and development field and the various feminist perspectives which have contributed to it. Issues addressed in this course include the political participation of women, the empowerment process, vulnerability and poverty and gender environment and development (GED). The section also focuses on the role of stake holders in the development process (state, NGO, development partners etc.).
Course Outline Section 1: Understanding Development and the Debate Around It This section looks into socio-economic theories of development, and focuses on contemporary debates around development strategies and policies including structural adjustment, globalization, and the role of the state, governance, non-governmental organization and poverty alleviation. Discussions will focus on the relationships between feminist actions and critiques and the practices of stake holders. Students will be exposed to following areas:
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 2: Gender and Development: Feminist Critiques and Contributions This section focuses on feminist engagements with development theories, postmodernism and gender and development and the debates around it. It also introduces key concepts in the analysis of social relations between women and men in different cultural, economic, and political contexts in relation to gender and development. This includes examining the nature of gender inequality, the household as a construct and reviewing concepts of power and empowerment. The section will also look into the historical journey of the recent developments in feminist theory and feminist methodology within a cross-cultural context.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 3: Empowerment as a Development Approach: Bangladesh Perspectives This section explores the link between development policies and approaches relating to gender and concept of empowerment and the role of the development agencies in this connection. The section also focuses on social transformation and achieving gender equality and its link with participatory approach to development as well as women at the community level. Topics include: definition of empowerment; empowerment as a concept as well as a process; empowerment of women—economic empowerment, social empowerment, political empowerment.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 5: Gender and Development: The NGO ApproachThis section focuses on NGO approaches to women, gender and development in Bangladesh. Mainstreaming gender equality tries to ensure that women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences are integral to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Course contents include: conceptualizing the role of women in the planning and the implementation process, financial allocation for gender and development, mandates of various feminist organizations and development partners in Bangladesh.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
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| MSS 3 | Feminist Research Methodology: Theory and Practice | 4 |
WGS MSS 3: Feminist Research Methodology: Theory and Practice Course Credit: 4
Learning objectives Students will be acquainted with:
Course Description This course mainly deals with advance methodological issues exposing students to various stages of research related to women and gender studies. This course also introduces students to feminist critiques of and contributions to social science. Feminist researchers have favoured qualitative research as it offers the possibility of giving voice to the silenced and of illuminating marginalized perspectives. This approach to sociological inquiry can only be learned through total immersion in the work itself. Feminist social science also raises questions for itself as well: what are the implications for feminist research of the differences among women? Of the inevitable power inequities between the researcher and the researched? This course will explore all of these questions. The course provides graduate students with an overview of feminist methodological issues and dilemmas and an introduction to a variety of research techniques and methods.
Course Outline Section 1: Feminist Challenges to Social Science The section discusses feminist challenges towards traditional social science research with a view to destabilizing objectivity.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 2: Research Ethics in Feminist Research Research ethics is an important area to bring objectivity in the research. This section deals with issues and debates concerning research ethics, its dilemmas and importance to feminist research.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section 3: Feminist Epistemology Feminist epistemology is an important discussion in the area of feminist research and feminist knowledge production. The section focuses on the significance and debates of having feminist epistemology to bring women’s voices to the forefront.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings
Section 4: Feminist Standpoint Theory Feminist Standpoint Theory, one of the significant streams of feminist theorizing, will be discussed in this section highlighting the ways it has contributed to feminist research techniques.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 5: Introduction to Qualitative Research and Feminist Research The section gives an overview of different research methods emphasizing Qualitative research as a method of inquiry for feminist research. The section also highlights the shift of feminist research methods from its traditional form.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 6: Issues of Interpretation The section covers issues of interpretation in relation to writing ethnographic field notes, oral history and other methodologies. Challenges of working with groups and dilemmas with regard to feminist research will be highlighted.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
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| MSS 4 | Gender, Citizenship and Governance | 4 |
WGS MSS 4: Gender, Citizenship and Governance Course Credit: 4
Learning Objectives Students will be acquainted with:
Course Description The course takes on three broad concepts of gender, governance and citizenship, and looks into the different theories and debates that surround these. In doing so, it examines issues like nation, state, nationalism, nationalist struggles, democracy, good governance etc in relation to gender as well as feminism. It will look into women’s roles and position in the state, politics, women’s roles, positions and agenda in national liberal struggles around the world and how women’s role and representations can be increased as well as ensured in politics at all levels through different mechanisms. This course will keep a global, historical perspective, but will simultaneously maintain a closer look at the local context, thus every issue/concept is placed within the local context.
Course Outline Section 1: Conceptual Issues The introductory section starts with concepts of nation, nationalism and its link to gender. It also discusses the issue of ethnicity within the nation/nationalism discourse and how these issues and concepts are linked to each other. Issues like state, nation, nationalism, ethnicity, gender, issues on governance and good governance will also be discussed.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings:
Section 2: Gender, Feminism and the State: Issues of Citizenship This section examines how feminists have viewed the state and women’s role/position within it. This section also explores how women’s relation with the state, in terms of politics, population, governance, health, education, law etc. is constructed. Also identity and difference are perhaps the most discussed concepts in recent times when state and governance is concerned. When these concepts are meshed with gender, they become more challenging and intriguing. This section focuses on what identity, difference and related politics are. These concepts will be especially studied from the perspective of politics, quality and citizenship. Bangladesh will be placed here as a case study for this section. Relevant films, documentaries and fictions can/will be used as a starting point for this section.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings
Section 3: National Liberation Struggles and Women This section traces women’s roles, positions and agenda in national liberal struggles around the world and examines whether women’s movements and women’s issues benefit from these struggles and movements. More emphasis will be given on the Indian subcontinent’s history of nationalist struggles. The case of the Bangladesh Liberation Struggle will be emphasized.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section 4: Democracy: Gender Dimensions This section introduces the concepts of democracy, especially with liberal democracy, and debate how and/or whether democracy is beneficial to women, what impact democracy can have on women’s issues, their positions especially in formal politics etc. The main topic to be covered is the model of liberal democracy and how the women/gender issues are dealt within this system, especially in the context of South Asia. Required Readings
Recommended Readings:
Section 5: Gender and Citizenship This section will have ‘citizenship’ as the topic of study: what are the different concepts/ theories of citizenship, its history and women’s position within this discourse, especially within the theoretical and historical discourse. This section will study the feminist perspectives of citizenship. Students will be encouraged to conceptualize gender and citizenship within the South Asia with special focus on Bangladesh. The main topic/s to be covered: gender issues in citizenship and False Universalism.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section 6: Gender and Governance This section focuses on the concept of governance, especially what constitutes ‘good governance’, and also whether there is anything like ‘good governance’ or not. How gender should be a vital component of good governance is also an issue that is explored as is how gender-mainstreaming can be ensured through good governance by examining case-studies from different South Asian countries. The main topics to be covered are:
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section 8: State, Gender and Affirmative Action The section discusses women and social policies; ensuring women’s representation; and women’s presence in politics. It also discusses the issue of Quota, especially in the context of Bangladesh. It examines whether engendering political parties can be a solution to ensure women’s place in formal politics or not.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
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| Code | Course title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSS 5 | Women in South Asia: A Comperative Perspective | 4 |
WGS MSS 5: Women in South Asia: A Comparative Perspective Course Credit: 4
Learning Objectives Students will be acquainted with:
Course Description The course provides a cross cultural and comparative perspective on what is specific about the South Asian region (specifically Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka). It covers processes of social change, economic development and issues such as the relationship between gender and poverty, education, health, employment, violence against women and identity politics in contemporary South Asia. The course will focus on women’s participation in the post-independence and the social movements and the strategies of the women’s movements and non-governmental organizations in the region, identifying the implications of the gendered dimensions of globalization and militarism from a regional perspective. There will be assessment and comparison of experiences in the region related to good governance, legal reforms and implementation of international human rights instruments etc.
Course Outline Section 1: Introduction and Overview This section presents an introduction focusing mainly on the background situation of each country, specifically on the myths and realities, historical incidents; an analysis of the situation of women in these countries. The analysis will focus on the key areas of concern, such as the position of women’s rights, legal instruments to fight against women’s vulnerable position, progress and achievements made both by the state and NGOs; the impact of international treatise, instruments to address women’s problems. More specifically, constitutions, governance and laws of each country will be discussed in detail.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section 2: Sharing History: Colonial Heritage This section starts with the historical background of the country. It focuses on a comparative situation of the role of women in the independence movement. Commonalities and differences in relation to the colonial heritage will be discussed. More specifically, the impact of war and militarization will be dealt with in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. Commonalities and differences. The section evaluates how women from South Asia have constituted themselves as a legitimate force against the West, militarism and fundamentalism.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings
Section 3: Women and Poverty This section analyses the situation of women and poverty, in the South Asian countries included in the course, identifying the main reasons for women’s poverty, the extent and magnitude of poverty. It will focus on the different dimensions of poverty in these countries, and the strategies adopted both by the government and the non-governmental organizations in addressing women’s poverty in each country.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings:
Section 4: South Asian Women: Movements and Struggles For Equality This section focuses on the situation of women’s vulnerability and deals with the magnitude of violence against women in South Asian countries. It starts with identifying the main causes of violence, describing the different categories. The major interventions to prevent and stop violence against women adopted both by the government and NGOs will be discussed. UN Human Rights instruments (such as the CEDAW) will be discussed in detail.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings:
Section 5: Women Leadership and Governance This section emphasizes the political participation of women in the South Asian context. More specifically, it analyzes women’s political leadership in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The role of women leaders in these countries both at the national and local level will be granted focus, in the perspective of good governance. Success stories will be emphasized as a learning process for other countries. The obstacles of women political leadership in these countries will be analyzed.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings:
Section 6: Globalization and Its Impact on South Asian Women: This section focuses on aspects of globalization; how women and the poor fare; globalization and women’s work; the World Trade Organization and the status of women in the South Asian countries; women, globalization and trafficking; challenges of globalization for these countries. Causes of migration in the context of South Asian countries under study will be discussed. The impact of migration on women will be examined and the benefits and disadvantages of migration will also be explored.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings
Country-wise Additional Reading List:
Bangladesh
Nepal
Sri Lanka
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| MSS 6 | Gender, Poverty and Livelihood | 4 |
WGS MSS 6: Gender, Poverty and Livelihood Course Credit: 4
Learning Objectives Students will be acquainted with:
Course Description This course is designed to equip students with an analytic appreciation of different approaches to defining and assessing poverty. It will examine the work of leading poverty theorists in the light of gender, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The concept and measurement of inequality will be treated with special attention exploring the relationships between gender, poverty and livelihood. The course will examine the impact of economic growth and social development on poverty and gender and vice versa. This course discusses historical trends of globalization and its impact on gender and livelihood with particular reference to the labour market and household (exploring the case of RMG and shrimp in Bangladesh).The course also examines the intra and inter household incidence of relative deprivation and poverty with special emphasis on the feminization of poverty and analyzes the changes in intra household bargaining, consumption patterns and reconstitution of gender relations. A range of policy responses and strategies (global to local) will also be examined. A brief discussion on current policy debates, including the origins and implementation of the national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) will be analyzed. A broad overview of how women are situated in the context of Bangladesh discussing the issues around power, agency, entitlement, access and re conceptualizing household inequality will be elaborated. Women under various categories of the poverty situation i.e. urban and rural poverty, natural and social disasters and its impact on livelihood and resilience from the Bangladesh perspective will also be analyzed. Particular attention will be given to current trends, changes and shifts in the poverty situation in women’s lives as result of NGO activities and programs, government responses and various national and international interventions.
Course Outline Section 1: Concepts of PovertyThe section apprises the students of the conceptual framework underlying current discussions on poverty, and to introduce some issues related to its measurement such as the Uni-dimensional, quantitative and absolute concept of poverty (WB, IMF, Neo Classical Economics) and looking at the multidimensional, qualitative and relative concept of poverty (Marxist school and A. K. Sen. etc.)
Required Readings
Recommended Readings:
Section 2: The Feminisation of PovertyThis section explores the overall gender dimensions of poverty focusing at macro level. Students will be exposed to the following areas:
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 3: Globalisation and Its Impact on Third World Poverty and GenderThe section explores concepts of globalisation and its historical trends. Issues will be raised to elaborate the context of Bangladesh with particular emphasis on the garments industry and shrimp industries, labour migration etc. This section examines: financial flow, commodity flow and labour flow, which specially affects women of Bangladesh in a globalised context.
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings
Section 4: Poverty and Livelihoods in Bangladesh This section examines the poverty situation and how women are situated in rural and urban poverty in the context of Bangladesh. It also explores the evolution of the concept of poverty and categorization particularly in relation to women in Bangladesh (ordinary, hardcore, etc). Students will also be exposed to analysis of growth in sectors and impact on women looking into changes and shift at the global context and its differential effects on men and women. Particular attention will be given to:
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 5: Poverty Eradication: Policy DebatesThis section deals with different approaches to defining and assessing poverty. Current policy debates, including the origins and implementation of national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), and Millennium Development Goals. Strategies for poverty reduction will be discussed with specific reference to WB, IMF approach: PRSP, MDG, Structural approach, Women’s Development Policies etc.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 6: Changes in Women’s Life: Case StudiesStudents will be exposed to several case studies related to poverty and vulnerability. They will also look into various changes that occur in women’s lives due to macro and micro level shifts, and state level efforts and policies. Particular emphasis will be given to:
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
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| MSS 7 | Men and Masculinities in South Asia and Cross Culture Perspectives (Alternative Course) | 4 |
WGS MSS 7: Men and Masculinities in South Asia and Cross Cultural Perspectives (Alternative Course) Course Credit: 4
Learning Objectives Students will be acquainted with:
Course Description This course discusses the issue of men and masculinities to explore how men’s lives are affected and influenced by the gendered social order. Masculinity Studies emerged in response to the critical feminist discourses on women, femininity and gender. By discussing the growing and significant body of knowledge on women, femininity and gender both internationally and in South Asia, the course will critically examine the approaches to the study of men and masculinities and identify key concepts and issues for in-depth consideration. Micro and macro perspectives will guide discussions focusing on how men behave in various contexts and perceive themselves, other men, women, and diverse situations. This course will be interdisciplinary, drawing from research and writing in the social sciences, history, education, literature, social psychology and feminist theory. It will also explore the implications for policy and praxis.
Course Outline
Section 1: Introducing and Conceptualizing Masculinity The section includes the following main topics:
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Required Readings:
Recommended Reading
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Required Readings:
Recommended Readings
Section 2: Theorizing Masculinity The section focuses on different theories of masculinity: social scientific paradigms of masculinity; functionalism and male sex role; gender and functionalism, perspectives on sex gender role etc. the section will also deal with psychoanalytical perspectives of Freud and Jung, moving from first to second wave (pro) feminism.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 3: Masculinity: South Asia and Cross Cultural Perspectives
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
Section 4: Masculinity and Development The section looks into masculinity as a process of development. Masculinity, violence and power relations, masculine identity, power and dominance; hegemonic and subordinate masculinities; challenging male violence will be discussed. Also concepts like homophobia and the policing of masculinity, understanding sex/gender diversity; heteronormativity etc will be dealt with.
Required Readings
Recommended Readings:
Section 5: Praxis and Action - The Men’s Movement- Activism and Policy Interventions The section delves into the current debates and discourses on masculinity, challenges, men’s movement and activism and policy interventions.
Required Readings Will be provided by the course teacher.
Recommended Readings Will be provided by the course teacher.
Additional Reading List
Main text throughout the section
For Section 3: Masculinity: South Asia and Cross Cultural Perspectives
For Section 4: Masculinity and Development
Journals Men and Masculinities Gender and Society Feminist Review Feminist Studies |
| MSS 8 | Comprehensive | 4 |
WGS MSS 08: Comprehensive
Course Credit: 4
Students are required to sit for a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination covers areas taught during the Masters level ranging from first year Masters to the final year Masters. The comprehensive written examination is followed by a viva voce examination. Comprehensive questions paper follows the standard pattern.
Written comprehensive examination comprises fifty percent and viva voce comprises fifty percent marks. |
| MSS 6 | Thesis | 4 |
WGS MSS 6: Thesis Course Credit: 4 Based on their honors final examination results, some students will be allowed to write a thesis in their chosen area on women and gender studies. The thesis will be written instead of the thought course WGS MSS 6. It should have a standard word count of not less than 10,000 words. Students are responsible to arrange their supervisor on a mutually agreed basis. The thesis is followed by a viva voce examination. The written thesis comprises seventy percent and the viva comprises thirty percent marks. Department will announce submission deadline and schedule if and when required. |