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BS Gender & Women Studies

Introduction

The Department of Gender and Women Studies launched its flagship BS degree program in Gender Studies (4 years) in 2019. However, HEC's new UEP Policy requires the launching of a new BS degree program in Gender and Women Studies (4 years) with a distinctive and inclusive array of courses centred around gender, women studies, and related fields. The BS Gender Studies program is designed to furnish young learners with foundational education and instruction in the realms of gender studies and women’s issues. This program’s primary goal is to cultivate essential research competencies, enabling students to engage with matters concerning Pakistani society at large, specifically focusing on practices related to gender studies and women's rights.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective is to achieve the highest possible standards of education, teaching, and research in Gender and Women Studies. More specific objectives are to:

  •  
  • Enhance the qualification of those who could not continue their education after HSSC through formal universities.
  • Impart sound theoretical and applied knowledge of the interdisciplinary field of Gender and Women Studies.
  • Develop student’s critical thinking and approach to become future potential social scientists in the field of Gender and Women Studies.
  • Provide a thorough understanding of the feminist concerns of local, national, and international gender issues that hinder sustainable development and the HDI ranking of Pakistan.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  •  
  • To provide the general knowledge of the basic concepts, terminology, and perspectives to understand socially embedded gender discrimination and inequalities
  • To provide the basic knowledge of various feminist theories concerning health, education, development, religion, economy, literature, psychology, and other fields of life.
  • To enable the students to attain a basic understanding of the core courses of the discipline.
  • To empower the students to get different theoretical and analytical skills
  • To strengthen the students understanding of the policy formulation processes at various levels that hinder the goal of attaining sustainable development.

 

Eligibility Criteria

An applicant having an intermediate/higher secondary school pass certificate or equivalent is eligible for admission. There is no further merit determination or age restriction. All candidates who fulfil this criterion is admitted to the BS GWS degree program.

Selection Process

Open Merit

Duration

4 years

Medium of Instruction

English

Teaching Methodology

Open Distance Learning

Total Credits Hours Required

132

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Functional English

Functional English

General Education

3(3+0)

9382

2

Basics of Environmental Sciences

Natural Science

General Education

3(2+1)

9389

3

Quantitative Reasoning-I

Quantitative Reasoning

General Education

3(3+0)

9424

4

Perspective of Gender Studies

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9162

5

Social Construction of Gender

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9170

 

Total

   

15

 

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Expository Writing

Expository Writing

General Education

3(3+0)

9381

2

Islamiat / Ethics (for Non-Muslim)

Islamic Studies / Ethics

General Education

3(3+0)

9401 / 5437

3

Application of Information and Communication Technologies

ICT

General Education

3(2+1)

9384

4

Quantitative Reasoning-II

Quantitative Reasoning

General Education

3(3+0)

9383

5

Women and Media

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9165

6

Perspective of Women’s Rights in Islam

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9168

7

Pakistan Studies

Social Sciences

General Education

3(3+0)

9374

 

Total

   

21

 

 

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Introduction to Sociology: Society & Culture

Social Sciences

General Education

3(3+0)

9410

2

Ideology and Constitution of Pakistan

Ideology and Constitution

General Education

3(3+0)

9378

3

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

General Education

3(3+0)

5026

4

Literature of Pakistani Languages

Arts & Humanities

General Education

3(3+0)

9006

5

Civics and Community Engagement

Civics and Community Engagement

General Education

3(3+0)

9385

6

Gender & Development

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9160

 

Total

   

18

 

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Psychology of Gender

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9151

2

Women and Development

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9161

3

Men & Masculinities

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9171

4

Women’s Movements in Global Perspective

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9173

5

Feminist Philosophy

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9176

6

Gender & Religion

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9181

 

Total

   

18

 

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Feminism in Islam

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9158

2

Sociology of Gender

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9447

3

Gender & International Relations

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9174

4

Gender and Law

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9175

5

Community Development

Interdisciplinary (ID)

Interdisciplinary

3(3+0)

9436

6

Fahm-e-Quran (Tajwid, Translation and Tafsir)

Compulsory

Non-Credit

Non-Credit

9487

 

Total

   

15

 

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Seerat-e-Tayyaba

Compulsory

Non-Credit

Non-Credit

9488

2

Sociology of Child Rights & Child Development

Interdisciplinary (ID)

Interdisciplinary

3(3+0)

9433

3

Applied Statistics in Gender Studies

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9156

4

Pakistani Perspective of Gender Studies

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9163

5

Introduction to Anthropology

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9169

6

Gender & Policy Planning

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9178

 

Total

   

15

 

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Internship

Compulsory

Internship

3(3+0)

9185

2

Soft Skills (Personality Development)

Interdisciplinary (ID)

Interdisciplinary

3(3+0)

9201

3

Feminist Debates on Gender Inequalities

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9157

4

Women & Environment

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9167

5

Gender & Post-Colonial Studies

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9172

 

Total

   

15

 

Sr. No.

Course Title

Area / Subject Area

Category

Credit Hours

Course Code

1

Lifespan Development of Women: Psychosocial Context

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

8308

2

Changing Role of Urban Women

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9164

3

Research Methods in Gender Studies

Major Subject

Major

3(3+0)

9155

4

Capstone Project

Compulsory

Project

3(3+0)

9186

5

Information Literacy

Interdisciplinary (ID)

Interdisciplinary

3(3+0)

9204

 

Semester Total

   

15

 
 

1

2

3

4

5

Semesters

08

Workshop

The online workshop for each course will comprise of 12 hours, with 2 hours daily for 6 days except for the teaching practice and project as per AIOU policy. Each semester will have a workshop for the courses offered in that particular semester. There will be an online quiz for every course at the end of the workshop.

Assessment Weightage

Assignments (Weightage) Workshop (Attendance & Quizzes) (Weightage) Final Exam (Weightage) Passing Marks 
20% 30% Quiz 50% 50% (in aggregate). However, 40% marks in final exams is mandatory.

Note: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) reserves the right to amend the fee structure policy, course offering and assessment of courses when required. The existing course(s) will be adopted/adapted as per requirement. The department may change the sequence of the course(s) offering as per availability of course(s).