Fourth Year

Course Outcomes

CO1: Understanding the existence and implications of gender inequality in education in India.

CO2: Interpreting and analyzing the role of gender in educational contexts and society at large.

CO3: Exploring the relationship between gender and schooling.

CO4: Identifying gender perspectives in key education policy documents in India.

Course Content

Unit I: Understanding Gender

· Defining gender

· Features and definitions of gender inequality

· Overview of gender inequality in education in India – key statistics and trends

Unit II: The Construction of Gender

· Historical roots of gender construction in India

            Patriarchy and its socio-cultural origins

· Role of socialization: family, culture, and the formation of gender roles

· Gender roles and female stereotypes in Indian society

Unit III: Gender and Schooling

· Gender issues in access to education

· Organization of schooling and its gendered dimensions

· Representation of gender in textbooks

· Gender dynamics in the classroom and peer interactions

Unit IV: Gender and the Constitution of India

· Constitutional provisions related to women’s education in India

· Universal Elementary Education (UEE) and government programmes for women’s education

Unit V: Gender and Education Policy in India

A critical reading of key policy documents from a gender perspective:

· Kothari Commission (1964-66)

· National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986

· National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005

Texts & References

Ø Chanana, Karuna (Ed.) (1988). Socialisation, Education and Women. Orient Longman, New Delhi.

Ø Mandell, Nancy (Ed.) (1995). Feminist Issues: Race, Class and Sexuality. Prentice Hall, Ontario.

Ø Nambissan, Geeta B. (1999). Gender and Education: The Social Context of Schooling Girl Children in India.