The Centre

UGC Centre for Women’s Studies (erstwhile Women Cell) was established in 1988 in the Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur. The Centre has been receiving financial assistance from University Grant Commission (UGC) since 2005 under its 10th plan. Women’s Studies as a discipline encompasses a core area of theory and draws knowledge from various areas across the disciplines from Social Sciences, Sciences and Humanities that make it interdisciplinary in nature. It focuses on a comprehensive, critical and balanced understanding of women and Gender questions in India's socio-political, economic and cultural realities and governance highlights women's contribution to society and social processes. it also attempts to enable and their perception of their own lives, the broader social reality and their struggles and aspirations.

This is the only center in the state of Rajasthan, offering academic courses in Women’s Studies. It functions on the four-fold aspect of the discipline with Academics, Research, Documentation and Extension Activity which are presently being carried out under Honorary Director, Assistant Professor (one, Permanent), Guests Faculties (two).Striving towards developing empathetic behaviour, acceptance for diverse group like person with disability, different sexuality & ideologies among the learners,the curriculum has been designed to provide theoretical, practical & applied knowledge along with field visits.

The Centre has been actively engaged in a skill and capacity development programs for tribal and rural women to equip with their own skills, for the same, Diploma Courses in which sewing, designing, traditional handicrafts and various other skills have been designed. The Centre has also conducted various events, awareness programs at the state, national and international levels.

With the objective of creating a vibrant community of feminist academics, students, artists and gender-sensitive human being, following eminent scholars from various departments have provided guidance and shape to the centre.

Faculty Members

Prof. Sudha Chaudhary, Honorary Director

Dr. Garima Mishra, Assistant Professor

Programs Offered

B.A. (Gender Studies)                                                         3 years (6 semesters)

M.A. in Women’s Studies (proposed)                               2 years (4 semesters)

Ph.D. in Women’s Studies

Certificate Course on Women and Legal Rights (under RUSA)       6 months

Objectives

• Establish itselfas a research hub for women and gender issues in southern Rajasthan, especially in the tribal areas.
• Achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal of Promoting Equality & Empowerment of Women.
• Develop gender perspective in curriculum material, extension activities and socially relevant research
• Promote and nurture gender-just attitude among the students and academic community to create a society that stands beyond the gender binary.
• Build knowledge base on women’s issues in national and global perspectives.
• Contribute substantially through research to bring about policy change for the economic and social development of women to promote inclusion of women in the development of all sectors and enhance leadership qualities.

Thrust Area

• Women in Indian Perspective (to address current and future challenges)
• Legal Rights of women
• Women in tribal institutions and specific rural communities
• Community development with gender perspective
• Health and hygiene

Salient Features 

• Students from diverse strata of society: class, sex, caste, sexuality and specially-abled
• Special session(s)/ class(es) for general socio political economic awareness like technical, financial &social media awareness
• Regular use of ICT toolsand screening of Film/ short film for efficient subject understanding
  • Pink, Dangal, Parched, Period – end of the sentence, The great Indian Kitchen, Rajya Sabha videos on Matriarchy
• 4-week Internship with civil society for all the students of UG course (3^rd year)
• Generate employability for graduate students in government and non-government organizations
• Mandatory internship for third year students of UG program.
• Information Dissemination Initiative – dissemination of primary and secondary data  on gender issues on social media in both English and Hindi Languages.

Research Activities

• One Junior Research Fellow enrolled in the Centre
• Research project under RUSA 2.0 - Impact Assessment of Awareness about Women’s Legal Rights through Advocacy of Course on “Women and Legal Rights”
• Publications – 6 articles published in peer – reviewed and UGC Care list journal, 2 chapters in books (Routledge Tayler & Francis Group)
• Enumerated Bibliographyconsisting of researches by Faculty Members & research scholars of Universityin the field of Women’s & Gender issues/ Feminism.
• Conference on Women and Gender Studies with an interdisciplinary approach
• Engagement with civil society/ community at grass root level through various extension activities

Infrastructure

• One Class cum smart Room
• Departmental Library consisting of more than 1000 books of Women/feminist studies/ feminist literature

Innovative measures and Best Practices

• National & international collaborations like collaboration with NCW, menstrualhygieneday.org
• Translation of UN awareness posters into local language
  • • Posters on Breastfeeding translated from English to Hindi language
• Student clubs in the centre for various purposes to inculcate leadership and team spirit
  • • Social media club, film screening club, library club
• Field visits and surveys by students to give them exposure for basic research technique at under graduate level
  • • Survey on facilities for persons with disabilities in UCSSH, MLSU
    • Survey on gender inclusive campus in UCSSH, Law College, MDS Girls Hostel, MLSU
    • field visits to Mahila Thana, Amrita Haat, visit adopted villages by the university
    • Mandatory internship for final year undergraduate students for work exposure
    • Internship in Jatan organization and job opportunities in civil society and non-government organisations

ACTIVITIES

• Induction programfor students
• Extension lectures/ sessions/ workshops  on relevant topics related to curriculum

• National Seminar on Women and Gender Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach
• One-week workshop with construction workers with special focus on Adolescent Girls (Career perspective, health & hygiene, financial literacy, cyber security, covid-19 preventive measures)
• One-week workshop on Theatre education& performance on Nukkadnatak in the city
• 15-day Skill Enhancement Course in English
• Career Counselling – Competitive Examination
• Celebration of International Women’s Day

• Engagement with community through awareness programs like breastfeed week, mental health day etc.
• Performance of Theatre play, Nukkad Natakfor sensitization
  • • NukkadNatak: ‘Soch’ prepared and performed by the students
    • Stage Performances: “Kissa Maujpur Ka” and “LehronkeRajhans”

• Free certificate course for thegirls living in slums of Mumbaion “Women & Legal Rights” in collaboration with Mumbai based NGO “GharBachaoGharBanao”
• Use of social media for information dissemination(Instagram id – cws_mlsu_udaipur)