IIT Bombay creates must-for-all course on gender awareness

Gender awareness and sensitivity are competencies that are highly valued today. Representation pic

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has made a ‘Gender Awareness Course' a must for all students. The objective of the course is to make the institute more gender-aware and a comfortable place for all. While the course will be rolled out only for students initially, it will subsequently be extended to faculty and staff as well.

"The Gender Cell at IIT Bombay has come out with a beautifully crafted MOOCs course on gender awareness. The academic Senate of the Institute has now made it a zero credit, pass/no-pass compulsory self-study course for all students," read the post by Director Prof Subhasis Chaudhuri.

He added, "Being a premier technology institution, we tend to have fewer women students than men. Sometimes this makes life a bit difficult to adjust for female students. The Gender Cell at IITB has been working very hard to make the experiences of our students in the campus a lot more pleasant."

Course in Hindi, English

Rowena Robinson, convenor, at the IIT Bombay Gender Cell, said, "The new course ‘Gender in the workplace' is rolling out for students soon, and will subsequently be available for all staff and faculty. It is in the online mode in both English and Hindi and its objective is to sensitise individuals with regard to the broader issues of gender discrimination and inequality. The course shows how sexual harassment is a blatant form of gender inequality and while it focuses on how the Institute exercises its responsibility in dealing with this issue, it also emphasises that it needs to be addressed collectively.

"The course lays out the systemic issues of patriarchy, power and gender inequality that underlie gender stereotypes, discrimination and sexual harassment. It emphasises that it is important to understand this social and cultural context in order to bring about a change in attitudes and tackle gender inequalities and sexual harassment seriously."

She continued, "At the same time, we understand that gender sensitivity and awareness in the modern, global corporate workplace are no longer merely issues of compliance with the law but are competencies that are highly valued. Hence, it is important for us to train and enhance the knowledge and capacities of our students to fit seamlessly and contribute more effectively in gender-diverse teams, offices and workplaces anywhere in the world."

It has also been proposed to make the course available online for other educational institutions to train their members.

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No. of languages in which the course will be available online