BPA2104 Gender and development

This course aims to introduce you to the various approaches and assumptions that are implicit in the phrase Gender and Development. The everyday use of the term Development assumes that societies are on a linear path of continuous material improvement in terms of technology, economics, population growth, health, and education. Secondly, the phrase Gender and Development is usually understood to mean that women need to be brought on board the development project. Critics of the linear approach to development argue that social change linked to colonialism and migration in the third world have contributed to these societies’ economic and social underdevelopment. Similarly, feminists have argued that development for women is more complex than a simple process of adding women to general development.

Course objectives
The specific objectives of this are:

• To equip students with skills and knowledge to identify and analyse the importance of gender equity in development.
• To provide individuals with analytical knowledge and skills on organizational capacity building in relation to gender and development.
• To equip individuals with practical skills for gender mainstreaming in development.
• Prepare individuals to pursue careers in community development, education, government, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and religious organizations

Learning out comes
By the end of this course, the students will be able to:

• Understand Gender and Women’s Studies as an academic field of study, be familiar with its major concepts, history, assumptions, and theories/theorists, and recognize its epistemological and methodological diversity and character. 
• Recognize the intersections between gender and other social and cultural identities, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, class and sexuality. 
• Analyze the ways in which societal institutions and power structures impact the material realities of women’s lives. 
• Articulate connections between global, regional, and local issues, and their relationship to women’s experiences and to human rights, with an awareness of the importance of context. 
• Engage in promoting social justice and human rights