Contextualizing Gender Course | IIT Roorkee | Prof. Rashmi Gaur
Course Details
| Exam Registration | 1089 |
|---|---|
| Course Status | Ongoing |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 12 weeks |
| Categories | Humanities and Social Sciences, English Studies |
| Credit Points | 3 |
| Level | Undergraduate/Postgraduate |
| Start Date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| End Date | 10 Apr 2026 |
| Enrollment Ends | 02 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Registration Ends | 20 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Date | 19 Apr 2026 IST |
| NCrF Level | 4.5 — 8.0 |
Contextualizing Gender: A 12-Week Deep Dive into the Fabric of Society
Gender is not a standalone concept; it is a pervasive force that shapes our institutions, ideologies, and daily interactions. For students seeking to understand the complex interplay between gender, culture, and power, the course Contextualizing Gender, offered by the esteemed Prof. Rashmi Gaur of IIT Roorkee, presents a seminal opportunity. This 12-week undergraduate/postgraduate program provides an interdisciplinary framework to critically analyze gender as an intersectional and evolving construct.
About the Course and the Instructor
This course moves beyond simplistic definitions to explore gender as a dynamic process. It investigates how gender inequality is produced, how sexuality and masculinity are constructed, and how gendered processes interact with race, class, and technology. The curriculum is designed to stimulate nuanced discussion and equip students with theoretical tools to deconstruct the social world.
The course is led by Prof. Rashmi Gaur, a distinguished academic with over three decades of experience in Communication, Culture, Gender Studies, and Media at IIT Roorkee. With guidance of 12 Ph.D. theses, four books, and more than ninety research publications, Prof. Gaur brings immense scholarly depth. Her extensive international collaborations and work in Media and Digital Humanities ensure the course is both globally informed and contemporary.
Who Should Take This Course?
INTENDED AUDIENCE: This course is ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate students across disciplines—especially in Humanities, Social Sciences, and English Studies—who are interested in understanding the foundational and cutting-edge theories of gender. It's perfect for those looking to build a critical, interdisciplinary perspective on social structures.
Course Layout: A 12-Week Intellectual Journey
The course is meticulously structured to build knowledge from foundational feminist thought to futuristic post-human conceptions of gender.
| Week | Focus Area & Key Thinkers |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Intersecting Gender and Feminism; Simone de Beauvoir |
| Week 2 | Gender and Race: Black Feminism and Intersectionality |
| Week 3 | Gender Blurring: Toni Morrison, Nancy Chodorow, Teresa de Lauretis |
| Week 4 | Introducing Queer Theory: Eve Sedgwick and Gayle Rubin |
| Week 5 | Gender and Nonconformity in Queer Literature |
| Week 6 | Gender Performativity: Judith Butler |
| Week 7 | Gender, Speech and Subjectivity: Judith Butler |
| Week 8 | Precarity, Assembly, Global Gender Movements: Judith Butler |
| Week 9 | Contemporary Masculinities and Men's Studies |
| Week 10 | Cyborg Women & Gendered Body Tech: Anne Balsamo |
| Week 11 | Biopolitics of the Gendered Body: Jemima Repo, Donna Haraway |
| Week 12 | Post-Human Futures: Rosi Braidotti and Francesca Ferrando |
Why This Course is Essential Today
The course's forward-looking modules on cyborgs, biopolitics, and post-humanism are particularly crucial. It addresses how emerging technologies—like Artificial Intelligence—create new forms of scientific biopower, challenging traditional categories of 'human,' 'woman,' and 'man.' This prepares students to critically engage with the ethical and social dimensions of our digital, post-industrial future.
Key Texts and Reading Materials
The course draws on a rich canon of gender theory and literature. Key texts include:
- Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex.
- Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble and Bodies That Matter.
- Morrison, Toni. Beloved.
- Sedgwick, Eve K. Epistemology of the Closet.
- Balsamo, Anne. Technologies of the Gendered Body.
- Braidotti, Rosi. The Posthuman.
- Connell, R.W. Masculinities.
- Repo, Jemima. The Biopolitics of Gender.
Enrolling in Contextualizing Gender with Prof. Rashmi Gaur is more than taking a course; it's an investment in developing a critical lens to analyze the past, present, and future of gender relations. It promises to be a transformative academic experience for any student ready to engage with the complex questions defining our social world.
Enroll Now →