Promoting Gender Studies in Georgia

Donor organization: UNDP Regional Programme “Gender and Politics in the South Caucasus”

From June 2008 CSS is implementing project Promoting Gender Studies in Georgia funded by UNDP Regional Programme “Gender and Politics in the South Caucasus”. Project duration is 5 months and it aims at increasing awareness on gender equality issues by introducing Gender Studies to students in Georgia.

Project objectives are to

• create a space for introducing Gender Studies to interested students throughout the country via two summer schools;

• support the students to exchange research ideas and findings on a student conference that will follow the summer schools and to recruit students from the regions of Georgia into the MSocSc graduate programme in Gender Studies.

The CSS Gender Studies Program Faculty members are involved in implementation of the project including selection of students, design and substance of the summer schools.

Preparatory work was implemented in June. CSS carried out first summer school in Kutaisi. 36 participants were involved in it. Tbilisi summer school was held in August and 38 students participated in training.

Course program included the following sessions:

1. Introduction to historical ecolution of women’s rights

2. Introduction to Feminist Theory

3. Introduction to Feminist Philosphy Gendered policy-making, gender and development

4. Introduction to gender and migration

5. Introducion to gender and politics

6. Violence against Women(with gocus on trafficking in human beings, domestic violence), women and HIV / AIDS

7. Gender and Work

8. Research Methods

9. Academic Writing

Successful students of both summer schools are participating in students’ conference to be held on October 8 at CSS.