The Department of Gender and Women Studies launched its flagship BS program in Gender Studies (4-Year) in Autumn 2019, offering a unique and diverse amalgamation of courses cantered around gender and women's studies. The inaugural batch was admitted during this period, and subsequent batches were enrolled in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. This program adheres to the HEC's curriculum guidelines outlined for BS Gender Studies in 2017. However, in response to HEC's initiative to phase out MA/MSc programs, there is a significant demand to introduce a BS Gender Studies (2.5-year) program tailored for BA/BSc degree holders. Following the HEC's directives, BA/BSc degree holders can transit to the BS Gender Studies program in the 4th semester, which is designed as a bridging semester. However, right after five years of its offering, it is being revised to streamline and bring it to par with the HEC’s ‘Undergraduate Education Policy (2023)’. The primary objective of this policy is to promote student success which is envisioned as the ability to comprehend and apply conceptual knowledge, acquire professional skills and competencies, and act as an individual having strong civic and ethical values of tolerance and inclusiveness.

This program primarily caters to young learners of gender studies with limited prior exposure, integrating foundational and specialized courses from the field. The aim is to nurture critical skills essential for pursuing future higher education objectives. Moreover, this program seeks to foster intense academic discourse, while also laying the groundwork for advanced studies within the department, including an MPhil in Gender Studies and women studies and a PhD in Gender & Women Studies with a linguistic emphasis. Simultaneously, it aims to offer prospective candidates for similar programs in other higher education institutions across the country.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective is to achieve the highest possible standards of education, teaching and research in Gender and Women Studies. More specific objectives are to:

• Enhance the qualification of those who could not continue their education after HSSC through formal universities.
• Impart sound theoretical and applied knowledge of interdisciplinary field of Gender and Women Studies.
• Develop students critical thinking and approach to become future potential social scientists in the field of Gender and Women Studies.
• Provide a thorough understanding of the feminist concerns  pertaining  to  local,  national,  and international gender issues that hinder sustainable development and HDI ranking of Pakistan.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• To provide the general knowledge of the basic concepts, terminology, and perspectives to understand socially embedded gender discrimination and inequalities
• To provide the basic knowledge of various feminist theories concerning health, education, development, religion, economy, literature, psychology, and other fields of life.
• To enable the students to attain basic understanding of the core courses of the discipline.
• To empower the students for getting different theoretical and analytical skills
• To strengthen the students for understanding the policy formulation processes at various levels that hinder the goal to attain sustainable development.