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It belongs to you for life
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At your own pace
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Affordable, really
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A national-level curriculum
The whole programme on eGyanKosh ↗Programme guide ↗Download the earlier edition in one go (.zip) ↗
First year · The foundations: how feminist thought came to be, and how gender shapes power, art and bodies.
MWG-101Theories of Women's and Gender StudiesFrom the first women’s movements to queer liberation and the big feminist theories.1History of Movements2Women and/in Movements3Queer Liberation4Feminist Critiques of Knowledge5Feminist TheoriesRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-102Gender and PowerHow gender meets caste, class, the state and the family.1Concepts2Gender and other Structural Inequalities3Gender, State and Community4Gender and InstitutionsWith writing by Samita Sen, Mary E. John, Deepti Priya Mehrotra, Dipta BhogRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-103Constructing Gender through Arts and MediaLiterature, cinema, performance and images: how culture makes gender.1Gender and Literature2Gender, Film and Cinema3Gender and Performance4Visualising GenderWith writing by Himadri Roy, Anu Aneja, Mallika Banerjee, Madhvi DesaiRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-104Gendered Bodies and SexualitiesBodies, disability, motherhood and sexual cultures.1Embodiment I2Embodiment II3Abled Bodies and Disability4The Mother’s Body5Sexual CulturesWith writing by Renu Addlakha, Shilpa Anand, Sanjay Srivastava, Anu AnejaRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MANE-004Gender and SocietyGender in families, work and cultures, in India and around the world.1Approaches to the Study of Gender2Theorising Gender3Social Construction of Gender4Gender and Work5Women in IndiaWith writing by Kamala Ganesh, Shubhadra Mitra Channa, Abhik GhoshRead free on eGyanKosh ↗ Second year · Go deeper: research methods, then the nation, politics, the economy, life writing and more.
MWG-005Research MethodsHow to do feminist research of your own, from interviews to numbers.1Feminist and Gender-based Research2Qualitative Research3Quantitative Research4Designing a Research ProjectWith writing by Kiran Prasad, Nilima Srivastava, Renu Addlakha, Usha BandeRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-106Gendered NationWho the nation imagines, who it leaves out, and what violence does to women.1Nation and Imagination2Interrogating the Nation3Gender, Sexuality, Nation4Violence, Marginalisation and Militarisation5Transnational Gendered IdentitiesWith writing by Uma Chakravarti, Karen Gabriel, P. K. Vijayan, K. Suneetha RaniRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-107Gender and PostmodernismDiscourse, the postcolonial and the subject, through writing.1Introducing Postmodernism2Ideology, Discourse and Gender3Postmodernism and Postcolonialism4Tracing Gender in Postmodern Writing5Inscribing the SubjectWith writing by Sharon Pillai, Anu Aneja, Sutapa Chaudhuri, Devaleena DasRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-108Gender and Life NarrativesMemoir, autobiography and testimony: voices from the margins.1Genre and Gender2Feminist Interventions3The Body through Life Narratives4Voices from the MarginsWith writing by Meenakshi Malhotra, Usha Bande, Naina Dey, Devaleena DasRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-109Women and Social StructureFamily, class, caste, tribe and religion, from women’s lives.1Women and Social Structure2Family3Class4Caste5Tribe6ReligionWith writing by Sunita Dhal, Bindhulakshmi P., Madhumita BiswalRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-110Women and Political ProcessWomen’s agency in politics, elections, conflict and the law.1Feminism and the Political2Re-tracing History3Women’s Agency after Independence4Women and Electoral Process5Women and Political Conflict6Political EmpowermentWith writing by Flavia Agnes, Krishna Menon, Mandakini PantRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWG-111Women in the EconomyUnpaid work, paid work, migration and globalisation.1Conceptualising Women's Work2Debates in Women’s Work3Participation4Migration5Legislation, Social Protection and Policy6Women and GlobalisationWith writing by Vibhuti Patel, Mondira Dutta, Nilima Srivastava, Saumya UmaRead free on eGyanKosh ↗MWGP-101Project ManualYour own research project: how to plan, write and submit it.1Choosing a topic2Writing your projectRead free on eGyanKosh ↗ - Apply onlineAdmissions open twice a year, for the January and July sessions. All you need is a bachelor’s degree in any subject.
- ReadEvery course book is free online (the prospectus says whether printed copies are posted for your session). Read at your own pace.
- Write assignmentsA few assignments a course, submitted to your study centre or online.
- Take the examsTerm-end exams at a centre near you, in June and December. Two years, with extra time allowed if you need it, and the MA is yours.
IGNOU admissions ↗Read the prospectus (PDF) ↗
Dates, fees and rules change from session to session: always check the admission site and the prospectus before you apply.
I’m a student · or want to be one
Get a master’s in women’s and gender studies, at your own pace
IGNOU, India’s national open university, offers an MA in Women’s and Gender Studies that you can do from anywhere, alongside a job, a family or another degree. The best part? Every course book is free to read online, right now, before you even apply.
Why study (again)?
A degree is one thing no one can take from you. For women especially, every year of learning is independence, options and a voice that carries further.
Open learning means no daily classes. You read at home, write assignments, and sit exams at a centre near you. Working, caring for family, in your 20s or your 60s: it fits.
About ₹8,000 a year for the MA, and every course book is free online. Eligible students can apply for Government of India scholarships too.
IGNOU is a central university set up by the Government of India, and with over 3 million students, the largest university in the world. The course books are written by leading Indian feminist scholars, the same names you meet in our reading lists.
Talk to someone who has done it
Our founder has two master’s degrees from IGNOU, earned while working, and is planning a third master’s and a PhD, alongside her job. Questions about choosing a course, admission, assignments, exams, or just whether you can manage it? She is happy to help, every step of the way.
Every course book, free to read
These are the course books for the MA in Women’s and Gender Studies (MAWGS), on eGyanKosh, IGNOU’s free open library. Open any course to read or download its blocks as PDFs. No login, no fee. Dip in before you apply, or read them just because they are brilliant.
How it works, in four steps
Not sure it’s gender studies? Explore other MAs
IGNOU offers master’s degrees across the social sciences and humanities, on the same open, affordable terms. A few to look at:
Studying already? Bring what you are reading to a Book Meet Sunday, or follow the reading path for gender studies students.
