DOING GENDER STUDIES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA: THE IMPACT ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS LIVES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract

 The Gender Studies Program was introduced as a discipline within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya in 1994. Gender studies as a discipline has, since its inception, been viewed as a transformative project which imparts not only knowledge and learning but significantly affects all areas of lives of those who participate in it. The aim of this article is to determine whether Gender Studies training impacts on our undergraduate students' lives. The findings from this paper will highlight whether the Gender Studies Program, University Malaya has met its objectives in creating gender awareness and critical thinking in individuals who can shape a just and equal society free from all discriminations particularly discrimination against women. It is important to conduct this analysis as Gender Studies training contributes towards feminists' activism through its teaching and learning process. Besides examining the impact of Gender Studies on our undergraduate students' lives, the other dimension to the paper is also to obtain feminist critiques about the significance of Gender Studies as an academic entity and feminism as a social movement. The article will be divided into seven parts which includes: introduction, a brief history of the Gender Studies Program, University of Malaya, and significance of the study, literature review, methodology, findings  and conclusion.