Course Overview

Course Title: Gender in Development and Education

Relevant SDGs: SDG5 – Gender Equality; SDG4 – Quality Education 

Credit(s): 2(32h)

Course Description:

Promoting gender equality and educational equity stands as a pivotal objective within the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It encapsulates empowering women and girls, transcending mere fundamental rights to deeply intertwine with global peace and societal progress. Education emerges as a potent avenue to bolster the agency of women on a worldwide scale, with educational equity and gender equality acting in symbiosis. This course, framed on a global canvas, aims to showcase exemplary policies and practical implementations of gender equality and educational equity across nations, guided by the SDGs.

Expertise from professionals engaged in international organizations will illuminate the forefront of educational practices fostering gender equality globally. Leveraging a project-based learning approach, integrating timeless theories from education and sociology, participants will acquire research knowledge and methodologies pertinent to the subject matter. The course endeavors to equip students with fundamental insights into gender and education within the realm of international development. Students will grasp cutting-edge policies and practices in the global arena, broadening their global perspective and nurturing a sense of a shared human destiny—a crucial component of a sustainable future.

Furthermore, students will delve into educational and sociological theories, engaging in profound interactions and collaboration with international peers from diverse disciplines. This cross-disciplinary exchange aims to enhance their global competence

Academic Team

PI:

• Ziyin Xiong, Lecturer, SJTU/School of Education, ziyin.xiong@sjtu.edu.cn

Collaborators:

• Marek Kwiek, professor, UNESCO Chair in Institutional Research and Higher Education Policy, director of Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities (IAS) and Center for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), AMU University of Poznan, Poland. marek.kwiek@amu.edu.pl
• Zhang Xianshuang, Gender Specialist at Asian Development Bank, xzhang9.consultant@adb.org

What skills will students get?

1. An in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the SDG goal related to gender and education 
2. The critical thinking skill that can be used to reflect real-world issues related to gender inequity
3. The skills of knowing how to promote gender equity and advocate for the SDG goals in daily life
4. The ability to work with peers in a multi-cultural context and build the culture sensitiveness  
5. The knowledge of conducting social science-related research and skills in proposal writing

Mode of Teaching

This course will be arranged in mixed-mode combing online and offline teaching. The following teaching methods will be used:

1. Project-based learning  
   Students will be introduced to a number of real-world women-empowerment projects that were launched by NGOs, based on which students will be invited to think and write a project proposal that addresses gender-related issues.
2. Collaborative learning 
   During the course, students will be divided into study groups to conduct collective reading, discussion, presentation and work on an assignment. 
3. Flipped classroom 
   The reading materials and teaching contents will be delivered to students prior to the course. The reading tasks will be sent to students to guide their self-learning. During the course, students are invited to share their reading reviews and reflections and engage in collective activities. 

Grading

1. Attendance: 30%;
2. Group presentation: 40%;
3. Final program summary: 30%

Course-specific Restrictions

This course is targeted to undergraduate students, no restriction for the majors and years of undergraduates. Students with different disciplinary background are particularly welcomed in this course.

Class Schedule

Instructors

Xiong Ziyin

Xiong Ziyin, Lecturer in the school of education at SJTU. She obtained her PhD degree at the University of Toulouse, France. Before this, she completed her Master's degree in international development and education at University College London and a Bachelor's degree at Beijing Normal University. From 2019 to 2021, she worked at the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) as an Education Policy Consultant for the Directorate of Education and Skills. Dr. Xiong has been involved in a number of international and country-level projects that focused on the comparative analysis of education systems and education policies in international development.

Marek Kwiek

Marek Kwiek, professor (full) and chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Institutional Research and Higher Education Policy, director of Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities (IAS) and Center for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), AMU University of Poznan, Poland. His research area is quantitative studies of science, sociology of science and higher education research. He currently focuses on international research collaboration, academic productivity, stratification in science, and global academic elites.

Zhang Xianshuang

Zhang Xianshuang, currently works as a gender specialist at Asian Development Bank (ADB). Her work focuses on gender mainstreaming in private sector operations for advancing gender equality in Asia and the Pacific. She has been involved in several regional initiatives to promote equality and empowerment of women and girls.

Before joining ADB, Xianshuang worked with various international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Tanzania, and Save the Children China. She has been involved in research and project management in the fields of youth development, gender equality, and wildlife conservation.

Course Contact

Ziyin Xiong, Lecturer

Center for education leadership and policies, School of Education

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 237, Chen Ruiqiu Building, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai, China, 200240

Contact phone:（021）3420 4898

Contact email: ziyin.xiong@sjtu.edu.cn