Ay 2016-2017
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ST. AUGUSTINE CAMPUS INSTITUTE FOR GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES ST. AUGUSTINE UNIT REPORT TO THE REGIONAL PLANNING AND STRATEGY COMMITTEE FOR THE PERIOD MAY 31, 2016 TO JUNE 1, 2017 FOR THE FACE TO FACE MEETING JUNE 12 AND 13, 2017 MONA CAMPUS, JAMAICA Indigenous Geographies and Caribbean Feminisms Symposium IGDS Head of Department with IGDS Staff, Tutors and Research Assistants from left to right: Whitney Katwaroo, Renelle White, Tricia Basdeo, Amilcar Sanatan, Adaeze Greenidge, Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, Tenesha Charles, Rachael Taylor and Xaranta Baksh. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2–7 IGDS SAU Core Themes 2 IGDS SAU Streams 3 Resource Mobilization and Fundraising 6 Update on Quality Assurance Report and Action Plan 7 TEACHING AND LEARNING 8–11 Undergraduate Teaching Offerings for Reporting Period 8 Enrollment Numbers 9 Graduate Teaching for Reporting Period 9 Graduates 10 Graduate Programme Achievements 10 Graduate Oral Viva | Graduate Research Seminars 11 Short Courses - Summer Teaching 11 RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS 12–17 Caribbean Review of Gender Studies - Online Journal 12 Making of Caribbean Feminisms 13 Edited Collections - Books 14 Edited Collections - Journals 15 OUTREACH AND RESEARCH 17–26 Research Projects 18 Networks 19 Outreach Activities and Events Symposia, Public Fora, Book Launches, Guest Seminars 20 Lunchtime Seminars | Workshops/Presentations 21 Collaborations: Significant Days / Activism 22 Undergraduate Outreach and Ignite! 24 Online Portals and Social Media Statistics 26 APPENDIX 1 - IGDS STAFFING 2016/2017 27 APPENDIX 2 - STAFF PROFILES 28 Dr. Gabrielle Hosein – Lecturer and Head of Institute 28 – 30 Dr. Angelique Nixon – Lecturer and Graduate Studies Co-ordinator 31 – 33 Dr. Sue-Ann Barratt – Instructor III 34 – 35 Prof. Paula Morgan - 36 Prof Patricia Mohammed – Professor of Gender and Cultural Studies 37 Prof. Rhoda Reddock – Prof. of Gender Studies Social Change 38 Ms. Deborah McFee – Outreach and Research Officer 40 Ms. Kathryn Chan, Ms Tivia Collins, Ms Tessa Ottley 41 Ms. Tricia Basdeo, Research Assistant 42 Mr. Amilcar Sanatan 43 Ms Tessa Ottley, Ms. Tivia Collins, Ms Adaeze Greenidge, Ms. Raquel Sukhu 44 APPENDIX 3 - GLOBAL OUTREACH 2016-2017 44-45 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The period 2016–2017 was a transitional year for the IGDS, St Augustine Campus Unit. Over the previous three years, three Heads led the Unit for one year each: Professor Valerie Youssef (2013-14), Professor Patricia Mohammed (2014-15), and Professor Paula Morgan (2015-16). Thus, this was the first year in which a Head was appointed for a three-year term. Focus was therefore on operationalizing the IGDS vision and mission, establishing a flow into and out of the teaching programmes, identifying how IGDS could increase its brand visibility and impact, team-building, and making generational mentorship an explicit part of IGDS’ way of working. The SAU had also had three Senior Administrative Assistants over this period, and had undergone other staff changes to the post of Graduate Studies Coordinator, IGDS, SAU as well as Assistant to the Graduate Studies Coordinator, IGDS SAU. The AA who had been in the position from January 2016 retired and took leave at the end of April 2017. At the end of April, a new Acting AA was therefore appointed, who is likely to act in the post for a number of years. This has meant that it is only at this time that both a long-term Head and AA have begun to learn and plan in the job, along with a long- term Graduate Studies Coordinator, IGDS, and administrative support to her. Professor Patricia Mohammed remains in her post as Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Research on the St. Augustine Campus. The SAU therefore remains transitioning as staff and students Research Assistants get acclimatized to the calendar of responsibilities, protocols and university expectations, and the establishment of stable team leadership. In order to operationalize the IGDS’ vision and mission, the core themes that would guide SAU’s next three years were defined. These are: 1. Agro-Ecology, Conservation and the Environment 2. Gender-Based Violence 3. Gender, Communication, Language and Social Media 4. Gender and Health 5. Gender, Politics and Leadership 6. Gender, Sexualities, Ethnicity, Race, Class and Citizenship 7. Gender and Visual Culture 8. Masculinity and Men’s Movement Building 9. Making of Caribbean Feminisms 10. Political Economy and Gender-Sensitive Policy Making 11. Women, Gender and Development 2 Second, a flow through the Unit was envisioned. This includes: 1. IGDS Reach: This is an annual, one week, post-CAPE feminist camp for young activists intended to begin feminist consciousness raising and increase awareness of gender prior to students enrolling at UWI 2. IGDS Next: This refers to workshops done 5th and 6th forms which build on the popular actions completed in Introduction to Women’s Studies and Men and Masculinities in the Caribbean. Again, this is intended to begin feminist consciousness raising and increase awareness of gender prior to students enrolling at UWI, but will be led by undergraduate students 3. IGDS Ignite: This is our undergraduate mentorship programme, involving events, fieldtrips and other activities 4. IGDS CV+: This is our graduate development strategy aimed at grounding SAU graduate students in women’s leadership in regional revolutionary movements in Haiti, Cuba and Grenada, facilitating regional travel to one of these countries as part of this grounding (Venture), increasing public engagement and media skills (Voice), increasing training for consultancies (Capacity). In other words, our goal is to increase job skills while challenging a neo-liberal approach to doing so. 5. IGDS Impact: This is an explicit focus on identifying the impact of our research and outreach, and that of our graduate students, for example by building in a summary of research impact into graduate students’ final output – this is to be published in a bi-annual booklet titled IGDS Impact. It also involves building our brand visibility, particularly with our #sparkfeminism Instagram and poster outreach, T-shirts and workshops 6. IGDS Gold: This refers to building our relationship with our alumni 7. IGDS Future Fund: Fundraising for future needs along with our alumni 3 Third, a collaboratively formed Work plan was used to guide work throughout the year. This is a model that will be reproduced so that all staff and students know what the work plan for an academic year looks like before it begins. Staff meetings were held three times a semester, and a team-building retreat was held at the end of the academic year. The final staff meeting for the year finalized the work plan for the year and sought to build on the retreat in order to orient 2017-18 staff meetings around team-building, generational empowerment, leadership defined by active listening and attention to personality strengths and areas for growth, and staff accountability to each other. Fourth, funds were successfully sought from the Association of Commonwealth Universities for the workshop, Strengthening Cross-Faculty Collaboration to Advance Gender Equity. Held in April 2017, this workshop included academic and administrative staff from all the faculties as well as Student Services and covered four main themes: (i) the history of the IGDS at The UWI, (ii) gender equity in the University, (iii) the research areas and projects the IGDS leads, and (iv) sharing knowledge about the best practices on raising gender consciousness in teaching, administration and outreach. Recommendations arising from the workshop will guide the SAU’s mainstreaming and enrollment strategy over the upcoming academic year. This is particularly important given declining enrollment in the St. Augustine Campus, particularly in the Social Sciences and Humanities. In this academic year, the enrollment strategy contributed to increases in enrollment in four courses, though these were met with declining numbers in five courses. The major research award this year was granted to Principal Investigator, Dr. Angelique Nixon, for the project, “A Sexual Culture of Justice: Strengthening LGBTQI & GBV Partnerships, Capacity & Efficacy to Promote & Protect Rights in Trinidad and Tobago”. The Project brought in €166,000.00 from the European Commission, and is being implemented in partnership with six Co-Applicants representing LGBTI and feminist civil society organisations (CAISO: Sex and Gender Justice, Friends For Life, I Am One Trinidad & Tobago, The Silver Lining Foundation, WOMANTRA, and Women’s Caucus of Trinidad & Tobago). The Project started in April 2017 and will end in March 2020. IGDS was also a co-applicant in the award of another European Commission grant for CSO capacity-building. This project involves six Civil Society Organisations (United Way Trinidad and Tobago (UWTT), Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD), Veni Apwann (VA), Network of NGO’s of Trinidad and Tobago For The Advancement of Women (Network) and Environment Tobago as co-applicants. The objective is to catalyst transformation to a more environmentally sustainable, socially just, inclusive, accountable and resilient model of development and governance through supporting the effective involvement of civil society organisations (CSOs) in implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in Trinidad and 4 Tobago (T&T), and the project began in April 2017 and concludes in March 2020. The IGDS, SAU will be using this collaboration to support development and roll out of the IGDS Gender Justice Scorecard. Substantial progress was made on the Research Development Impact Fund project “Work/Life Balance and Ageing in Trinidad: Studying the Productivity and Wellbeing of Working Men and Women” including establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding between The UWI and the Societe D'economie Mixte D'amenagement De La Ville Du Lamentin/Company of Mixed Economy of Management (SEMAVIL) and the establishment of corporate partnerships with T&TEC and the National Insurance Board of Trinidad and Tobago (NIBTT). The Institute has continued to seek opportunity for collaborative and funded research.