Teaching Gender at the Central European University: Advantages of Internationalism

Abstract

The paper explores gender teaching at the Central European University (CEU), particularly investigating, through this case, the ways in which gender-related topics can be incorporated into higher education curricula. These authors consulted institutional documents and databases, to look into the CEU "gender regime" (Connell, 1987), and they also conducted semi-structured interviews with University faculty and students, to reflect perceptions on the gender dimension in higher education teaching and research. The authors have found that CEU's unique international character provides ample space to teaching gender both by way of the autonomous Gender Studies Department and via integrating gender into other fields of study. Institutional strategic commitment has been identified in gender mainstreaming higher education curricula, as the key to further development, which might materialize in gender-conscious hiring processes, and in providing 'gender expert consulting,' for example. It is only by institutional commitment - which is to replace the present practice, based on individual faculty's professional commitment, guaranteed by 'academic freedom' - that systematic progress in gendering higher education curricula can be attained.