About us:
Ankara University Center of Women’s Studies (AUCWS), established at Ankara University in 1993, is one of the first centers in this field. Its aims include the production of academic knowledge on gender equality, discrimination and violence against women, social education and the dissemination of this knowledge to society. In this context, the Department of Women’s Studies was established under the Institute of Social Sciences in 1996. The Department of Women’s Studies continues to contribute to the field through theses and dissertations. In 2011, the Ph.D. program in Gender and Women’s Studies was inaugurated, a policy document on sexual harassment and sexual assault was signed by the university, and the Support Unit against Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault (CTS) started its work in the same year. CTS is the first university unit to provide comprehensive support, including psychological and legal assistance, to all students and staff affected by harassment and sexual assault. As presented to the Commission on June 3, 2021, this unit is recommended for implementation in all universities. Additionally, the establishment of academic resources, such as Fe Journal: Feminist Criticism, further supports the advancement of gender studies; this peer-reviewed journal which began publication in 2009, has also been an influential journal in the field and indexed in the TR Index since 2011.
https://search.trdizin.gov.tr/tr/dergi/detay/1365/fe-dergi
Between 2013 and 2020, nearly 300 individuals received certification from the Gender Equality Certificate Program. Participants included government and NGO professionals, adults seeking to improve their skills, academics, and students. After a three-semester suspension due to the pandemic, the program was offered online for the first time during the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year, from October 9 to December 25, 2021, marking its final session.
The first director of the Center was Prof. Dr. Ülker Gürkan from the Faculty of Law. Upon her retirement, Prof. Dr. Serpil Sancar from the Faculty of Political Science was appointed as the Director. Following Prof. Sancar’s retirement, Prof. Dr. Esra Gül Dardağan Kibar, also from the Faculty of Political Science, assumed the role on April 26, 2019, but voluntarily retired on July 17, 2020. Prof. Dr. S. Ruken Öztürk from the Faculty of Communication was then appointed as Director on February 23, 2021, and was reappointed to the position on February 23, 2023.