5.6.1 Policy of non-discrimination against women
5.6.3 Maternity and paternity policies that support women’s participation
5.6.4 Accessible childcare facilities for students
5.6.5 Childcare facilities for staff and faculty
5.6.6 Women’s mentoring schemes
5.6.7 Measurement/tracking of women’s likelihood of graduating compared to men’s
5.6.8 Policy that protects those reporting discrimination from educational or employment disadvantage
Policy of non-discrimination
GUST code of Conduct Policy was issued in October 2nd 2013 and slightly modified in April 12th 2022.
In GUST Code of Conduct Policy, article I, Our commitment states:
The Gulf University of Science & Technology (GUST) is committed to the highest level of integrity and honesty in all of its affairs, without any kind of discrimination against women.
Equal Employment Opportunity
• It is GUST’s policy to recruit, employ and promote employees on the basis of their skills, qualifications and abilities required for the work to be performed, with no discrimination to race, color, religion, sex, age, social status, physical or mental disability or any other factor.
• If outsourcing activities to third parties needed, then GUST takes all appropriate measures to ensure the equivalent rights of employees are met.
Harassment
GUST is committed to provide all employees with a work place that is free from harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, social status, physical or mental disability or any other factor. Harassment include all actions of verbal harassment, physical harassment, visual harassment or sexual harassment .
The Global Studies Center
The Global Studies Center at the Gulf University for Science and Technology in Kuwait conducts and supports research on cross-national topics. It examines political, economic, social, and cultural matters from a global perspective. We organize seminars, invite researchers, and publish a bi-annual newsletter. The Arabian Gulf region is not the only focus of our research. We are happy to function as partners for any kind of academic event. For all matters contact us at gsc@gust.edu.kw.
Research 2023-25
Global Citizenship in Kuwait: Perspectives and Obstacles
Global citizenship is the umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale. It has gained popularity as one of the United Nation’s goals for human dignity, empowerment, and for positive change in societies.
Global citizenship attempts to cross over between different groups of people, surpassing separatist categories that continue to exclude people within societies.
Global citizenship aims to create more ethical, tolerant, and anti-racist youth cultures, gender equity, and disability inclusion.
Given the necessity of global citizenship today, this GSC research project aims to answer the question:
· What does it mean to be a global citizen today in Kuwait and in the Gulf and how can it be achieved?
· What are the roots of exclusion and racism, and how are these phenomena manifest in Gulf societies?
· How can policy-makers, educators, and researchers contribute to the creation and empowerment of global citizens in Kuwait?
The research project involves specialists in politics, education, culture, and media. Furthermore, researchers, administrators, activists, and non-profit organizations collaborate.
We work on the following topics:
· Identity politics and belonging
· Racial politics in Kuwait and the GCC
· The situation of migrant and domestic workers
· Gender inequalities, barriers to women’s inclusion at the workplace, women’s empowerment
· ‘Wokeism’ in Middle Eastern Cultures. This topic is covered by some contributors to the “Woke Conference,” especially Nesma Elsakaan and Jibril Latif
· Inclusion in schools, anti-bullying, and tolerance
· Disability and Education
· Slavery in the Gulf, research covered by GSC members in cooperation with Dr. Nesma Elsakaan and her research group from the University of Palermo.
· Attitudes towards minorities in the Gulf covered by Lisa Blaydes (Stanford University).
Objectives
The research is in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by UNESCO. Within the framework of “SDG4 on Global Citizenship Education” and “UNESCO for the Gulf States and Yemen” the goal is to empower Students through Global Citizenship Education.
Expected Outcomes
The project might reveal some problematic issues concerning Global Citizenship in Kuwait.
It might help in creating and developing strategies to reduce or eliminate issues related to racism that can be dealt with in a white paper to be submitted by GUST to the supreme council of planning.
Student Code of Conduct
GUST is committed to providing a positive work and learning environment where all individuals are treated fairly and with respect. Intimidation and harassment have no place in a university community.
It is the responsibility of the University to utilize its resources toward the creation of quality academic programs and to provide a friendly campus environment, which is conducive to learning and personal development. Interactions among GUST students, faculty, and staff should reflect mutual respect and professionalism.
A student enrolled at GUST assumes an obligation to behave in a manner compatible with the University’s function as an educational institution. The GUST Code of Student Conduct generally shall be limited to conduct which occurs on the University premises, at University-sponsored, or University-supervised functions. However, GUST administration may take appropriate action against students for conduct on or off University premises in order to protect the physical safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Conduct, for which students are subject to sanctions, is described in detail in the University Code of Student Conduct.
Maintaining a Positive Work and Learning Environment
Gulf University for Science and Technology is committed to providing a positive work and learning environment where all individuals are treated fairly and with respect, regardless of their status. Intimidation and harassment have no place in a university community.
To honor the dignity and inherent worth of every individual member of the GUST community is a goal to which every member of the University should aspire and to which officials of the University should direct attention and resources. With respect to students, it is the University’s special responsibility to provide a positive climate in which students can learn. The Board of Trustees and all of GUST’s staff and faculty are expected to provide educational programs and otherwise direct resources to creative and serious measures designed to improve interpersonal relationships, to help develop healthy attitudes towards people, and to foster a climate in which students are treated as individuals rather than as members of a particular category of people and where learning is strongly valued.
GUST Global Studies Center Discusses Lineages of Nationalism, Sectarianism, and Absolutism in Bahrain and the Gulf
Gulf University for Science and Technology’s (GUST) Global Studies Center (GSC) held its second lecture of the semester with one titled “Contested Modernity: Lineages of Nationalism, Sectarianism, and Absolutism in Bahrain and the Gulf”. The event was led by Dr. Omar Alshehabi, GUST Associate Professor in the Humanities & Social Sciences Department. He obtained a BA in PPE and an M.Phil and D.Phil. in Economics at Pembroke College, Oxford. The lecture was part of the GSC’s ongoing effort to bring outstanding speakers and stimulating topics to GUST and the wider community.
The lecture began with a discussion on Dr. Al-Shehabi’s newest book, Contested Modernity; Sectarianism, Nationalism, and Colonialism in Bahrain, and then delved into the topic by drawing on a previously unexamined Arabic literature, as well as British archives. Dr. Al-Shehabi argues that sectarianism emerged as a modern phenomenon in Bahrain during this period. It also heralded the birth of absolutist rule in the Gulf, under the tutelage of the British Raj, to counter nationalist and anti-colonial movements tied to the al-Nahda renaissance in the wider Arab world.
Guest Lecturer, Dr. Omar Al-Shehabi, said, “To the causes of some of today’s problems, it is imperative that we look more closely at our past. Having published my book, I hope that the truth about specific geopolitical maneuvers finally sees the light of day.”
Dr. Al-Shebabi has previously worked at the IMF, the World Bank, McKinsey, and taught at University College, Oxford. He is the Director of the Gulf Centre for Development Policies.
Director of the Global Studies Center, Dr. Shahd Al-Shammari said, “The GSC is an active center and holds public lectures. We welcome everyone to attend. Our lectures are a chance to network with people with similar interests. Our faculty regularly connects with the community.”
The GSC is a leading research center on global studies, and a vehicle for engaging both internal and external communities through stimulating events and lectures on global issues. The center aims to conduct cutting-edge research on cross-national political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental issues of critical importance, and share research output and information regionally and globally. The GSC seeks to foster public understanding of global issues with local significance.
GUST continues to build on its mission to become a knowledge-hub that benefits and engages students, academics, and the wider Kuwait community as a whole. For more information on upcoming events, visit https://gsc.gust.edu.kw/.
