Welcome to TARSHI’s online Course on Gender and Sexuality 101 adapted from TARSHI’s Basics and Beyond training manual by our team of experts.
What is new?
In 2016, we updated and streamlined the original 50-hour course and offered it as two separate short courses: Part 1, Basics and Beyond Online Course on Sexuality and sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Part 2, Beyond Basics Online Course on Sexuality and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. In 2024, we began conceptualising the Basics and Beyond course by dividing it into shorter online modules covering topics such as gender, sexuality, SRHR, and more.
The online courses are available at a nominal fee (non-refundable).
What is the Gender and Sexuality 101 Online Course Part course about?
Welcome to the online course on Gender and Sexuality 101!
Have you ever wondered, What is sex? What is gender? What is sexuality? These are fundamental aspects of who we are, influencing our identities, relationships, and interactions. This course is designed to help you explore these questions in depth, providing clarity on these concepts and their role in shaping everyday life.
You’ll gain insight into diverse gender and sexual identities, variations in sexual behaviors and varied sexual expressions across an individual’s lifespan, and the importance of pleasure and sexual health. Along the way, you’ll learn how these ideas intersect with culture, society, and individual experiences.
This course is more than just an introduction—it’s an invitation to reflect on your own experiences, engage with new perspectives, and apply your learnings to various areas of life. Whether it’s fostering Inclusivity in your workplace, building stronger connections with friends and family, or navigating your personal growth, the knowledge you gain here will be both practical and transformative.
This online course is a virtual platform for learning and engaging with gender and sexuality from an affirmative, rights-based perspective. The aim is to address gaps in access to accurate information around sexuality which may have come about due to the lack of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools; or because sexuality-related subjects do not feature in curricula of various professional courses for service providers. It also includes a values clarification component that helps learners to self-reflect on their biases.
Who is it meant for? How will they benefit?
This online course is open for anyone who seeks to understand sexuality and gender – the learner could be a student, training to be a counsellor or a teacher, be with an NGO whose work concerns these issues, or simply someone keen to know more about the topic! In a nutshell, the course is for anyone who seeks to understand these concepts and their impact in their personal and professional lives, and their interactions with the society.
Since the course can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, it is designed to reach out to a large and diverse audience. When combined with classroom lessons or workshops, it can increase the effectiveness of learning.
What are the objectives of the course?
- To build clarity and understanding on gender and sexuality
- Develop a clear understanding of how these concepts shape individual and societal experiences.
- Examine the variety of sexual and gender identities.
- Learn how gender and sexuality are inherently tied to human rights, including the right to self-identify and express oneself.
- Reflect on how the concepts learned can be applied to your personal, professional, and social interactions.
- To act as a refresher for busy professionals working as counselors, teachers or in different capacities with NGOs, hospitals, educational institutions, etc.
What is the structure of the course?
The course is organized into the following chapters:
- Setting the Tone
- Understanding Sex and Sexuality
- Why Talk About Sexuality?
- Understanding Gender and Talking Gender
- Sexual and Gender Identities
- Varieties of Sexual Expression
- Experiences of Sexuality Through Life
- Demystifying Pleasure
The course will take 6-8 hours to complete. Each chapter is highly focused, and can be completed in approximately 75 – 90 minutes.
About Previous Courses
We received overwhelming responses from different parts of the world for the Spring and Fall Courses of 2015. Eventually, 53 people from Bangladesh, Germany, Italy, India, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden and Zimbabwe successfully completed the course and were awarded certificates. Learners included researchers, students, trainers, development professionals, grant makers, health professionals and corporate sector workers.
Analysis of learners’ responses displayed a deepening of understanding around sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. A shift in perspective could be seen on issues related to rights of marginalised communities such as sex workers, people living with HIV and people living with disabilities. Learners appreciated the videos, examples and illustrations on various issues related to SRHR which were provided throughout the course. They were appreciative of the quality of discussions on the closed Facebook group forum and we hope to invite some of the previous participants to engage with the upcoming course participants and enrich the experience for all concerned.
One of the learners from last year, Dr Sharada Vinod Kutty, shared:
Dear TARSHI, as a doctor, I have been quite disconnected from the social sciences. It was a wonderful journey of self-discovery as I navigated my way through the course. It helped me question and clarify a lot of my misconceptions! I truly believe that this course will help me function as a more empathetic medical care provider! Thank you and keep rocking.
