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Communication


Saptam Patel, Associate Professor | Ahmedabad University

Saptam Patel

Associate Professor

PhD (Gujarat University)

+91.79.61911122

 [email protected]


Research Interests: Interdisciplinary Learning, Water and Sustainability, Innovative Pedagogy, Gender Studies, Communication, Fine Arts Studies


Profile

Saptam Patel is an Associate Professor in the area of Communication at Ahmedabad University, with specialisation in Gender Studies and interdisciplinary learning. With over two decades of academic experience, her work reflects a sustained commitment to integrating humanities, social sciences, and experiential learning into contemporary higher education. Her contributions extend beyond teaching into institutional leadership, curriculum design, and the development of innovative pedagogical frameworks aligned with the University’s mission. Her research area is multidisciplinary as she has been working on literature in English, gender, fine arts and women's writing, and she has published/presented and participated in various international and national conferences and seminars. 

She did her Fine Arts study at Sheth C N College of Fine Arts, Ahmedabad. She has been a member of a group of women artists called 'Expressive Eight' and exhibited at Jehangir Art Gallery, Rabindra Bhavan, Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan, Marvel Art Gallery, Hutheesingh Visual Art Gallery, Contemporary Art Gallery – Ahmedabad, Chandigarh at international galleries. She has participated in almost twenty national and international shows of paintings, prints, and photographs.

  • Over 25 years of experience in teaching, academic administration, and institution building
  • Expertise in Gender Studies, Communication, and interdisciplinary pedagogy
  • Key contributor to the design and execution of the Foundation Programme
  • Strong engagement with curriculum development and policy formulation
  • Active involvement in student-centric initiatives and academic leadership roles

Awards

  • Chairman’s Award for Teaching in 2018 and recognition for outstanding teaching performance and contribution to student learning
  • Chairman's Award for Institution Building as a part of the Foundation Programme Team in 2021 and recognition for designing and delivering the Foundation Programme and Water Studio

Publications

  • Patel, S. (2022). Making Visible the Invisible: Women Artists and Herstory. In V. Patel & N. Mondal (Eds.), Gendered Inequalities in Paid and Unpaid Work of Women in India. Singapore: Springer Nature.
  • Patel, S. (2016). Digital Revolution's Impact of Computer Assisted Learning on Conventional Means of Education. The Global Journal of English Studies, 2(2), 65–71.
  • Patel, S. (2016). Is Art Male? Proceedings of the International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, Thrissur, India, January 28–29. (p. 66)
  • Patel, S. (2015). Women and their Representations in Amrita Sher-Gil's Portrayals. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies, 2(2), 90–99.
  • Patel, S. (2003). From Subject Position to Subject Position: A Painter Woman's Journey from Brush to Pen. In R. Harish & B. Harishankar (Eds.), Shakti: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Women's Empowerment in India. Rawat Publications.

 

Teaching

Saptam Patel’s teaching philosophy emphasizes critical inquiry, interdisciplinary thinking, and real-world engagement. His courses are designed to move beyond disciplinary silos, encouraging students to connect theory with lived experience.

Courses designed and taught include

  • Water - Foundation Programme Studio
    • An interdisciplinary foundation course that investigates water as a complex global issue through integrated perspectives of society, environment, and policy
  • Feminism is for Everybody - First Year Interdisciplinary Seminar Course on Critical Thinking and Writing
    • Introduces foundational feminist ideas and practices, fostering critical engagement with questions of equality, power, and lived experience across diverse contexts
  • Beyond Pink and Blue: Redefining Masculinity and Femininity - Independent Study Period Course
    • Challenges conventional gender binaries by critically examining constructs of masculinity and femininity through theory and lived experience
  • WWW: Window to the World of Water - Independent Study Period Course
    • Introduces an interdisciplinary understanding of water by connecting environmental, social, and cultural perspectives through exploratory learning
  • Quotidian Story of Gender - Engagement and Application based Learning and Education - ENABLE Course
    • Engages with everyday experiences to unpack how gender operates across social, cultural, and personal dimensions in contemporary life
  • Women’s Writing 
    • Explores literary expressions of women across cultures, examining themes of identity, voice, and socio-political contexts through a gendered lens
  • Effective Reading and Comprehension Skills
    • Develops critical reading, analytical comprehension, and articulation skills essential for academic engagement and informed interpretation of texts

Conferences 

  • 2023 Building Transdisciplinary Mindsets for Sustainability
    • Patel S., Dove S. & Szymanski D.  ·  GBSN Beyond: Annual Conference — The Transformative Power of Talent and Technology, The American University in Cairo, School of Business, Cairo, Egypt. October 30 – November 1, 2023.
  • 2020 Self-Representations: Subject and Subjectivities in Amrita Sher-Gill and Rupi Kaur
    • International Conference on Anthropology and Geography: Dialogues Past, Present and Future, Royal Anthropological Institute, London. September 14–18, 2020.
  • 2018 Making Visible the Invisible: Women Artists and Herstory
    • International Conference on Changing Contours of Women's Paid and Unpaid Work, School of Management and Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India. July 12–13, 2018.
  • 2016 Digital Revolution's Impact of Computer Assisted Learning on Conventional Means of Education
    • First Global Conference on Contemporary Research in English Studies: Global Perspectives, The Global Association of English Studies, Waymade College of Education, Vallabh Vidhyanagar. February 4–6, 2016.
  • 2015 Women and their Representations in Amrita Sher-Gil's Portrayals
    • 5th International Conference on Cross Cultural Nuances, Kanya Maha Vidhyalaya, Guru Nanak Dev University, Jalandhar, India. October 30–31, 2015.
  • 2014 A Feminist Reading of the Neo Post-Impressionist Shades in Amrita Sher-Gil's Portrayals
    • 17th International Conference on Reimagining Theory, The Forum on Contemporary Theory & International Lincoln Centre for American Studies, Louisiana State University, Goa, India. December 20–24, 2014.
  • 2014 Cross-Cultural Transition and Perspectives: Shades of Expressions in Amrita Shergil's Portrayals
    • 5th International Conference on Cross Cultural Nuances, Kanya Maha Vidhyalaya, Guru Nanak Dev University, Jalandhar, India. October 30–31, 2014.
  • 2014 The Socio-cultural Transformations through the Intersection of Contemporary Digitalization and Conformist Learning Means
    • 8th Joint International Conference GLoCALL (Globalization and Localization in Computer-Assisted Language Learning), Bhavan's Sheth R A College of Arts and Commerce, Ahmedabad — sponsored by APACALL & PacCALL. October 9–11, 2014.

Invited Seminars & Panel Discussions

  • 2024 Panel Discussion — Women and Art
    • Women in Art, Women Empowerment Forum, Ahmedabad University. March 3, 2024.
  • 2023 Panel Discussion — Developing Interdisciplinary and Research Thinking in Schools
    • 3rd Edition of Explore Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad University. April 2023.
  • 2021 Invited Talk — Gender and Media
    • IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi. September 30, 2021.
  • 2021 Keynote — Interdisciplinary Learning
    • Keynote at BIS (Bombay International School), organised by Ahmedabad University. July 2021.
  • 2021 Panel Discussion — Future of Youth and Water II
    • Wednesdays for Water (WforW) Series, WforW Foundation, New Delhi. September 30, 2021.
  • 2015 Poetry Recitation — Maya Angelou Tribute
    • Recited 'Phenomenal Woman' and 'Still I Rise' at the UGC National Seminar on African American Women Writers with a Special Tribute to Maya Angelou, Department of English, Gujarat University. January 22–23, 2015.

Academic Immersion

Olin Summer Collaboratory - Interdisciplinary Innovation and Pedagogical Design - June 10–14, 2019 
Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Boston, USA
Selected to represent Ahmedabad University at a globally reputed collaboratory known for pioneering interdisciplinary, project-based learning. Engaged in intensive design studios and collaborative workshops focused on reimagining curriculum, innovation ecosystems, and experiential pedagogy

Cambridge Executive Education Programme - Entrepreneurship and Academic Leadership - August 3–12, 2011
Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Completed a prestigious executive programme examining global frameworks of entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership in higher education, with emphasis on institutional transformation and curriculum strategy.

Pembroke–King’s Programme - Interdisciplinary Educational Immersion - July 3–29, 2011
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Participated in an intensive academic immersion at Cambridge, engaging with interdisciplinary scholarship, pedagogical innovation, and comparative perspectives on higher education systems.

Global Education and Innovation - Germany- June 19–26, 2012
Conceptualised, planned, and led an international academic immersion integrating university engagement and industry exposure, including interactions with leading institutions such as Ludwig Maximilian University and organisations such as Siemens and BMW. The programme provided critical insights into global education systems, innovation practices, and cross-cultural academic environments.

 

 

Art Shows 

Saptam Patel’s engagement with fine arts complements her academic work, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach that bridges visual culture, aesthetics, and critical inquiry.

  • Participant, Ahmedabad Literary Art Festival – Group Art Show, Ahmedabad University (2021)
  • Participant, An Equal World to an Enabled World – Women Artists’ Exhibition, Vishalla Open Art Gallery, Ahmedabad (2020)
  • Participant, Celebrations – Group Show, Marvel Art Gallery, Ahmedabad (2005)
  • Participant, Group Exhibitions by Expressive Eight at:
    • Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
    • Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi
    • Visual Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
    • Archer Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
  • Participant, Gujarat Rajya Lalit Kala Academy Art Exhibitions (multiple years)
  • Participant, International Exhibitions:
    • Egyptian International Print Triennial, Egypt
    • Kyoto International Mini-Print Triennial, Japan
  • Participant, Rashtriya Kala Mela in Painting, New Delhi
  • Participant, Biennial Drawing Exhibition, Chandigarh

Videos

Foundation Programme | Professor Saptam Patel, shares her impressions of the Foundation Programme, which is driven by project-based learning. The Programme integrates disciplines to enrich learning and shape students into independent thinkers.

In Conversation with Saptam Patel, Ahmedabad University

The Story Of Water: How This Shapeless Substance Has Shaped Society - In this session of Ahmedabad University’s Conversation Series, Dr Giulio Boccaletti is Honorary Research Associate, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, Oxford University, Senior Fellow, Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change, Italy, and Former Chief Strategy Officer and Global Ambassador for Water, Nature Conservancy speaks on‘The Story Of Water: How This Shapeless Substance Has Shaped Society’ He takes us through how humanity's relationship to moving water has shaped civilisation, transformed political institutions, and defined people's lives. He will provide an interdisciplinary perspective by bringing cosmology, mythology, archaeology, and history to illustrate how human civilisation is shaped by water.

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