Saturday, 17 December 2016

Workshop on Grounded Theory

Date: December 15, 2016                                                                                                         
Time: 1:30- 4:00 pm
Participants: 28
The workshop started with an introduction by Dr. Maya M. She started with the purpose of the workshop as to let all the students familiarize with the concept of Grounded Theory as a major approach in Sociology and that this theory is adopted by many sociologist as well as anthropologist and feminist scholars. She introduced the whole class to the first and the second part of the workshop.
Lunthula Quinker (1637619) started with the introduction with the topic ‘Emergence of Grounded Theory’. She talked about how grounded theory emerged in the 1960s which was developed by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, they published a book called A discovery of Grounded theory because of which the theory became popular in the US and UK.  
Sampriti Ghosal (1627624) talked on the ‘Development in Grounded Theory’. Aastha Jain (1637607) talked about ‘The core of Grounded Theory’ and explained what defines a grounded theory. She talked about the adoption of an investigative method with no pre-conceived hypothesis and the usage of comparative method. She concluded that defining properties of grounded theory does not lie external to the researcher and finished grounded theory are emergent. Under the same unit, Surupa Das (1637628) talked on the ‘Grounded theory and Recent Methodological Developments’ and explained mixed method. She talked about Grounded Theory on the global perspective and how Grounded theory brings in micro level studies. She also talked about effects of colonization and stressed on the importance of language in a multi cultured society. Rhythm (1637263) talked on ‘Gathering rich data’ she elaborated on the tools usually used by the grounded theorist (interview, ethnographic methods and analysis of documents).  
Aparna Dutta (1637612) talked about the ‘Grounded Categories ‘; how categories can be grounded, how a story line is formed, when to stop and the chances of reflectsibility and replication. Hemanth L N (1637604) talked on the ‘Development of Categories’ and the different approaches in grounded theory. Sayahna Chanda (1637625) and Pallavi Raju (1637622) talked under that chapter ‘Abduction in Grounded Theory’. Sayahna talked on the logic of discovery of grounded theory and Pallavi talked about the three forms: Subsumption, Generalisation and Abduction. Imsuren Aier (1637617) talked about sampling in grounded theory and the types of sampling. Dani Domo (1637602) explained on ‘theoretical sampling’. Liza D’souza (1637615) talked on the topic conducting intensive interviews and the importance of rapoc building. Chaitrika Das (1637613) talked about ‘Constructivist Interviewing in Grounded Theory Studies’. She talked about the concept of ‘Silent Dialogue’.
Pooja (1637632) explained where to start and Angela Cecily Joseph (1637610) explained the reasons why memos are written. Raman (1637606) talked on the topic ‘Coding and its importance in Grounded theory and then he explained how it leads mere description and observations to conceptualization. Antony Clinton (1637634) talked on the topic ‘Focused Coding’ and how initial coding moves to focus coding. Gargi (1637616) talked about axial and theoretical coding and elaborated it by demonstrating through a diagram. She also talked about advanced coding.
Dheeraj Baneerjee (1637603) and Pallavi Choubey (1637621) talked on ‘Reconstructing Theorizing in Grounded Theory’. Dheeraj talked on the current practices of Grounded Theory: Objectivist Grounded Theorists, Constructionist in Grounded Theory. Pallavi talked about the theories and the definitions. She also talked about the positivist and the interpretive theory.
Angel Paul (1637609) talked about ‘Grounded Theorizing using Situational Analysis’. She introduced the grounded theory by Strauss and Situational Analysis by Clarke under which she elaborated on the three types of situational maps. Sayanti Dutta (1637626) talked about the ‘Relationship between Symbolic Interactionism and Grounded Theory’. She explained about pragmatism and its relation to symbolic interactionism and how it substantiates grounded theory. Shwetashri (1637627) talked on ‘Grounded Theory and Dramaturgy’ which was introduced by Kenneth Burke and that it is derived from Symbolic interactionism. She stated that this idea is crucial as it helps in building grounded theory and how it tries to capture the wholeness and goes beyond what is evident. Fatimah Nowrin P (1637633) talked on ‘The Link between Grounded Theory and Action Research’ and also the differences between these two. She explained by demonstrating the differences through a table:
Action Research
Grounded Theory
Participatory
Participants as informants
Explicitly Cyclic
Implicitly Cyclic

Dipshi Calip (1637614) talked on the topic ‘Feminist Qualitative Research and Grounded Theory’ she explained how these two approaches come at a point of juncture on the way it approaches a situation or a social problem and also mentioned criticisms. Aishwarya (1637608) talked on the topic ‘Accommodating Critical Theory’ and the theorist Adorno and Bourdieu. She elaborated on ‘Spontaneous Knowledge’ and ‘Scientific Knowledge’ by Bourdieu and how they are pragmatist in their approach. She mentioned that Grounded theory approach and critical theory have the same philosophy. Sadiya Banu (1637631) spoke about ‘Advancing Ethnographic Research through Grounded Theory’ and its usage. She talked about how grounded theory is helpful in ethnographic studies and also mentioned its disadvantages as well as criticisms.
In conclusion, Dr. Maya explained how this are the basics of Grounded theory under the assumption that all the students would have gotten a better understanding of the theory. The workshop commenced at 4 p.m.
Report by Lunthula

Daksh Career Fair

Daksh, the career fair at Christ University was organized on Nov 29 and 30 2016. This was a

combined effort of all the students from both first and second year MA Applied Sociology.

Our main aim was to promote the discipline of sociology as well as the course MA Applied

Sociology.

The fest was organized for a duration of two days . The stalls were displayed with several charts

which were made informative about the discipline as well as the course and scope that they offer in

the future . There were several charts that were portraying the scope of the subject and the subject

matter . Technical information about the subject was being displayed in these charts but converted

into simple languages so that people from non sociological or non social science students could also

understand what sociology is all about . We displayed the papers that we offer in the subject and

how they touch upon various disciplines and professions . We tried our best to portray or subject as a

subject that would give people the scope to enter purely social science spaces as well as

administrative and corporate spaces.

In the stall , we also conducted a quiz at the stall for whoever was interested and people who

answered a questions correctly were given prizes .

All the charts and other crafts that were displayed at the stall were all hand made by the students .

We did not colour print of the charts that were displayed . This was to portray our department as a

creative space where we all work together . Along with charts , models were also displayed to

explain social phenomenon in a creative way.




At the stalls , a lot of us were questioned about what the subject has to offer , How it is different

from social work and anthropology and how sociology can also give people a way into the

corporate world and its not meant for only the management and commerce students .

Our stalls were not only visited by social science students but was also visited by students from other

departments also and a lot of them seemed interested by what the subject is dealing with . Some of

the interactions with the people who visited the stalls were long discussions which provoked a lot of

thought. We made a lot of them question the choices they made in life and how these

have sociological implications . This was a very interesting exercise.

Report by Clintorn

Thursday, 24 November 2016

Finalists for the Young Sociologist Competition 2016

Given below is the list of finalists for the Young Sociologist Competition 2016.

           Name and Research Title
·                Aishwarya Ramesh: Does change in the power of the society cause change in one's cultural identity?
·                Amarnath P: Social, cultural and political identity of Namboothiris in Kerala
·                Arundhati Sural: Effects of sanskritization and acculturations on the Santhals
·                Debasmita Kundu: Stigmatization of the Eunuchs: A study on the members of Eunuchs community in and around Kolkata
·                Praba Shamili Jeeva: Migrant behaviour: The quest to uphold the Tamil identity
·                Rini Jacob: The JSO church and gender equality in the modern era
·                Srabanti Kayal: Doms of Kolkata-identity and role of the community in urban society
·                Sristi Mondal: Cow protection and intolerance
·                Suchismita Das: Patriarchy and religion : Exploitation of women
·                Sweetlin Brahmachary: Unity in diversity: Just a phrase or in practice

Congratulations!!

Thursday, 10 November 2016

Reflections from the Field 2016

The Department of Sociology released Reflections from the Field 2016  on August 29, 2016. This document is a compilation of the internship experiences of all the students of MA Applied Sociology. These students had interned in a wide variety of organizations ranging from the hospitality sector to information technology and the non governmental sector.

This year, Reflections from the Field was edited by Vishica Gwendolyn from the student community guided by Suparna Kar from the faculty.

Wednesday, 9 November 2016

Sambandh 2016




Sambandh is the annual Sociology festival organized by the Department of Sociology at Christ University in every odd semester for the undergraduate students pursuing Sociology in the three streams PSEco, PSEng and EPS. This year it was the MA Applied Sociology students who have organized it for their juniors. A core committee was formed with six students to take care of the logistics part. They planned the list events by taking suggestions from the student’s community. This year’s Sambandh logo was also designed by one of the I EPS student.
The first event was street play which took place on August 24th and 25th at the basket ball court during lunch breaks. The main event was on Monday, 29 August 2016 at three parallel venues viz., Sky View, campus View and Auditorium, IV block.  The event was declared open by the Deans of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Mallika Krishnaswamy and Prof. John Joseph Kennedy. The compilation of internship reports of MA Applied Sociology Students ‘Reflections from the Field’ was released on this occasion. The various events in which the students showcased their talents include face painting, umbrella painting, T-shirt painting, hair dressing, collage, poster making, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, quiz, pot pourri and block and tackle. The highlight of the day was the 10 minutes on stage that happened during the post lunch session.

The chief guest for the closing ceremony was Fr. Jose CC. The Department newsletter ‘SOCIUS’ August 2016 edition was released by Fr. Jose CC. The prizes for individual and group events were distributed. Third semester PSEco students bagged the overall class trophy. 

Generation UK India Program

The Department of Sociology organized the Generation UK India program at Christ University in collaboration with the Office of International Affairs. This program was conducted between July 17 and August 2, 2016. Students from the UK participated in this program which had a focus on Women's Issues in India.
The students from UK worked with their buddies from the Sociology Department as they learnt about India, her culture and her people. The students had sessions on topics ranging from Indian social structure to art and history. This program also introduced the participants to the diversity that embodies India and culminated in a colorful display of the intermingling of various cultures.
Participants of the Generation UK India program

Wednesday, 31 August 2016

Alumni Connect: II BA Sociology


Date and Time: Wednesday, 24 August 2016 (12-1 pm)
Venue: Mini Auditorium, Block I


Date and Time: Wednesday, 24 August 2016 (12-1 pm)
Venue: Mini Auditorium, Block I

India has always been a culturally rich nation due to its unique ethnic diversities. The Department of Sociology at Christ University acknowledged its heritage by encouraging the second year students to organize and participate in an interactive Sociology Activity hour on the August 24, 2016. In order to celebrate and showcase the diverse art forms prevalent the theme selected for the production was ‘Multiculturalism.’
Imbibing the theme the students of second year PSEco coordinated the activity hour by putting forward a vibrant medley of dances encapsulating various traditional art forms from different parts of India such as Cheraw from Mizoram, Bhangra from Punjab and Garba from Gujarat. The exuberant performances exposed many students to existing art forms and various other aspects of culture such as clothing, type of music etc.  The lively stage act was followed by an informative session by a member of our very own Christ family, Miss Lakshmi Sharma.

Ms. Sharma completed her undergraduate degree in the course PSEnglish from 2011 – 2014 and went on to pursue her graduate degree in Social Anthropology at the globally prestigious Oxford University in the United Kingdom.  She informed the audience about her experiences at Christ and Oxford while also touching upon the process of applying to universities overseas. As a student at Christ the multi – disciplinary approach exposed her to combine various methods of study, which culminated in the form of a research paper which later became the base for her graduate level dissertation. Identifying the common themes of religion, economy and culture in the literary works of Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar’s ‘Namma Oorina Rasikaru’ and M N Sirnivas’s ‘A Remembered Village’; Sharma highlighted despite caste base distinctions, religious celebrations like Yakshagana brought a unified experience among people, and how they consume culture.

 

Ms Sharma’s session was both informative and inspiring as she shared her experience as a student who began her intellectual journey from the same stature as the students were today. Encouraging words from an inspirational role model along with insight to pedagogical culture at Oxford motivated the students to realise the endless possibilities that one could make from the extensive provision of opportunities at hand.

 

The idea of a production proposed by our Professors were indeed productive, educative and pleasurable as it reinforced the value that learning needn’t always be confined to the four walls of the classroom but rather by the exchange of ideas as individual actors interact with one another.