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A Brief History
The Department of Sociology was one of the first to be established at Christ College, now Christ University, Bangalore, in 1969. Ever since the inception of the department it has been at the forefront of innovations in the pursuit of academic excellence.
The Department was the first to offer a Master’s Program in Sociology. It was among the first few to offer Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs within the University. The department also offers Sociology in the Triple Major Bachelor of Arts (BA) Program. Sociology is also offered for the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Bachelor of Business Management (BBM).
We offer Certificate Programs on Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Research Methods, Study of Indian Society and Women’s Issues in collaboration with Catherine of Siena Virtual College (CSVC), USA. CSVC is a dynamic online college offering courses on womens and gender studies in an international environment.
We also handle courses on Population Studies and Social Problems for the University Studies Abroad Consortium, (USAC). USAC provides efficient and responsible programs where students studying abroad can accumulate credits for the basic requirements of their Bachelors Program.
Timeline for the Department:
· The journey of the Department of Sociology began in 1969
· In 1991 the first Postgraduate Program in Sociology was started
· We were among the first few departments to offer a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Sociology in 2008
· In 2009 was a landmark year with the department starting two USAC courses, initiation of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs along with the First International Collaboration with Catherine of Siena Virtual College (CSVC), USA offering a Certificate program on Women’s Issues.
· In 2010 the Department started offering a Certificate program on Corporate Social Responsibility to enhance the social responsibility attribute of the students and to encourage extension work by students. In the same year we were offering a course on Sociology for the Masters of Business Management (MBA)
· 2012 has been a remarkable year for the department, with the Masters in Applied Sociology being initiated, to enhance the applicability of theoretical knowledge of Sociology to the changing world along with increasing employability opportunities for students. This year is also significant as two additional certificate courses was started to hone the life skills of students in Social Research Methods and Study of Indian Society
Vision
· Promote pursuit of academic excellence globally within a dynamic academic environment
· To facilitate the development of socially sensitive holistic minds
· Cultivate professionals with critical insights
· Encourage academic research balanced by fieldwork and internships
The Vision of the Department of Sociology is to promote globally competent scholars who are grounded in knowledge and have the ability to use this to transform the world they live in. This Vision is deployed in all the programs that the Department handles.
Mission
· To impart comprehensive learning through classroom-based and extramural activities
· To mould tomorrow’s leaders
Pedagogy
The Department of Sociology uses a variety of methods to ensure that the graduating students are competent at globally set standards. The pedagogy used is vibrant and dynamic and ensures familiarity with the new and emerging areas within the field. In keeping with the times the Department works to ensure that its students are comfortable with technology and extensively uses computer assisted learning and research resources.
The Department is the first one to offer its postgraduate students an opportunity for well rounded holistic development with its balance between research skills enhanced through the Masters level Dissertation and exposure to the field through NGO internships and corporate exposure.
Faculty
The Department of Sociology has highly qualified and dedicated faculty members who exhibit a high degree of commitment. Of the 8 faculty members, one is a Commonwealth Post Doctoral Fellow from UK, 6 are Ph.D holders and the other 2 are M.Phil holders with NET/JRF from the best institutes across the country.
Collaborations
The Department started its first international collaboration with Catherine of Siena Virtual College, USA for a Certificate program on Women’s Issues. This program is the first of its kind at Christ University which has facilitators from USA and the Department and is offered on a cloud campus. The Certificate given is from both Catherine of Siena Virtual College (CSVC) and Christ University.
Students
The Department has consistently produced rank holders and highly accomplished students. Many of our students have qualified the UGC NET examination for lectureship and JRF. Our students have registered for M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes at national and international universities like Christ University, National University of Singapore, University of Oxford, Hyderabad Central University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and Jawaharlal Nehru University etc.
Our students have joined various research organisations like Indian Social Institute (ISI), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), National Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) etc as researchers. Numbers of them have taken up jobs in corporate sector as well as in various development organisations.
The Department of Sociology has acted like a vibrant nurturing ground for tomorrow’s leaders.
