Image: Courtesy of Dev N. Pathak, Sociology, SAU.
About The Department - Vision and Beyond



Over the last half century or so, a vast body of knowledge(s) on the region has evolved within South Asia that mostly remain within the countries of their origin due to a number of reasons. In this specific context, there is a crucial need to share some of this knowledge in contemporary times when, despite assertions of localisations and mini-narratives, the universal does retain its emphasis through a constant dialectics of the two. The debate between the local and universal or mini-narratives and meta-narratives continue to rage, and is more clearly visible in the context of South Asian context. Even so, we are acutely aware of the non-existence of regular and serious forums for South Asian scholarship in social sciences to showcase our own research and thinking. We are also quite conscious of the fact that the process of establishing sociology in the region has created its own peculiarities which has established close inter-relationships between sociology and social anthropology, history, cultural studies, archeology and other related disciplines. We consider the porousness of South Asian sociology one of its most enduring strengths. On the other hand, we are not unaware of the unfortunate regressions sociology has experienced in different South Asian contexts over the last 30 years or so marked by numerous institutional failures.



It is within the context(s) outlined above that the Department of Sociology at South Asian university, initiated in 2011 witihn the Faculty of Social Sciences contributes to teaching, training and knowledge production. It is not intended to be a mere forum for the production of cutting-edge intellectual knowledge and exchange of that knowledge traversing across national borders in South Asia and beyond. Our expectation is that this knowledge would dislocate the persistence of an imposed framework emanating from the colonisation process and postcolonial politics of knowledge. Despite the passage of over fifty years since the process of official decolonization began in the region, much of the analyses of our problems, situations, histories and dynamics emanate from Euro American academia; this is certainly the case when it comes to conceptual formulations and theoretical approaches that are being employed in exploring the region’s social and cultural complexities often without much self-reflection.



The Department of Sociology strongly believes in the need to reformulate this situation by effectively centering South Asia without naively shunning thought from these established centers of knowledge be they in Europe or North America. We believe in an active and robust engagement with these issues within South Asia. In this context, through the work of its faculty and the research of graduate students, the Department would bring forward the newer forms of knowledge that comprehends and represents the South Asian context with a more authoritative and nuanced voice. We strongly believe in the need to actively intervene in the process of knowledge formation through a constant sharing of knowledge that the region produces as well as through interaction with the world beyond the region.



The courses taught in the Department as well as the research carried out by its faculty members reflect this overall vision and our collective commitment towards innovation, move beyond untenable stereotypes, and explore a new world of knowledge within the discipline of Sociology.


Class of 2011, Department of Sociology, South Asian University; Image: Courtesy of Dev N. Pathak, Sociology, SAU.

M.Phil / Ph.D (Sociology)


Introduction to the M.Phil / PhD Programme in Sociology

The objective of the Department of Sociology with regard to its MPhil/PhD programme is to rethink, revise and rejuvenate the discipline of Sociology by effectively centering South Asia and engage in a purposive dialogue with dominant centers of knowledge, typically associated with the West, and new emergent perspectives from other parts of the world.


We invite students whose commitment as research scholars in Sociology and Anthropology reflect these concerns and interests. We are especially interested in teaching students who will help push the bounds of Sociological and Anthropological knowledge that will enable the development of a ‘South Asian Sociology’; aware of its diverse histories, concerns and approaches, initiate a rethinking of the category of South Asia without falling prey to nationalist and statist paradigms and contribute to the further development of Sociology and Anthropology as disciplines on the whole.
 
We are a young department and we offer students a vital space for intellectual and methodological innovation which is often not available at established departments elsewhere. Thus our research students will play a critical role in developing new approaches as we grow as a department.

Based on the current composition of our faculty we invite students working on diverse topics including:

Sociological and Anthropological studies of Economic life, Sociology of Education, Anthropology of Contemporary Art, Political Sociology, Urban Anthropology and Sociology, Industrialization and the World of Work , Anthropology of Folklore, Popular Culture, Media, Film and Music and Visual Culture, Ethnicity and Nationalism, Migration Studies and Diaspora, Forced Migration, Borders, new innovations in Sociological and Anthropological Theory and Method, Historical Sociology, Gender and Sexuality, Social Stratification, Social Movements, Political Economy of Identity Politics, Politics of Knowledge Production, Violence and Conflict, Material Culture, Regionalism, South Asian Studies, and Development Studies.
 
Interested applicants with further queries may contact us sociology@sau.ac.in


Eligibility Criteria for to the M.Phil / PhD Programme in Sociology & other Details 

Candidates who have completed  12 Years of schooling, 3 years BA level training with a degree  plus 2 years of post-graduate degree training in Sociology or related disciplines such as Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Anthropology, History, Philosophy, Linguistics, Mass Communications, Education, Geography, Law, Social Work, Development Studies, Criminology, Archaeology, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, Comparative Literature and Comparative Religious Studies; with a minimum of 50% marks, or an equivalent grade can apply for the PhD programme in Sociology. Qualified candidates will be called for an examination; those who succeed at the examination will have to enter the second phase of the admission process.

A candidate shall be eligible for promotion to direct PhD if s/he has a grade of B Plus or more in coursework. Candidates need to indicate their desire to be enrolled in direct PhD programme after coursework. He/she also has the option of enrolling in the MPhil programme instead of the PhD programme after successfully completing the above requirements. 

A candidate with grades of B Only or B Minus in coursework will have to compulsorily write an MPhil Dissertation. S/he may apply for PhD if his/her final grade (including coursework and dissertation) in M.Phil is B or more. Anyone falling below these criteria will have to leave the programme. 

The PhD will be awarded after the successful completion of research and writing a dissertation under supervision of a supervisor appointed by the concerned Department.


Admission Process for the  M.Phil / PhD Programme in Sociology

Admission procedure consists of the two phases described below. 

Phase One: Entrance (Screening) Test 
 
Format of Entrance Test
Part A (25%). 25 Multiple choice questions worth one mark each that would test general knowledge pertaining to the region.

Part B (25%). 25 Multiple choice questions worth one mark each that would test subject knowledge and knowledge pertaining to issues within the broader spectrum of social sciences.

Part C (50%). To answer two essay questions out of a total of eight. Maximum word limit for each answer is 750. Questions will be set on the basis of subject relevance and relevance to broader social sciences.

Total marks for examination: 100. Minimum marks required to pass: 50%.


This examination will only be a screening test and will only decide candidates’ eligibility to proceed further into Phase Two of the entrance process. Successful candidates will have to furnish two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, a detailed research proposal and face an interview. The marks from the screening test will not be added to this process. Candidates who are successful in Phase Two will be admitted to the M.Phil/PhD program.


Sample Questions

Here are some samples that will give you an idea of what the questions in the entrance test will be like.


Part A. 25 Multiple choice questions worth one mark each that would test general knowledge pertaining to the region.
1. Where is the Line of Control located?
a) The India Pakistan Border
b) The India-Bangladesh border
c) The Indo-Nepal Border
d) The Bangladesh-Myanmar border

2. The Grameen bank in Bangladesh pioneered one of the following. Which one?
a) Short term Deposits
b) Regulatory mechanisms
c) Micro credit
d) Mutual Funds

Part B. 25 Multiple choice questions worth one mark each that would test subject knowledge and knowledge pertaining to issues within the broader spectrum of social sciences.

1. Which of the following is not based on inference:
a) Speculation
b) Induction
c) Deduction
d) Abduction

2. Structural Linguistics is critical to the formation of:
a) Claude Levi-Strauss’ Structural Anthropology
b) George Herbert Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism
c) Victor Turner and studies of ritual behavior
d) Gregory Bateson’s work on Cybernetics

Part C. To answer two essay questions out of a total of eight. Maximum word limit for each answer is 750. Questions will be set on the basis of subject relevance and relevance to broader social sciences. 

1. Is corruption a phenomenon that be studied sociologically? Explain your position
2. How important is the principle of reflexivity for sociological and anthropological research? Illustrate with examples

Phase Two: Letters of Recommendation, Research Proposal, Statement of Purpose and Interview

Candidates who are selected from the Phase One are requested to go through a Phase Two in the selection process. The evaluation in Phase Two will involve the following benchmarks, criteria and distribution of marks:

Two Letters of Recommendation – These letters must be written on the forms provided by the Faculty of Social Sciences by two non- related individuals who can, with authority, comment on the candidate’s suitability to study at M.Phil or PhD level in Sociology. They should address the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates’ academic background up to that point, analytical and language skills, strengths and orientations in publications, if publications are available, creativeness so far evident in the candidate’s chosen area of research etc. (no marks will be allocated to these letters but will guide the selection panel in making its decision).

Complete Research Proposal – A complete research proposal should be submitted that would outline the process of the candidate’s proposed research. In general, it should include the following elements (among others):

a) The background to the proposed research that would explain the general topic of the proposed research;
b) Research questions, problems or hypothesis that the candidate hopes to explore;
c) A clear analysis of comparative sources that could guide the proposed research which would clearly indicate that the candidate has read relevant material (this should include an analysis of the main approaches and findings of key literature as well as their weaknesses);
d) A description of the tools and methods for collecting information and data that the candidate expects to use, and why such tools are preferred (the candidate could also suggest new methods of research if he or she feels they would overcome limitations of existing methods);
e) The conceptual models/categories and theoretical approaches the candidate hopes to employ and a justification for this;
f) What case studies and samples would the candidate propose and what are their selection criteria?;
g) Where does the candidate intend to undertake fieldwork and what is the relevance of that location to the proposed study?
h) A brief explanation of how the proposed research might contribute to the existing knowledge;
i) A tentative timetable for the proposed research;
j) A compete bibliography using a referencing system acceptable in any of the social sciences (for stylistic considerations, the candidate for both sociology and IR programs may refer to the ‘Style Guide’ available on the webpage of the Department of Sociology).

The research proposal should establish the candidate’s creativity in presentation and conceptualization, analytical skills as well as versatility in language.The research proposal should not exceed 2, 500 words and may be a given a maximum of 50% of marks.

Statement of Purpose: The statement of purpose is a narrative statement in which the candidate will explain why he or she is motivated to undertake the proposed research, and why it should be undertaken. In writing the statement of purpose the candidate can garner information from the research proposal and the literature read so far; but it also can and should outline the personal and subjective considerations that may have led to conceptualize the proposed research. This could include the academic history of the candidate as well as his or her personal history and social and political transformations experienced in his/her society where the research might be based. Essentially, all this information must allow the selection panel to understand the approach the candidate is proposing and his/her background. The candidate can be creative and imaginative when writing the statement of purpose in terms of conceptualization and presentation. It should not exceed 1,000 words and would be allocated a maximum of 30% marks.

Interview: All candidates applying for the M.Phil/PhD program must also face an interview either in person or via telephone/Skype/satellite. The candidate can prepare for the interview on the basis of the information provided in the research proposal and statement of purpose while the interviewers will also base much of their questions on these documents. The interviewers will also be guided by the letters of recommendation the candidate has already provided. The candidate will be evaluated on the basis of his/her oral presentation skills, ability to articulate complex ideas, how he or she would respond to hypothetical field problems that may be posed etc. Candidates are encouraged to be creative and candid when facing the interview. A Maximum of 20 marks may be allocated for the performance in the interview.

50% of the seats are reserved for candidates from India and the other 50% from candidates for SAARC countries other than India, together. Two separate merit lists will be prepared: one for candidates from India and the other combined merit list of candidates from all other SAARC countries.

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