डॉ. बी. आर. अम्बेडकर विश्‍वविद्यालय दिल्ली
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi
Established by The Government of NCT of Delhi

Course Coordinator and Team: Rachna Mehra & Teena Anil

Email of course coordinator: rmehra@aud.ac.in & teena@aud.ac.in Pre-requisites: None.

Aim: The course is a foundational course for a graduate student of social science. A course of this kind will familiarize students with fundamental concepts in Social sciences and Humanities enable students to raise critical questions on taken for granted assumptions and the way societies are structured and functioning. It will also help students to learn to analyse some of the main debates concerning the nature of social science concepts and methods to understand contemporary India with special focus on challenges of democracy and development in today's globalised era. It also aims to provide an understanding of; methodology which is different from methods of social research by enabling them to question debates around dominant social science methods at graduate level, it helps them learn to apply these concepts to the principle underlying the theory, and applying them to derive scientific solution (quantitative and qualitative solutions). Further sensitized students with principle research ethics of social sciences and humanities.

Course Outcomes:

• Understand the concept and scope of merging and evolving disciplines.
• Be equipped with the knowledge to integrate various disciplines and apply them to understand individual & social issues.
• Demonstrate an awareness of critical skills required to read a range of texts and analyse the ideas.
• Bridge the gap between theory, concepts and research practice.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

The course covers the following broad areas: (a) Basic Social Concepts (b) Methodological Perspectives (c) Modes of Enquiry (d) Ethics of Social Research To begin with in module one we will discuss how concepts as entities have emerge in specific historical contexts which are constitutive of economic, political, social, cultural, institutional and intellectual processes across the social science and humanities discipline through variety of frameworks. and with module two on methodological perspectives we would discuss the spectrum of methodological approaches across the humanities and social sciences, learn to integrate the various dimensions, perspectives and be able to apply the relevant conceptual/ methodological categories to comprehend reality. In module 3 and 4 we will discuss the approaches to the problems in social sciences and their applications as well as evolving methodology where knowledge is derived from everyday practice. Finally The following would be the broad outline of the course;

1. Basic Social Concepts
   • Power
   • Culture
   • Society
2. Methodological Perspectives
   • Positivist Method
   • Ethnographic Method
   • Femnist method
3. Modes of Enquiry
   • Quantitative & Qualitative
   • Study Design
   • Hypothesis Formulation
   • Acquisition of Data
   • Data Analysis
   • Interpretation of Data
   • Drafting Manuscripts
   • Critical Revision of the Project
4. Ethics of Social Research
   • Respect for Person
   • Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
   • Informed Consent
   • Confidentiality and Data Protection
   • Integrity

Assessment Details with weights:

Three class tests with following weights: Test 1 (25%), Test 2 (30%) and Test 3 (40%).

1. Class test on first and second module (30%)
2. Essay on any one concept (30%)
3. Group Projects (40%) • facilitate students to spend time outside of class working in groups of 2-4 students adopting a method to collect data and analyze your data. You may write the reports summarizing these exercises either individually or in group.

Reading List:

Essential Reading

G Alyosious; 1998, NATIONALISM WITHOUT A NATION IN INDIA,OUP. Delhi

Salil Mishra, IGNOU (History), Unit 10

Lukes, Steven. 2005. Power: A Radical View, 2nd edition, Hampshire: Palgrave, pp.14-49

N. Menon, (2008) ‘Power’, in R. Bhargava and A. Acharya (eds), Political Theory: An Introduction, Delhi: Pearson, pp.148-157

R. Hussain, (1988) ‘Sultana’s Dream’, in Sultana’s Dream and Selections from the Secluded Ones – translated by Roushan Jahan, New York: The Feminist Press

Rahul Ramagundam 2006, Is Culture the Culprit, Economic Political Weekly, Vol no: 41 & Issue no 47.

Shree Geetanjali ‘Ret Samadhi’ 2022 Rajkamal Prakashan and (its translation in English by Daisy Rokwell as well as in other languages)

Axone (movie 2019) (story about North Eastern migrants to Delhi and their food habits)

Bottomore Tom, Sociology: a Guide to Problems and Literature,Routledge,New York,1962.,13-24

Pawar, Urmila. The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs. Translated by Maya Pandit. Stree, pp. x-xiii,

Srinivas, M.N., 1987, The Dominant Caste and Other Essays. Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Horton, Paul B., Chester L. Hunt. 2004, Sociology. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, Chapter 4. Pp 83-94; Chapter 5. Pp 104-115; Chapter 8, Pp. 185-209.

Do BighaZameen (1953; Dir: Bimal Roy)

V Geetha “Patriarchy: A History of the Term,’ Patriarchy, Stree, Kolkata, 2007, pp. 4-29.

V Iyenger “The Library Girl” (1985)

Ajay Sekhar “Older Than the Church: Christianity and Caste in “The God of Small Things”, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 38, no. 33 (2003), pp. 3445-49

Shiv Vishwanathan/ Avijit Pathak views on Education, Social Sciences, University

https://www.thenewleam.com/2016/11/social-sciences-in-india-and-the-glimpses-of-c ritical-thought-by-prof-avijit-pathak/

https://mainstreamweekly.net/article11407.html

http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/shiv-celebrating-science.pdf

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/moral-economy-of-a-university/article173626 90

Auguste Comte, ‘A General View of Positivism’ (1848)

Geertz, Clifford. 1973. Interpretation of Cultures, New York: Basic Books. Chapter 1, pp. 3-30.