Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan
hosted a Seminar on Theory and Research in Social Sciences at the
university's main campus. Dr. Farhat Taj, Associate Professor at the University
of Tromsø UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, was the guest speaker. Faculty
members, MPhil and PhD students from the departments of Sociology, Political
Science, International Relations, and Psychology at AWKUM, and a student from
the Department of Development Studies at Comsat University, Abbottabad campus,
participated in the workshop. The program began with a recitation from the Holy
Quran by Mr. Shah Saud, a PhD student in the Department of Sociology.
After the formal opening by Dr.
Muhammad Bilal, Director-UA&CDC, Dr. Farhat Taj delivered a comprehensive
talk on how knowledge is constructed through theory, focusing on empiricism,
rationalism, and falsifiability. She also explained how the expansion of
knowledge challenges the existing theories. Dr. Farhat Taj further explained
the function of theory in research.
After her lecture, Dr. Farhat Taj
posed the research question, “Is durable peace possible between Pakistan and
Afghanistan?” and divided the participants into groups to address this question
and write their arguments using relevant theories. After completing their tasks
in almost 1.5 hours, the participants’ groups were instructed to share their
written arguments/analysis for review. Dr. Farhat Taj advised reviewing each
other's work while focusing on the relevant theory discussed in addressing the
question. Is the theory language used or not? And check the strengths and
weaknesses of the analysis. The faculty and students, in mixed groups,
thoroughly reviewed each other's work and discussed/argued one-on-one. It was a
unique learning experience for the participants on how to address a research
question through different theories. At the end, Dr. Farhat Taj stressed the
need to use more relevant theories to conduct a robust analysis of any
phenomenon.
Dr. Syed Rashid Ali, Associate
Professor from the department of Sociology, concluded the workshop by remarking
that such practical learning is mandatory for both students and faculty. He
also added that students need to be equipped with theoretical lenses to analyze
better the tasks they undertake. Dr. Rashid Ali thanked the University
Advancement & Career Development Center of AWKUM for organizing such a
fruitful workshop.
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