Test this

Blogging from my desktop

Topics List

Here's the list of topics we want to explore over the next few weeks:

1. Can including Folk forms in the Theatre curriculum make it more society / practice oriented? (Nov 20)
2. What is the purpose of academic studies at the PhD level? What is its utility? (Nov 6)
3. How to conceptualize your research problem: Some thoughts and readings (Nov 13)
4. Is it more important to “conserve” tradition or adapt it to current reality for sustenance? (Nov 27)
   

Please add to the topic list or your observations...

update

In our last meeting we decided to blog-post our opinion on perspectives of practical teaching in theatre arts. After having a thorough discussion among ourselves we will call for suggestions from faculty and put before them highlights of our discussion.

This exercise is directed towards giving our discussion forum a more constructive and practical goal orientation.

High aspiration friends!
To make this entire exercise more interesting we must rope in other research scholars..... asap

ANYBODY LISTENING?

How about putting up notes in each discipline giving the blog url..... that should atleast increase our hit-count initially.... comments and participation will follow...

Links to audio and media files

Ladies and Gentlemen, I've figured a decent enough way to put up media realted files via this blog (such as music, videos etc)

For example, here's a piece that Afshin composed on his Taar. (Click the link to listen. Or download from here. 2.4 MB)

It's for real... we DO meet

Kumar in his newest hairstyle

Joya makes a point

That last one is called Bean Bag research :-) (Afshin was sitting here when he took the photos, so you don't see him!)


Had a bad day? You're welcome to chill out on our rather squashed bean bag.

Adding method to the madness

One of the items that came up at yesterday's meeting was the very light grasp that most of us have on research methods - more so in the departments other than communication.

To state the obvious -- unconsidered or inappropriate methods seriously compromise the quality of research.

At this point there are about 4-5 of us who are just about getting started on our programs. Our need is not so much for quantitative vs qualitative, sampling techniques, analysis frameworks etc. It is more to understand problem formulation, types of research possibilities, research fallacies and paradoxes, limitations...

We agreed it would be a good idea to have some basic coursework in this area - with research scholars from all the departments attending. (It could just a few hours, with links to relevant reading material)

Dear faculty, how about it?

talking about problems..

Yes, last week's meeting was very interesting when we discussed about problems that trouble us. When the table turned to me i chose to talk about something that troubles me in general and does not necessarily involve my field of research.

I have always wondered about the altarnatives to a established system- be it in governance, administration, education, social disposals, perceptions of honour/dishonour, power or the lack of it..... the notion of a society converse to the notion of self

- who creates a system and who breaks it?
- if it is the individual will, then who is empowered to do so?

I think that it is the responsibility of the present generation to break away from the "system" and seek alternatives. The educated youth who are supposedly "empowered" can set the example by practice..

......after this the discussion went on to issues of 'women empowerment' with Christy having a lot to share and debate about. The rest of us were just too eager to join in.

Talking of women empowerment, Afsin shared that in Iran certain disciplines of study (e.g. civil engineering) were prohibited for women! We in India are privileged!