Sometimes, we get lost in the doing of something in a way that we lose sight of its essence. It’s important to remind oneself of the essence of why it’s important to do what is being done, because when you lose sight of the why behind something, you lose the drive to do that thing. This pretext, in its individual capacity, might not give a clear meaning, but if it is complemented with the context developed in the following paragraph, it will certainly make sense.
I am a lecturer at a university, and I normally encounter students in fully packed classrooms. In an ideal setting, every time we, both teachers and students, enter into a class with the intention of making sense of the world around us and perhaps trying to understand why it is the way it is. Seemingly, this should be an exciting experience and should keep everyone on the edge of their seats while they are in class, and should keep them excited every day whenever they enter class. However, the reality at times speaks a different language, and in that reality, there is an elephant in the room, something that should be addressed.
This is a message for all those students who are sailing in the boat of social sciences, perhaps a bit disillusioned. First of all, you are lucky to be a part of this amazing field. Immerse yourself in the theoretical discourses and gain insights about the world around us from the intellectual pursuits carried out in the past. Hone your skills, especially speaking and writing; become a part of public discourse developing around us day in, day out by reflecting on them, and contribute your part in making this world a little bit better
Let me share a glimpse of that reality from one of the lived experiences in the recent past I had in one of the classes I was teaching which, I believe, can provide a good case study to build our case upon. To make sense of the context, I had BS IR students in a class. One day, one student, who I would consider above average and was probably in his third semester, asked me a question after the class, asking with a sense of disillusionment saying what he would do with all these insights he was getting in classes if it did not help in the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam, an exam students normally take to join the bureaucracy in Pakistan.
Implicit in his question was what he would do with this degree in International Relations if it did not help him in what he wanted out of it. His question stuck with me, put me in a reflective mode, and made me think about how he was interacting with all that is being shared with him in classes. His question also conveyed to me a sense of confusion regarding what he should do with all that he is experiencing as part of his degree except the fact that it would help him in qualifying CSS exam later on after the degree.
What’s being highlighted in the one lived experience shared above is not, I would say, an exclusive case; rather I believe this confusion is generally among students. The majority of students don’t feel connected to the bigger whys behind the academic processes they are part of or if they have any why; it’s predominantly driven by job pursuits which is not a bad thing keeping in view the socio-economic milieu we are in but confining why-experiencing-academia only and solely to job pursuit is, I think, not doing justice to the whole academic process and is more like a Faustian bargain, especially talking to students pursuing degrees in social sciences.
I believe all of us who are a part of the social sciences world, no matter which capacity we are in, whether we are teachers or students, we have an amazing opportunity to play a transformative role in the society we are part of, something bigger than ourselves. In social sciences generally, we learn about intellectual pursuits carried out in the past to explore society around us, ideally speaking with the intention that we can have a better understanding of the society around us in the present moment and so that we can take informed decisions for its betterment based upon the learnt insights. In short, our interaction with the world of social sciences, if looked at from a broader perspective, is not a blind pursuit, but it has a proper role in the overall creation of a healthy and vibrant society, intellectually and realistically.
How exactly can we play a transformative role in our society while we are a part of the social sciences? There can be a lot of ways; however, I believe the best way to become a beacon of transformation in the society we are a part of, and this is so especially for students who feel disillusioned about what they can do with social sciences, by becoming vocal and reflective over what is happening around us day in day out. Every day, a lot of events occur around us. They are reported to us via electronic and print media. Those events decide the overall trajectory of our society.
Every day, a small group of people, especially in newspapers, share their reflections on what went wrong, what went right, what should be done, and what should not be done, especially in the light of the insights they gained from social sciences. Those reflective voices, though, may be small and might at times sound inconsequential as far as their real time impacts are concerned, yet they are the voices of the society at large and are the answers to the policies coming from the top. Those voices give birth to civil society, something a healthy and vibrant society cannot forgo. Imagine if we all who are a part of social sciences become vocal and reflective over the day-to-day events! What kind of impact would it have on the overall look of the society and trajectory of the society?
I believe we, the teachers, should consciously give these reminders to students of social sciences about which field they are in and what’s expected of them. Their bet on a particular field in social sciences for better job prospects is not a bad thing, but if that pursuit is complemented with what is ideally expected of them in that field, that will turn their academic pursuits in service to bigger causes.
This is a message for all those students who are sailing in the boat of social sciences, perhaps a bit disillusioned. First of all, you are lucky to be a part of this amazing field. Immerse yourself in the theoretical discourses and gain insights about the world around us from the intellectual pursuits carried out in the past. Hone your skills, especially speaking and writing; become a part of public discourse developing around us day in, day out by reflecting on them, and contribute your part in making this world a little bit better.
You can have your own way for reflection. Mine is writing for newspapers!
