Last month, a team of six staff from the Civic Initiative (a business group of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Donahue Institute) were in Islamabad. They held a three-day follow-up conference for alumni from recent cohorts of the Study of the U.S. Institutes Comparative Public Policymaking program that has been held annually by the Civic Initiative since 2010. The SUSI program is funded by the US Department of State Education and Cultural Affairs Office.
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Social Sciences Research
A cohort of five US scholars, from the fields of Sociology, Social Work, Education and Ethno-Musicology, led three weeks of mentoring and workshop sessions in Pakistan, focusing on research and teaching methods in the Social Sciences as well as the respective fields listed above. Many of the workshop participants had the option to receive individual mentoring from one or more of the scholars on top of attending the provided workshops. Additionally, the scholars led a round table discussion at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) and a panel presentation at Fatimah Jinnah Women University.
Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services Round Table Discussion
Dr. Michael Hirsch and Dr. Tricia Jokerst led a Round Table Discussion titled “Emerging Trends in Social Sciences Research for Parliament” on August 2nd, 2018 at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) in Islamabad for 30 participants. During the Roundtable, Dr. Hirsch and Dr. Jokerst presented different research challenges developing in the field of Social Sciences to researchers from the Pakistani National Parliament (Pakistan Senate Secretariat and National Assembly Secretariat). Dr. Hirsch addressed the various topics of public sociology, pseudo-science, corporate funding and big data, while Dr. Jokerst expanded on the practices of parliamentary research in the US, emphasizing the field of educational research. The talks were followed by an engaging Q&A session.
Fatimah Jinnah Women University Panel Presentation
Topic: Social Science Research in the Contemporary World
Type of Engagement: Panel Presentation
Leaders: Mike Hirsch, Amelia Maciszewski, Rabia Gul (International Islamic University, Islamabad) and Mazhar Hussain Bhutta (Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi)
Participants: 50
Workshops
University of Education
| Trends in Instructional Design Leader: Tricia Jokerst Participants: 23 |
Opportunistic Research & Publication and Applied Research & Ethics Leaders: Mike Hirsch, Amy Allen Participants: 16 |
| Sampling and Ethnography Leader: Mike Hirsch, Amy Allen, Amelia Maciszewski Participants: 16 |
Case Study Analysis Leader: Tricia Jokerst Participants: 12 |
| ADHD Leader: Tricia Jokerst Participants: 8 |
Introduction to Instructional Design Leader: Tricia Jokerst Participants: 21 |
| Opportunistic Research & Publication and Applied Research & Ethics Leaders: Mike Hirsch, Mueni Rudd, Amelia Maciszewski Participants: 4 |
Excel in the Research Process Leaders: Mike Hirsch, Mueni Rudd, Amelia Maciszewski Participants: 4 |
Higher Education Commission
Leaders: Mike Hirsch, Mueni Rudd, Amy Allen, Amelia Maciszewski, Tricia Jokerst
Number of Participants: 20
Workshop Topics: Opportunistic Research and Publication, Applied Research, Social Work Ethics with Socially Subordinate Groups, Sampling, Ethnography, Case Study Analysis, Use of Excel in Research and Curriculum Development
Fatimah Jinnah Women University
| Trends in Instructional Design Leader: Tricia Jokerst Participants: 20 |
Use of Social Emotional Learning Strategies in the Classroom Leader: Tricia Jokerst Participants: 26 |
National Academy of Performing Arts
| Music as a Field of Study Leader: Amelia Maciszewski Participants: 90 |
Sitar and Tabla Leaders: Amelia Maciszewski and two NAPA faculty members Participants: 100+ |
Bios:
Dr. Michael Hirsch is a Professor of Sociology and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, TX.
Dr. Tricia Jokerst (PhD, Med, LPC) holds a PhD in Special Education from the University of Texas. She teaches Special Education courses in the Huston-Tillotson Adult Degree program and practices as a high school special education science teacher and case manager.
Dr. Amelia Maciszewski is an internationally acclaimed sitarist, teaching artist, educator, and public ethnomusicologist. She earned a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Texas-Austin.
Ms. Amy Allen is the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Coordinator for the Texas Military Forces and has held this position since October 2014.
Ms. Mueni L. Rudd earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Huston-Tillotson University. She is currently a Master of Social Work candidate at Texas State University.