DEPARTMENT OF STRATEGIC AND SECURITY STUDIES

FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

AMU ALIGARH

SPARC WORKSHOP
(RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES)
19-21, and 29-30 April 2024

The Department of Strategic and Security Studies, AMU is going to organize a series of workshops under the
SPARC Project. The workshops are planned to nurture and train young Social Sciences and Humanities
scholars in Research methods, focusing on the area of Peace studies.
The introductory workshop will take place in the second week of April followed by another workshop towards
the end of the month. In the introductory workshop the basics of doing research will be discussed in detail
whereas the follow up workshop will have a discussion on the individually chosen topics of workshop
participants.
Prof. Yasmin Saikia & Prof. Chad Haines from the Arizona State University USA, will lead the workshop.

 The details of the workshop are as a follows


Workshop I: (19-21 April)
DAY 1: RESEARCH: INTRODUCTION

DAY 2: DIFFERENT METHODS IN RESEARCH

DAY 3: FRAMING THE RESEARCH PROCESS

(NOTE: Reading material will be provided to the students.)

Afternoon sessions of the workshop will be devoted to Q&A and discussion)

Workshop II: (29-30 April)

DETAILED DISCUSSION/ COMMENT /FEEDBACK ON THE INDIVIDUALLY CHOSEN TOPICS OF WORKSHOP
PARTICIPANTS

Resource Persons
Prof Yasmin Saikia
Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies
School of Historical Philosophical and Religious
Studies, Arizona State University, USA
Prof. Chad Haines
Senior Global Futures Scholar
School of Historical Philosophical and Religious
Studies, Arizona State University, USA

 VENUE: Conference Hall, Department of Strategic and Security Studies, A.M.U. Aligarh.
 WORKSHOP DETAILS
Day I: Research
Beginning Session
Where do research ideas come from?
• Roles of theory, data, practice
• Rigor and relevance
• What are we doing in this workshop? What are the goals we want to achieve?
Reading:
1. Habib, Md. Mamun, Bishwajit Banik Pathik, Hafsa Maryam, Research Methodology - Contemporary Practices:
Guidelines for Academic Researchers (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014), pp. 1-14.

Next Session
What is theory? What is not theory?
• What are the components of a theory?
• What are the attributes of a good theory?
• What’s interesting?
Reading:
1. Yasmin Saikia and Chad Haines, ‘Introduction’, People’s Peace, Prospects for a Human Future (New York: Syracuse
University Press, 2019), pp, 1-16.
2. Fiona Jenkins, ‘Judith Butler: disturbance, provocation and the ethics of non-violence,’ in ‘Key Thinkers and Their
Contemporary Legacy,’ Ed. Ned Curthoys, Humanities Research, vol. XVI, No. 2. 2010, pp. 93-115.

Day 2: Methods
First Session
How do we develop our research method/s?
• How do we match our questions, theories and methods?
Reading:
1. ‘What is research design?’ pp. 1-16

Next Session
Varieties of Research Methods
• Modes of archival, ethnographic, survey and case study-based research
• Levels, materials, methods
Reading:
1. Christine Feak and John Swales, Telling a Research Story: Writing a Literature Review (University of Michigan, 2009),
pp. 1-21.
2. Yasmin Saikia, ‘Beyond the Archive of Silence: Narratives of Violence of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh,
History Workshop Journal, Issue 58, 2004, pp. 275-287.

Third Session
Ethics in Research
• Maintaining high ethical standards
• Avoiding questionable research practices (plagiarism, AI use, human subject concerns, etc)
Reading:
1. Joan E. Sieber, Martin B. Tolich, ‘Journalist Ethics ≠ Social Scientist Ethics,’ Planning Ethically Responsible Research
(CA: Sage Publication Inc, 2013), pp. 1-18.

Day 3: Writing
First Session
• Framing papers through the introduction.
• The writing process
• The review and publication process
Reading:
1. Christine Feak and John Swales, Telling a Research Story: Writing a Literature Review, (University of Michigan, 2009),
pp. 77-86.

Next Session
Bringing It All Together / Concluding Thoughts
Interested candidates (PhD students, early career researchers, students desirous of joining research, final year Masters

students only in exceptional cases) willing to join the workshop can register and apply with the following information

to sparc.strategicstudiesamu@gmail.com

1. Short CV with Area of Research interest, Educational Qualifications, Publications (if any), Contact details.

2. A Short Statement of Purpose (300- 500 words) explaining why the candidate is interested to attend the workshop.

NOTE: The candidate should apply latest by 11-04-2024, Shortlisted candidates will be informed by 14-04-2024.

 For any query please feel free to contact Mr. Faheem Ul Islam (9622223031)

SPARC Project Team

Prof Yasmin Saikia Dr. Syed Tahseen Raza

Principal Investigator (USA) Principal Investigator (India)
Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Department of Strategic and
Studies Security Studies, A.M.U
Arizona State University, USA Aligarh

Prof. Chad Haines Dr. Andleeb

Co-PI (USA) Co-PI (India)
Senior Global Futures Scholar Department of Social Work
Arizona State University, USA A.M.U Aligarh