A five-day Online Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on the topic ‘Rethinking Critical Theory and Praxis in the Humanities and Social Sciences’ organized by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Tetso College, got underway on 13th July, 2020 with Prof. Pardeshi Lal, Vice-Chancellor, Nagaland University, as the special guest during the inaugural session.
The first day witnessed a total of 187 participants, 115 participants from across the country and 72 from Nagaland. The inaugural programme was chaired by Anjan K. Behera, Assistant Dean, Tetso College who thanked all the invited guests, resource persons and participants for gracing the inaugural session with their presence.
In his welcome speech, Dr. P.S. Lorin, Principal, Tetso College formally welcomed the special guest, resource speakers, assistant professors, lecturers, researchers and all the participants from various parts of the country. He mentioned the significance of the FDP and its aims and appreciated all for participating in the programme in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Lorin also expressed his gratitude to the chief guest, Prof. Pardeshi Lal, for the invaluable contribution he has made over the years in the field of education in the State of Nagaland. He briefly highlighted the history of Tetso College and the journey since its inception in 1994.
In his inaugural address, Prof. Pardeshi Lal appreciated the IQAC of Tetso College for organizing the programme and stressed on the importance of Critical Theory as it influences the different components of the society. In trying to understand the subject further, he explained the growth of Critical Theory over time and mentioned that the original intellectual and political inspiration for Critical Theory was Marxism. In a nutshell, he observed that Critical Theory was characterized by the attempt to extend the notion of critique to all social practices by linking substantive social research to philosophy which has brought about important political and social insights through the cross-fertilization of academic disciplines. According to him, it also provided a continuingly fertile and imaginative perspective from which problems and contradictions of existing society can be explored. In his concluding remarks, he motivated everyone to actively engage in all the sessions and wished for the success of the FDP and its sessions.
While introducing the resource speakers, Dr. S. ElikaAssumi, Dean and FDP Coordinator, Tetso College, maintained that the goal of the programme is to be at par with standards and guidelines of the university governing authorities at the same time ensuring the quality of collaboration and imparting knowledge.
The participating resource persons are Dr. WalunirTzudir, Associate Professor at Amity Institute of English Studies and Research, Amity University, Dr. Samata Biswas, from the Sanskrit College and University, Kolkata, Dr. ParthasarathiMuthukkaruppan, from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Dr. M. ShafeeqKarinkurayil, from Manipal Centre for Humanities, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, Dr. Chandan Kumar Panda, from Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, Dr. M. Dickens Leonard, from University of Hyderabad, Dr. Achuth A, from St. Joseph University, Nagaland, Dr. Vipin K. Kadavath, from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Dr. Basil DarlongDiengdoh, from Dibrugarh University, and Dr. ShreeshaUdupa, from Nalanda University, Rajgir.
Later, the first session was held with Dr. WalunirTzudir speaking on the topic ‘Incredulity Towards Knowledge in Contemporary Studies’ while the second session saw Dr. Samata Biswas speak on ‘Feminisms’ before concluding for the day.