HSS21: Roadmap for Humanities and Social Sciences in STEM Higher Education Indian Institute of Technology Jammu Jammu, India, March 19-20, 2021 |
Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=hss21 |
Abstract registration deadline | February 28, 2021 |
Submission deadline | February 28, 2021 |
Higher education across the world has witnessed unprecedented expansion and transformation in the past decades. The focus on technology, employability and innovation have taken the front seats aiming at faster growth for individual, market and the society at large. Most countries have set up mechanisms to focus on Technical and Professional higher education, as these disciplines and subjects provide direct linkages with the world of work. As a consequence, the demand for such subjects skyrocketed and higher education institutions providing degrees and diplomas in technical and professional disciplines mushroomed all over.
This emerging limelight on technical and professional subjects have changed many facets of higher education today and in the process, the importance of the traditional liberal arts subjects, particularly Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) subjects seem shrinking. The HSS subjects such as Literature, Sociology, Philosophy, History and so on are no longer considered equally important for the development of critical thinking in the students going for higher education. However, the HSS subjects meant to broaden the learners’ intellectual horizons, force them to think critically, to debate, and to grapple with ambiguities inherent in subjects. They are also designed to help the learners cultivate empathy for others in subjects and are particularly designed to develop well-rounded human beings.
At the same time, it is equally important for the Humanities and Social Science subjects to evolve, to change according to the demands of the society, especially with the metamorphosis of the technology, global economy, industries and world of work. Fortunately, the global and national level policies related to Higher Education are bringing their focus back to the HSS and making them an integral part of technical and professional higher education. For instance, the National Education Policy of India (NEP 2020) provides utmost importance on the Humanities and Social Sciences and focuses on multidisciplinary learning. The Policy recognizes that there will be a growing demand for humanities and social sciences across the sciences, in order to ensure the unity and integrity of all knowledge.
Assessments of educational approaches in undergraduate education that integrate the humanities and arts with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have consistently showed positive learning outcomes, including increased creativity and innovation, critical thinking and higher-order thinking capacities, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, communication skills, more in depth learning and mastery of curricula across fields, increases in social and moral awareness; besides general engagement and enjoyment of learning (NEP, 2020).
To (re)establish Humanities and Social Sciences, it is necessary to invest in subject-specific and interdisciplinary research, innovative course and curriculum development, faculty orientation and so forth. The first step in this direction is to open the windows of dialogue and cross disciplinary knowledge sharing regarding various aspects of HSS subjects, innovative pedagogies for the progress and enlightened nature of a nation and its higher education learners, who are also the future leaders.
Considering the need of the hour, the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) of the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu (IIT Jammu) is going to organize an Online International Conference on the present and future of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Technical and Professional Higher Education on 19-20 March 2021. This Conference is an effort to bring together renowned academics, policy-makers and young researchers to engage in activities related to improving and integrating HSS with the technical and professional higher education, set roadmaps for its development and to learn from different experiences and practices.
Objectives
The major objectives of this proposed International Conference are:
- To provide a platform for experts, researchers and practitioners to share their experiences on the present and future of HSS.
- To discuss innovative practices in the area of HSS in Technical and Professional Higher Education for the improvement of the learners, the subjects and of the higher education sector(s).
- To explore possibilities of promoting interdisciplinary research studies and,
- Bring hi-quality academic publications (Edited Volume from an internationally recognized publishing house).
In addition to the above, the Conference will create an excellent opportunity to form an international network of partners, researchers, experts and institutional leaders for sustainable knowledge-building.
Themes and Subthemes
The Roadmap of HSS in Tech and Professional world
- The future of jobs and the need of HSS in tomorrow’s world
- Research on multidisciplinary and the importance of HSS
- Education Policies and their focus on HSS
- The much needed evolution of the HSS subjects for the world today
Cognition and the development of a critical knowledge society
- Brain, Mind & Consciousness
- Social Robotics
- User Experience & Usability, HAI - Invited
- The Innovative pedagogy of Cognitive Sciences - Invited
Locating the ‘Literary’ in STEM HE
- Representation of the "intellectual proletariat" in white collar jobs
- Art for art's sake in the era of usability engineering
- Imagination for a Purpose: Fact or Fiction
- The Science of Art: Teaching Literature to the STEM Graduates
Sociology for a better social world
- Changing societies and the need for critical thinking
- Globalization of knowledge and the importance of sociology in contemporary time
- Democratization of the technological tools for the future professionals
- Teaching Social Sciences to the Science Students
Economics for life
- Redefining Work in the Age of Technological Reproduction
- Economics of Startup and Entrepreneurship
- Economics for Well Being
- The pedagogy of Economics for the Tech, and Professional Graduates
Role of Philosophy in making the tech and professional world more ethical and well-informed
- Necessity of ethical sensitivity towards societal issues: Bioethics
- Understanding truth, objectivity and bias from a philosophical perspective for STEM HE
- Philosophy for effective scientific and technical communication
- The Philosophy of Teaching and Learning for the Tech, and Professional Graduates
Building a Better and More Equitable World
- Technology for the people, by the people
- Multidisciplinary is the way forward
- Towards an inclusive higher education
- Humanities, the Harbinger of Happiness
Venue and Date
The Conference will be fully online using various digital platforms.
IIT Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, INDIA on 19 and 20 March 2021.
Participation
The International Conference will bring together key experts from across the world, renowned academics from General, Technical and Professional Higher Education Institutions and selected research scholars. More than 100 delegates and participants from various countries and India are expected to participate in the conference.
Participation Fee: Free for all the paper presenters and non-presenting participants.
Submission of Abstract and Important Deadlines
- Extended Abstract (650-800 words) submission by 28 February 2021.
- Notification (via email) to the shortlisted participants- By 5th March 2021 with suggestion from the experts/ selection committee to revise/ modify the abstract.
- Final submission of selected abstracts: 12th March 2021
- Finalization of Conference Schedule: by 15 March.