About Us:

The Department of Sociology at Osmania University stands as the prominent centre for teaching and research in South India, boasting a rich history dating back to 1928 when Sociology was first introduced as an optional course at Under-Graduation in the Department of Economics, Osmania University. Since then, it has grown into a full-fledged Post-Graduate Department in 1946, experiencing remarkable expansion after 1970s in terms of faculty, library resources, social museum, and technological facilities.

Today, Sociology courses are not only offered at the university level but also in constituent and affiliated colleges, catering to the students at various levels of study. The department offers a diverse array of programmes including B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees, in addition to Add-On Certificate Courses and P.G. Diploma Courses in constituent colleges.

The Department of Sociology comprises three permanent faculty members, supplemented by seven Assistant Professors on contractual basis and three part-time lecturers. Engaging in numerous research projects, seminars, and workshops, the faculty members have established fruitful collaborations with both national and international scholars and universities, enriching the academic environment.

The curriculum is meticulously designed to provide comprehensive training in sociological theory and research methodology across various levels of study. The M.A. programme offers specialized courses encompassing diverse fields such as Sociology of Development, Modern Sociological Theories, Environmental Sociology, Medical Sociology, and Development Management and Research, among others. Emphasis is placed on practical application through fieldwork, culminating in project reports that integrate scientific research techniques and computer software. Building on this foundation, the Ph.D. programme provides avenues for advanced research, with a focus on addressing pressing societal issues including Social Change, Political Sociology, Demography, Sociology of Health and Environmental Sociology.

The Department has embraced pedagogical advancements such as the Semester System and the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) to offer a dynamic learning experience. Through modern teaching methods including the use of OHP, LCD, and video cassettes, students are exposed to diverse perspectives and real-life scenarios. Fieldwork is integrated into the curriculum to provide hands-on learning opportunities, while resources such as a dedicated Photocopy Machine facilitate access to relevant materials for both faculty and students.

In alignment with UGC and Osmania University guidelines, the Department has implemented an evaluation system that emphasizes continuous assessment through assignments, seminar presentations, demonstrations, quizzes, multiple-choice and viva-voce examinations, ensuring holistic development and accountability among students.

The Faculty Members of the Department are drawn into the University Administration and they hold responsible positions in the administrative structure of Osmania University.  The teachers of the Department have held several positions and are actively involved in the formulation of policy matters related to Osmania University.

Some of the teachers were elected as members of various Committees – Telangana State Public Service Commission, Indian Sociological Society, Andhra Pradesh Sociological Society and Telangana Sociological Society.  They have organized seminars at National and International level.  Class representatives are elected to look at student problems.  Professors are invited to various social occasions and they are members of different socio-economic, cultural, and educational committees.  Teachers are invited as experts to Governing Bodies, Managing Committees, Board of Studies, and Departmental Committees.  Syllabus is revised to suit the present needs of the society with special emphasis on market needs.  Socially disadvantaged students are supported and special attention is given to encourage them.  All the teachers play the role of mentor to counsel the students.

The Department has a Museum which was started in the early fifties by Prof. Haimendorf and was further developed by Prof. S.C. Dube depicting various aspects of social life. The Museum is very unique and one of the major attractions of the university.

The UGC sanctioned the first Special Assistance Programme (SAP) to the Department in the year 1990-1995.  The Department has completed the first phase successfully.  The second phase of SAP (DRS) was sanctioned in continuation of the first phase, that commenced from the year 1996–2000 and the Programme continued until the year 2000.  For the fourth phase SAP (DSA) has been sanctioned for five years 2007 - 2012. In addition, the Department was granted the ASIHSS Programme.  The amount of Rs.58.5 Lakhs for 5 years was sanctioned for the period from 01st April, 2006 to 31st March, 2011. After reviewing the DRS-Phase I Programme, the UGC sanctioned the Special Assistance Programme (SAP) at the level of DRS Phase–II from 01.4.2013 to 31.3.2018.

The Department of Sociology is closely associated with centres of higher learning and research centres in Hyderabad.  The Faculty and students of the department have regular academic interaction with various organizations like University Grants Commission (SERO), Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), National Institute for Nutrition (NIN), National Institute for Rural Development (NIRD), Council for Social Development (CDS), Tribal Research Institute, Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), University of Hyderabad, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Educational and Multi-Media Research Center (EMMRCS), Centre for Telangana Studies, Voluntary Organizations (NGOs) etc.

In the past two decades substantial research work has been conducted by the Faculty on various aspects of Rural, Urban and Tribal Development.  More Specifically the Department has focused on the following research areas:  Rural Development including Folk-Studies, Sociology of Communication, Urbanization and Urban Development, Occupational Mobility, Sociology of Education, Sociology of Health, Sociology of Deviance, Environmental Sociology, Agrarian Relations, Social Movements, Sociology of Family, Development, Displacement and Rehabilitation and Women Studies etc.

All the faculty members of the Department of Sociology have been visiting Other Universities and research organizations for examinations and evaluations, delivering guest lecturers etc.  Some of them have delivered lectures in various University workshops and academic staff colleges.  Most of the Professors are invited as members of Board of Studies and Departmental Committees of several Universities across the country.  All the staff members actively participate in State, National and International Seminars and Conferences.  Further, a few of the senior staff members were/are served as Principals of prestigious University Colleges, Deans, Directors, and members of various professional and non-professional bodies.

The Department of Sociology has been concentrating in the field of Development and Change in addition to other related areas.  Accordingly, the staff members individually and collectively are working in different fields of Rural Development, Tribal and Urban Development, Community Studies and Sociology of Education, NGOs and Development, Medical/Health Sociology, Women Studies, Development and Displacement Studies, Social Movements, Environmental Issues, Agrarian Relations, Policy Design, and Implications etc. Teachers have been invited as resource persons to deliver lectures for refresher and orientation courses.  The Department has achieved excellence in academic spheres in terms of teaching, research, training, publications, placement of students, consultancy etc.  Teachers of this Department are elected to professional bodies and also invited and appointed in Policy-making bodies.

The Department of Sociology has started two Job-Oriented Diploma Courses at its constituent colleges namely Nizam College and University College for Women.  A new combination with Sociology, Psychology, Advertising and Sales Management was introduced as an undergraduate course at the Nizam College in 1994.  A Post-Graduate Diploma in Family and Marriage Counseling was introduced at the University College for Women in 1999-2000.  In 1997, M.A. Sociology was introduced at the Centre for Distance Education, Osmania University.  The P.G. Centre in Sociology for regular students was started at Nizam College in 1998.  The Department of Sociology at Nizam College has started an Add-On Certificate Course in Communication Skills and Personality Development and also P.G. Diploma Courses in Development Management and Research Methodology; and Criminology and Correctional Administration in 2006-2007.

The Department of Sociology has Partnership and Collaboration with the Organizations namely University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Afro-American Research Network, USA and Akshara Network etc.  The Department worked in collaboration with UNICEF for the summer internship Programme during the year 2007 on “National Interventions in the Integrated District of Medak - The Sankalp Initiative”.  At the final closing of the Programme a report was submitted and this report was highly appreciated by UNICEF, New Delhi.  The Department has also conducted a research project collectively for the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) related to the “Socio-Economic Survey for Kudgi Super Thermal Power Project” in 2009-10.

The Department of Sociology has consistently demonstrated a commitment to scholarly excellence and global engagement through a series of noteworthy research initiatives and academic collaborations. Notably, the department secured a UGC-SAP (DRS-II) project and under which a series of studies were carried out in 2010-15. Subsequently, the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, granted a significant project during 2015-17, focusing on “Indigenous Medicinal and Healing Practices among Tribals: A Sociology Study of Telangana State.”

Further contributing to the department’s eminence, two retired faculty members were appointed as Professors of Emeritus with sponsorship from the ICSSR, New Delhi.

In 2020, under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Osmania University sanctioned two pivotal projects: one involved the compilation of a comprehensive book titled “Research Methods from Tradition to Triangulation – A Text of Theoretical, Technical and Applied Approaches,” while the other focused on a socio-psychological study titled “Sociocultural Adaptation, Coping Strategies and Meaning of Life” among first-generation undergraduate and postgraduate students in Telangana.

The department’s global academic reach is exemplified by the invitation extended to one of its distinguished faculty members to serve as a Visiting Professor at the University of Tubingen, Germany, a position held since 2014. In 2021-2023, a faculty member was selected for a significant Post-Doctoral Overseas Fellowship, conducting a study titled “Nomadic Communities: Identity, Inclusion and Development – A Descriptive Study of Telangana State” at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA. These collective endeavors underscore the department’s dedication to advancing sociological knowledge, fostering interdisciplinary research, and contributing to societal well-being at both national and international levels.

In 2023, the Ministry of Tribal Welfare Department entrusted the Department of Sociology at Osmania University with the crucial task of preparing the Evaluation Report for the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY). This responsibility extended to evaluating the implementation of the PMAAGY Programme across various districts of Telangana. The Department of Sociology diligently executed this assignment and successfully submitted the comprehensive Evaluation Report to the Ministry of Tribal Welfare Department.

Following that, leveraging the support from the Commissionerate of Higher Education, Government of Telangana, the Faculty Members of the Department of Sociology undertook the initiative to record lectures on the courses offered under the B.A. Sociology Programme at Osmania University. These recorded video lectures serve as invaluable resources for students enrolled in the B.A. Sociology Programme throughout the state of Telangana, facilitating their learning experience and comprehension of the subject matter.

Moreover, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing educational accessibility and outreach, the faculty members of the Department of Sociology have actively engaged in professional development by completing two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on “Agrarian Sociology” and “Urban Sociology.” These MOOCs were sponsored by the Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC), New Delhi, and are available through the UGC–Swayam Portal, furthering the dissemination of knowledge and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for a wider audience.

It is remarkable to highlight the Department’s track record of nurturing academic talent and facilitating the successful completion of doctoral degrees for over 125 Research Scholars within the span of a decade. These scholars have been recipients of various prestigious fellowships including UGC-JRF, UGC-RJNF, UGC Non-NET, ICSSR Doctoral, Post-Doctoral, and Institutional Fellowships, contributing to the scholarly landscape of sociology and social work. Currently, the Department has 15 JRF holders, 6 Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship (RGNF) recipients, 6 ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship awardees, 2 UGC Maulana Azad National Fellowship recipients, 1 National Tribal Research Fellowship recipient, and one single-girlchild research fellowship recipient, along with 2 post-doctoral fellowship holders.

The Department’s impact extends beyond academia, as evidenced by the achievements of its alumni. Three students have been selected for UPSC Civil Services, while approximately 10 Scholars who completed their PhDs in Sociology or Social Work have been appointed as Assistant Professors at different State and Central Universities. A substantial number of students have pursued careers in government services in Women and Child Welfare Department, Transport Department, Police Department, Revenue Department, Food Corporation, Excise Department, and Forest Department. Following that, many students have found opportunities in both national and international non-governmental organizations, while a few others have entered the software industry. Moreover, a significant portion of students actively engage in social service and politics, reflecting the department’s commitment to fostering well-rounded individuals with a dedication to societal betterment.