SPECIAL PROGRAMS
The Professional Social Science Program for Southeast Asian Students is a joint undertaking of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (DSA) and the Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) of the Ateneo de Manila University. Begun in 1986, with development practitioners from Southeast Asia as its audience, the Program fuses theory and practice in training students to plan, implement, and evaluate development projects.
The DSA oversees the academic life of the students: it offers courses that comprise the bulk of the students' training, assists students in conceptualizing and executing their thesis projects, and provides workshops to enhance the students' linguistic skills. The IPC, in turn, takes care of Program administration, handles courses that tap the Institute's expertise in selected areas of development work, and supervises the students' field training activities.
THE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The Program's training expects the students to acquire skills in analyzing and interpreting contemporary social issues in developing societies, particularly in the Southeast Asian and Pacific Regions. Among these issues are the dwindling of natural resources, the struggle for sustainable development, the increasing concentration of political and economic power, and the widening gaps in material and other inequalities. The conse-quences of these social forces on cultures and individual lives, particularly on how groups and individuals craft their responses in their unique social contexts, also occupy a prominent place in the students' coursework.
The students are expected to use the critical intelligence acquired from the Program in:
* examining social phenomena with scientific rigor;
* understanding and assessing the ideol-ogies of social reform;
* offering alternative perspectives in compre-hending the process of rapid social change; and
* making feasible suggestions for improving or designing plans and policies which are geared toward enhancing people's welfare.
To help accomplish these goals, the Program administers four graduate programs, each with their respective focus:
Master of Arts, major in Sociology
provides a firm grounding on the theories and methods of sociology, with an opportunity to specialize in such areas as social change, social problems, and social organization.
Master of Arts, major in Anthropology
gives a thorough grounding on the theories and methods of anthropology, with an opportunity to specialize in such areas as cultural change and ethnography.
Master of Science in Social Development
offers an applied social science program with practical, analytical, and theoretical tools for engaging in social development work.
Master of Science in Applied Sociology and Anthropology
extends academic training on the application of knowledge and skills from sociology and anthropology to practical problems.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
1. Transcript of records which certifies that the applicant is a graduate of a four-year college program, and, whenever applicable, records of graduate studies.
2. Completed Application for Admission form.
3. Graduate School entrance test (either at the Ateneo or in areas accredited by the Ateneo to give similar tests).
4. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for foreign students.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Coursework
Students need to complete 30 units of coursework, divided as follows:
* 9 units of required courses
* 15 units of major program subjects
* 6 units of elective subjects
Students who are enroled full time, i.e.,those taking 12 units during the regular semesters and 6 units during the summer, can expect to finish coursework in one school year (June- March) and a summer (April-May).
2. Comprehensive Examination
This written examination is taken after the student has completed all or most of the required academic units. Administered by the Office of the Assistant Dean, this may be taken in February, May, or September.
The examination consists of two parts, with the first focusing on topics from the set of required courses and the second dealing with topics from the set of major programs, specialized courses, and electives.
3. Thesis
Thesis work comprises the final six (6) units of the Program's academic requirements. Students are expected to enrol in at least two (2) semesters of thesis direction before under-going thesis defense. Thesis advisers and committees will serve to direct the students in writing their research proposals and complet-ing their theses.
Foreign students and Filipino scholars are encouraged to conduct thesis fieldwork in their respective home countries or provinces.
4. Final Reports/Papers
This requirement is applicable to students taking up M.S. in Applied Sociology and Anthropology. As this program does not require a thesis, the student shall enrol for an additional 15 units as well as prepare reports or papers to be compiled and submitted to the Commission on Higher Education.