The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities celebrated the theme of ‘Unity in Diversity as the third session of the Students’ Seminar Series on May 12^th, 2022. The theme of the Seminar covered SGD No 10 ‘Reducing Inequalities’ and SDG No 11 ‘Sustainable Cities & Communities. The event was honored by the presence of Dr. Arif Mehmood, Head of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences (DSBS). The invitation was open to all the departments of NUMS.

The Event commences as the Hosts Ms. Maryam Bibi and Ms. Adeena Tariq from Semester VII of DSBS welcomed the audience. Following the Talawat of the Holy Quran and National Anthem. Ms. Salma Ayaz (Lecturer English- DSBS), who mentored the students during the preparation of the event, shared her views on the topics and told the audience what they could look forward to at the event. The highlight of the event was TedTalk prepared by the students. Firstly, Ms. Noreen Iqbal from Semester VI, DSBS, presented her talk and highlighted the significance of Diversity among human beings. She presented her view that as significant the diversity is, it is equally significant to encourage unity so that peaceful communities can sustain. In her TedTalk, Ms. Maryam Ahmed from Semester I, NDP presented the concept of Othering and how Media plays a significant role in furthering this phenomenon. A group of students from semester VII of DSBS (Meesha Rao, Maria Saif, Zainab Sabir, Mahnoor Chaudhry, Saleha Iftikhar, and Maryam Naeem) took to a hilarious script and presented the Theme of Unity in Diversity through a skit, which was heavily applauded by the audience.

The performance was followed by the visit of stalls that were set up by the students which portrayed the theme of the event in a creative manner. The stalls included: Pakistani Beverages, Music, Cuisine, Mehndi, Sweets, and Truck Art. All of the Stalls exhibited the diverse domains which come under the umbrella of each of the sub-themes. For the purpose of competition top, three stalls were selected: The second runner up was Music Stall (set up by Saleha Iftikhar, Nimra Arooj, Ali Haider, and Mariam Saad –DSBS), First runner up was Sweets Stall (set by Ayesha Gull, Arisha Sajid, Ain-ul- Fatima-DSBS) and the first position was secured by Mehndi Stall (set up by Amina Sarfaraz, Madiha Ilyas, Sana Batool-DSBS).

In order to boost the motivation level of students in co-curricular activities, students were awarded with appreciation certificates, presented by Dr. Arif Mehmood. In his remarks at the end of the event, Dr. Arif commended the efforts of students in putting up a good show, appreciated the creativity of students who organized stalls, and acknowledged the mentorship of Ms. Salma Ayaz who avidly guided the students. The event formally reached its end as a group picture was captured to preserve the eidetic memory.

The commencement of The Student’s Seminar Series, “Women Empowerment” by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities was held on March 10^th, 2022, Thursday. The session went successful due to the efforts of students who were being continuously mentored and guided by Ms. Salma Ayaz (Lecturer English).

Women constitute half of the total population and thus must be empowered to attend to their roles in a more efficient way.  This approach was used as a motivation to revolve the first students’ seminar session on it. The seminar was graced by the presence of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities as well as Dr. Azam Chaudhry, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. Dr. Arif Mehmood, HOD Social & Behavioral Sciences, and Dr. Shazia Khalid, HOD Psychology also attended the session.

Students participated in various capacities and play their part in making the event successful. Followed by the welcome note and recitation, Ms. Salma gave a brief on the event as well as shared her views on the performance of students during the process and practice sessions. It was followed by a mime performance by students of Psychology Sem I, that highlighted the significance of an empowered woman who is able to protect herself and how women together can play a part in strengthening each other.  A poem was also presented by a student who voiced her thoughts on barriers a woman faces in the wake of her personal as well as professional life. A panel debate was organized by students with four students in each panel and two motions regarding Gender Equality were discussed and debated. The audience as well as the faculty members showed keen interest and added their take on the topic. A group of students from SSH Sem III also made a video that highlighted the issues women face like workplace harassment, physical abuse, and acid attack incidents.

The event concluded as certificates were awarded to the winning team of Debate and the Mime participants to appreciate their hard work. Dean Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities shared his views about the event and students’ effort in putting up a good show. The participants and the students along with the faculty gathered for a group picture as a reminiscence of the occasion.

On World International Women’s Day, Students of Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities felt the need of donating blood for women and from women as humanitarian cause. Women are strong and equally capable compared to male counterparts to donate blood, to serve the humanity which not only benefits the recipient but also serves the donor, both physically as well as psychologically.

On March 3^rd, 2022, Under mentorship of Ms. Saira Javed (Lecturer Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, NUMS) students of Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (DSSH) organized an event on the significance of blood donation for women under the umbrella of community services of “Red Ray”. The team of NUMS Red Ray independently have been working on blood donation in collaboration of other organizations such as Pakistan Kidney Patient Association, Jamila Sultana and general population since 2019.

Students of Faculty of SSH NUMS, aimed to aid the individuals who needed blood for their survival or sustenance since its inception. They played their part either through direct donation or through networking and now aims to maximize its outreach to the general population. Students from Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Mr. Hassnain Khalid, Ms. Warda Waheed, Ms. Maria Saif, Ms. Adeena Tariq, Ms. Maryam Naeem, Ms. Maryam Bibi, Ms. Madeha Ilyas, Ms. Meesha Rao, Ms. Unaiza Rehman and Ms. Hareem Fatima) and Department of Psychology (Mr. Ahmed Yousaf, Ms. Abeeha Batool, Ms, Mahnoor Khattak, Ms. Farba Khan, Ms. Nimra Tariq and Ms. Samaha sehar) has facilitated the organization of this event and other previous many activities for blood donation for general public.

As the program proceeded, a student of Department of Psychology (DoP), Ms. Abeeha Batool, come forward fighting off her fears and shared her experience on the Self-Management of a health condition (Thalassemia minor), which requires Blood transfusion at later stage. For the opinion of professionals, a panel session was set. Panelists included, Dr. Rehma Gillani (Gynecologist-Department of Public Health), Prof Dr. Shazia Khalid (Psychologist-HOD Dept. of Psychology) and Lt Col Tauqeer Abbas (Retd) who is the project Director of Jamila Sultana Foundation. It was a holistic session with such different disciplines where Dr. Gillani talked about the physiological aspect of blood donation; encouraged to get routine screening test done which is crucial for early onset detection or diagnosis related to a wide range of conditions and diseases. On the other hand, a psychological point of view especially the fear attached with prick of needles and related issues were very well explained by Prof Dr. Shazia Khalid. Last but not the least, Lt Col.Tauqeer (Retd), shared his perspective on daily basis with thalassemia patients in his organization Jamila Sultana. Prof Dr. Azam Chaudhry (Anthropologist -Dean-Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities) graced the session with his presence and shared his take on the subject matter with reference to cousin marriages and genetic issues.

Furthermore, souvenir was presented to Lt Col. Tauqeer Abbas (Retd) and as a token of acknowledgment, certificates were distributed to the participating students. Furthermore, Ms. Maryam Naeem from DSBS (7^th semester) was appointed ambassador of Jamila Sultana at NUMS for upcoming blood donation camps and other related sessions.

At the end, panelists were thanked for taking out their time and sharing their knowledge on awareness of blood donation for and from women. The event ended leaving a ray by motivating everyone specially women to donate blood after approval from doctor (Physical Examination).

The fourth and final webinar of the series was conducted on Friday 13^th August 2021 by Department of Psychology, Faculty of SSH, on “During Covid-19, Uncertainty in Educational institutions, student’s mental health and coping strategies” in NUMS, PWD, Campus, Rawalpindi. Registered members were 52 for the webinar from across the globe and other participants also joined the webinar with the zoom link. Dean Faculty of SSH, Professor Dr. Azam Chaudhry chaired the webinar. Focal person of the webinar was Dr. Zakia Bano (Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, NUMS). The first half of the webinar session was moderated by Muhammad Umar Fayyaz (Lecturer, Department of Psychology, NUMS) and the second half of the webinar was moderated by Ms. Halima Sadia Qureshi (Lecturer, Department of Psychology, NUMS). The panel consisted of renowned psychologists and speakers from across the country with vast experience and in-depth knowledge on the topic. Event started with recitation of Holy Quran. The event was formally commenced with the welcome note by the worthy Dean Faculty of SSH, Professor Dr. Azam Chaudhry.

First guest speaker of the event was Dr. Uzma Ali,  Director, Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Karachi. Asserting on the topic the speaker highlighted the struggles of students with reference to the online educational system and the psychological stress that came alongside it. The speaker stressed upon the importance of updating online education system and providing ease to the students who belonged to northern areas of Pakistan and faced difficulty with connectivity during online classes. Second guest speaker of the webinar was Dr. Zainab Zadeh who is working as Professional Scientist and Head, Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Sharing her views on the topic, she spoke about building the bridge among parent’s, teachers and students. She also stressed upon role of teachers, that teachers need to keep improving their teaching methodologies with reference to online teaching by bringing in innovative method of assessment. The valuable panel continued with the talk from the worthy Chair Department of Humanities, Education, and Psychology Dr Uzma Masroor (Associate Professor, Air University, Islamabad). The challenges faced by the students were discussed along with the coping strategies to be utilized to deal with the situation. Moving forward, respected Chairperson Department of Psychology Dr. Najma Malik (Associate Professor) at the University of Sargodha shared and elaborated the discussed topic. Finally, the last speaker of the day, respected Chairperson Department of Psychology, Dr Muhammad Saleem, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, provided further elaboration on the topic. The webinar series was concluded with a question and answer session from participants, and closing remarks from faculty, Dr. Arif Mehmud (Associate Professor, Human Geography). Further, suggestions from the faculty of the Psychology Department were shared in the end by Dr Zakia Bano (Associate Professor), Ms. Saira Javed (Lecturer) and Mr. Umar Fayyaz (Lecturer). Finally, a note of thanks from the moderator (Ms. Halima Sadia Qureshi) concluded the webinar series.

The NUMS Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities held its 13th session of “Samaaj Khayaal”- a monthly series, which aims to transcend disciplinary boundaries, find connections and bring to light issues of social relevance. The session titled “Sociology of Knowledge”: The connection between the objective and culturally relative approach to knowledge was held on August 25th, 2021 at NUMS PWD Campus. Mr. Abdul Manan, who holds a Masters in European Philosophy from the Center for Research in Modern Philosophy, London was invited to talk about the subject. He is also the founder of ‘Sawal Sangat’, a philosophical society.

The session started with a 30-minute presentation by the guest speaker. Mr.Manan introduced the multidisciplinary audience of faculty and students of social sciences and humanities to the epistemic domains of philosophy i.e. sociology of knowledge. He shared that there is need to understand basics to know the derivatives of knowledge. Mr. Manan shed light on the intricacies of inseparable interactions between societies, their knowledge systems. He was of the view that this can help in recognizing certain epistemological traditions beyond the binaries of formal vs informal or legitimate vs illegitimate etc. The speaker also highlighted how historical forces i.e. colonialism have shaped our understanding of knowledge and its sources. Realizing the complexities of philosophical jargons and their ambiguity the speaker incorporated certain examples to unlock philosophical paradoxes as one (barber’s paradox) famously put forward by Bertrand Russell.

The talk also touched upon Plato’s advocacy of ‘sense of wonder’ as driving force behind most of the urge human beings have for inquisitiveness. To conclude the talk, the speaker wished that we deliberate the possibilities where an inclusive and open space can be created for multiple epistemologies as thought, desired and inculcated through need of time.

Following the presentation, the onsite and online audience asked the questions which were addressed by the guest speaker. It was a robust and engaging question/answer session where philosophical underpinnings were debated from different angles of social sciences i.e. anthropology, linguistics, geography and logic. This part of the talk envisioned certain subtle notions like ‘every thought as knowledge’, ‘cultural categories of legitimate and illegitimate’ and ‘religion as another evolutionary social system of knowledge’. These themes and some of the relevant questions like deceptive elements of knowledge as bone of contention remained under discussion till end of the session.   

At the end of the interactive session, the guest speaker was awarded the NUMS souvenir, followed by a group picture and an informal interaction over tea.

Please click here for more information

“ONLINE NARRATIVE PAINTING COMPETITION” has been organized by Course Instructor Ms. Saira Javed (Lecturer- Clinical Psychology DSBS/DP) from Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities on 13^th August, 2021. A group projects have been displayed by students of BS Psychology from Semester-I, NUMS.  Dr. Sawera Mansoor (Psychiatrist, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi) was invited as eternal examiner. Whereas, competition was intended by 75 online audiences among all 2 were international participants from South China Normal University. Five groups presented their handmade narrative paintings with real story lines which were applauded audience. All of the displayed projects have strong depiction of current issues faced by many in society along with psychological glimpse of conflict and coping.

The group that amazed everyone and got 1^st position by their artistic skills used the title of “VICTIM BLAMING” with an artwork so close to the reality, this is the reason that compelled everyone to admire them. 2^nd position holder presented a project on “DOMESTIC ABUSE ON CHILDREN”. No doubt, domestic abuse exploits personalities, it needs to be eradicated from roots of our society and this issue was raised in the event wisely. 3rd position holder group presented narrative painting with the title “I HAVE MY OWN WORLD”.Attention of the audience was on its peak from the very first presentation because of the social issue raised by it, is an existing curse that is about status of transgenders in the society. It is bitter truth that transgenders are not given their rights and opportunities to express themselves like others, despite of their competencies a message was conveyed magnificently. Students sketched the famous poetry of Allama Muhammad Iqbal with the feelings of motherliness by using title of “UMM” and depicted their ideas excellently. Whereas last painting was on title of “EMBRACING YOUR EMOTIONS”. Their work portrayed different emotions with different colors that made it different from the others. Both the groups hold 4^th position in competition.

Audience actively participated in answering the following questions asked by moderator on display of each painting:

1. What was your first reaction to this painting?
2. What’s going on in this painting?
3. Does your opinion about the artwork change the longer you look at it?
4. Can you describe the meaning of colors used in painting?
5. Which are of society is emphasized by group members in the painting?

At the end, honorable guests delivered their valuable remarks and appreciated the department on successful conduction of the event. Dr. Sawera Mansoor (Judge) specifically appreciates the handling of question answer session and quality of presented narrative paintings. While acknowledging student's efforts Dr. Shazia Khalid (Assistant Professor Psychology, NUMS) and Ms. Taskeen Mansoor (Lecture – Anthropology, NUMS) highlighted the importance of art and pictures in psychology. While concluded, Ms. Saira Javed (Lecturer - Clinical Psychology) thank worthy audience and faculty members and acknowledge remarks and suggestions by other faculty members for making such activities a regular part of learning to enhance critical and logical thinking pattern of students.

The NUMS Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities held its eleventh session of “Samaaj Khayaal”- a fortnightly series, which aims to transcend disciplinary boundaries, find

connections and bring to light issues of social relevance. The session titled “Sensitivity and Inclusivity of Persons with Disabilities” was held on July 7th, 2021 at NUMS PWD Campus. Mr. Asim Zafar, who is CEO at Saaya Association of Persons with Disabilities had kindly consented to be the chief guest. His organization has contributed to advancement of opportunities for persons with disabilities where they can realize their full potential. It has executed numerous wheelchair distributions, accessibility audits of infrastructure in public spaces and training sessions for the community.

The interactive session was attended by online and onsite faculty and students of different academic departments at NUMS. Dr. Shazia Khalid (Assistant Professor) and Ms. Saira Javed (Lecturer-Clinical Psychology) moderated the session. It started with the guest narrating his story of how, despite being affected by polio, he managed to complete education, receive scholarships and represent Pakistan in international sports arena. He then sensitized the audience on the lifestyle of a person with disability elaborating that it is not a disease, curse or ‘azaab’, rather it is a different lifestyle. It was discussed that as a community, we should strive for promotion of basic human rights principles of respect for autonomy for persons with disabilities that will enable them for independent living in Pakistan. The need is to remove barriers (physical, mental and environmental) that create discrimination. 

At the end of the session, the guest speaker was awarded NUMS souvenir, followed by networking over tea where possible future collaborative projects were discussed.

Students of BS-Social Science of Health (BS-SSH), NUMS Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences organized a three-day workshop titled “Health and Lifestyle” from 2^nd-4^th August at Pakistan Kidney Patient Association. Students Ms. Maria Saif and Ms Hareem Fatima, hold key positions in the Rotaract Club of Rawalpindi City and collaborated with different community service organizations to schedule this workshop.

The guest speaker for the workshop was Squadron Leader (R) Ghulam Abbas, who currently holds distinguishing positions at philanthropist organizations like Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) located at MH Rawalpindi and Pakistan Kidney Patient Association. He has also authored four books on chronic conditions especially related to kidney and dialysis, which reflects his passion for raising awareness regarding pervasive health conditions. The workshop aimed to give insight to the audience regarding the importance of maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. In attendance were students from NUMS Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Public Health, Fatima Jinnah Women University and Riphah International University.

The workshop opened with the guest speaker narrating his journey of experiencing health issues and probing into its etiology and prevention, which eventually lead to the publication of his first book. He went on to highlight a number of humanitarian organizations and their contributions that he was affiliated with. The speaker introduced the audience to infectious and non-infectious diseases and lifestyle changes required for protection against preventable diseases.  The students were specifically sensitized about the heart related maladies, kidney issues and diabetes, as these are quite common and are spreading rapidly. He then moved on to explain that lifestyle medicine revolves around adopting habits which prove beneficial in long term. These particularly include active lifestyle, taking balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, taking proper sleep, keep one’s body mass index in check, conducting through physical checkups and maintaining good mental health. During the workshop, the participants were given a tour of the Pakistan Kidney Patient Association (PKPA) which is a Non-Profit Organization which performs free dialysis of patients with renal failure. It has its own laboratory and OPD service which operates at a very subsidized rate. The organization, established almost 13 years ago, conducts more than sixty free dialysis per day. After letting the students know about the operation of the organization, the students were taken to visit the dialysis ward. The ward was meticulously maintained along with providing maximum ease to the patients.

At the conclusion of the workshop the CEO of Pakistan Kidney Patients; Association Col. Younus Bhatti also addressed the students and awarded appreciation letters to students for their active participation. Sqn. Ldr. ® Ghulam Abbas also gave the participants a copy of his book. The students showed a keen interest in volunteering for community service activities and resolved to contribute to the health sector. The faculty at NUMS Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences acknowledged the effective management and leadership skills of its BS-Social Science of Health students in organizing the workshop.

The NUMS Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities in collaboration with NUMS Environment Committee conducted a session titled “Environment Friendly Practices” on July 1^st, 2021 at NUMS PWD campus. Representatives from Davaam which is an organization working on energy, sustainability and environment had kindly consented to give an interactive talk to students and faculty from Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology, Biological Sciences and Public Health. The guest speakers included Mr. Salman Tariq (CEO) and Mr. Omer Ghaznavi (MD) who introduced the online and onsite audience to concepts of energy efficiency and obsolete technology, current status of waste management practices in Pakistan and innovative projects. It was discussed that waste management proactive measures start before waste is created.

The guest speakers appreciated the presence of multidisciplinary audience and emphasized that “environment” is an interdisciplinary domain which thrives on ideas from engineering, design, social sciences, biological sciences, quality assurance, finance etc.

The students and faculty were encouraged to conceptualize socially relevant projects that could contribute to environment related issues. With majority audience being female, the guest speakers acknowledged that it is a high time for women entrepreneurs with key funding and mentorship available. The session ended with a hope that future workshops on entrepreneurship and waste management may be planned to accelerate environment related activities.