The Centre for Social Justice and Governance (CSJG) has a block placement pattern for the second year field work. The pedagogical objectives of second year field work are: i) to develop skills of working through differences in power, caste, ethnicity, gender, age, culture and other differences in status;  ii) to develop an awareness of discrimination, social disadvantage, prejudice and differing forms of oppression; iii) to develop strategies that challenge oppression, discrimination, exclusion, disadvantage and other forms of inequality/injustice based on caste and tribe background; and, iv) to develop skills of engagement with social movements, peoples organizations, and the state. The intended learner outcomes are that students are able to apply theoretical knowledge of social justice to practice with Dalits and tribes, develop skills required to work with individuals, groups, systems and structure, apply various practice methods to address discrimination, exclusion and social disadvantage, and understand the importance of personal values and the impact they may have on practice. Students are placed in a range of organizations including, but not limited to: voluntary organizations, movements, autonomous bodies, state agencies, corporations as well as faculty mentored thematic placements.

Two broad patters are followed for the block placement which is spread across two semesters. The first is where students continue in the same organization in both the phases – for aiding in-depth immersion and incremental learning. The second one is where students select two distinct placements in both the phases so as to obtain a wider bandwidth and consequent exposure and learning. The pre-requisites for second year field work at CSJG are that students need to acquaint themselves through the theory classes, to advances perspectives of praxis, advanced skills including project planning and management, participatory rural appraisal, budgeting and planning, among others. Learning is consolidated and integrated with theory through daily diary maintenance, weekly recordings and a summary of practice report, further embellished by supervisory inputs.

At the CSJG the continuing endeavours and way forward for the second year field work is to strengthen and consolidate work in structured settings of various themes, issues and sectors through: consolidation of learning which can be both social work methods oriented as well as integrated practice, incremental linking of theory to practice, developing praxis, developing field learning and education episteme for structured settings and field-based practice perspectives and approaches to praxis through new pedagogies and further innovations. The effort is also to deepen student learning in unchartered terrains and unstructured settings by discerning newer intervention spaces, consolidation of spaces, evolving new forms and methods of practice, developing praxis as well as field learning and education episteme for unstructured settings.

Seminars/conferences: seminars held by the centres (2014-17)

1.DTSA National Academic Seminar on 'Social Business Innovators and the Empowerment of Dalit and Tribes' Organised by Centre for Social Justice and Governance, School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai,5th March 2017

2.A National Tribal Intellectual Collective India, 2nd National Congress, Organised by Gangpur College of Social Work, Orissa, Adivaani and Tribal Intellectual Collective India, 6th October-8th October 2016.

3.A National Tribal Intellectual Collective India, Shillong Congress,Organised by North East Hill University, Shillong; Khasi Grand Chiefs, Adivaani and Tribal Intellectual Collective India, 18th -19th September, 2015

4.International Seminar on 'Indian State and Indigenous /Tribal Peoples –Revisiting Philosophical Foundations of Constitutional Guarantees', Organised by Bodoland University; and Centre for Social Justice and Governance, TISS and Supported by Tribal Intellectual Collective India, Venue: Bodoland University, Kokrajhar, 28th-29th March,2014.

Nature of field work agencies: 

Students are placed in agencies that are located both in rural set-up and urban set-up throughout the country. Broadly they are placed around themes on rural development, livelihood, health, advocacy and movement based organisations.