The courses offered by the School of Social Sciences aim at providing and generating knowledge on emerging issues and problems of contemporary society, economy and polity. The course structure is choice based, flexible and is interdisciplinary. At the end of the course, a learner would be equipped with analytical skills, social science theoretical knowledge based on empirical and field-based learning. Thus a learner with this kind of learning can look forward to careers in teaching, management, research, policy making, development sector, media and administration. The School offers Doctoral Degree, Master’s Degree (MA) and Bachelor’s Degree (BA) Programmes apart from a number of Certificate, Diploma and Post-graduate diploma programmes included in the Bachelor’s Degree Programmes foundation courses, elective courses and application-oriented courses.

Introduction

The School of Social Sciences (SSS) is among the larger schools of studies at the Karnataka state Open University. SSS offers academic programmes in disciplines such as Economics, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, Ancient History and Archeology, Mass Communication and Journalism. The programmes offered by disciplines relate to core subject areas but at the same time straddle disciplines, in order to enlarge the canvas for academic pursuits.

In view of the fact that KSOU is today the foremost centre of open and distance learning and is adequately equipped with modern educational technologies, the School has consciously tried to assign a significant role to ICT tools in devising the learning programmes. The following features are a hallmark of its programmes:

❖ Basic programmes in various disciplines at the under-graduate and post-graduate levels have been strengthened with foundation and application-oriented courses.

❖ Short-term and long-term courses focused on vocational and professional needs.

❖ Programmes and courses geared to meet the requirements of groups located on the fringes of society.

❖ Programmes in areas of concern to society with a School of Social Science perspective.

The School has expanded its academic activities and has launched a research programme that applies newer methodologies to elicit a more creative response, both from within a discipline and from interdisciplinary interactions.

At this juncture the School is in a position to comprehend the "new” social reality in a better light and give School of Social Sciences a purposeful orientation. The key element in this strategy is the adaptation of Social Science study to the requirements of mass education. Thus modern educational technology including ICT is likely to determine the relevance of School of Social Sciences and course development in the next decade. These additions will enrich and make them compatible and appropriate in the light of new developments in the discipline areas.