Tag: Habib University

Karachi, June 11, 2022 (PPI-OT):On 16th May 2022, Habib University students of the Social Development and Policy program presented their projects to Pathfinder International at Avari Hotel, Karachi. As a part of the Dharti Amar project, Pathfinder Pakistan published a Request for Proposals (RFP) which aimed at highlighting and addressing the link between SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) and Climate change within the communities in Tharparkar, Sindh.

An important aspect of this project was bringing behavioural change through communication strategies. To address this, the students of the course ‘Introduction to Program Planning and Design’ developed multi-channel communication campaign frameworks, products, and advocacy tools, under the supervision of Dr. Shama Dossa, Associate Professor in the Social Development and Policy program.

The event was honoured by the presence of Ms Renuka Swami from UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), Ms. Madiha Latif (Project Manager at Pathfinder International) and Ms. Manal Khan (Marketing, Communication and Learning Manager at Pathfinder International), Mr. Gulab from Sukaar Foundation, Mr Hameer from Baanhn Beli, and Ms. Lubna Kerai (Director, Resource Development at Habib University).

The first project, Aahung, catered to the issue of early age marriages. This group developed an interactive board game for families in Tharparkar, which would use diagrams and techniques that highlights the importance of a girl’s agency in decision-making at different stages of life. They also developed a training module for CBO staff, which would guide them regarding improving agency and facilitating the empowerment of girls in Thar.

Following the similar issue of child marriages, the second group’s project which was called Bezarar, the term which means not harming or being harmed, developed an idea for a short animated film which would deliver sensitive and important information regarding child marriages and their link to education. It is anticipated to play in Pathfinder’s sessions in Thar as well as on social media platforms. The second communication strategy was the Ambassador Program training module. This strategy involved recruiting and engaging influential figures in Tharparkar and training them to act as direct agents of change within the community. This group developed an idea for a short animated film which would deliver sensitive and important information regarding child marriages and their link to education.

Larkartar (Kahi suni baat) or word-of-mouth was the third group’s project that caters to the issue of the high incidence of maternal mortality due to climate-induced droughts in Thar. This project used the communal bond and verbal communication in Thar as their strength and developed tools associated with it. The first communication strategy was a Forum Theatre manual for community mobilizers which helps the mobilizers in engaging the community members to solve problems through organizing an effective forum theatre. Similarly, the second strategy proposed was a Radio show script that would inform the listeners on this sensitive topic and help them with techniques of adaptive farming.

The last group presented Giza that focused on the importance of nutrition in SRHR and its link to adaptive farming techniques. The first communication strategy proposed was the Vocational Training Module which would be implemented in the form of workshops and sessions. The second communication tool developed was an educational pictorial pamphlet which would use strong visuals to highlight the issue and assist in educating the community in Tharparkar.

Students presented comprehensive ideas with objectives, implementation plans, indicators, and budgets which they developed over the course of the semester. All ideas were appreciated by the jury for their context relevancy and culturally sensitive deliverables. Ms. Swami remarked, “Students of Habib University always bring in unique and innovative interventions.” Each group displayed an exemplary dedication and passion for assisting the communities in Tharparkar, which they developed over the years at Habib University.

For more information, contact:
Habib University
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-34301051-55
Email: marketing@habib.edu.pk
Website: www.habib.edu.pk

Karachi, June 09, 2022 (PPI-OT):The first of June marked two years since Habib University lost one of its brightest and most beloved faculty member – Dr. Asif Aslam Farrukhi – who was also one of the key originators of the university’s flagship breadth curriculum: The Habib Liberal Core. Aside from his contributions to Pakistan’s literary sphere, Dr. Farrukhi was popular amongst the Habib community for instilling a love for reading and literature in his students, his courses that felt more like conversations with friends, and for proving that professors teach more than just course syllabi.

On his second death anniversary, the Habib community gathered to pay homage to his pedagogical legacy in the form of the inauguration of “Gosha-e-Asif Farrukhi” where a portion of the Habib University Library has been dedicated to Dr. Farrukhi’s memory in the form of 7,000 of his most loved books. In addition to the inaugural, a book titled: “اUss Aadmi Ki Kami” was also launched, which is compiled and edited by Professor Inamullah Nadeem, and contains essays and articles on Dr. Farrukhi’s life and work.

In the first part of the ceremony, “Gosha-e-Asif Aslam Farrukhi” was inaugurated at the Habib University Library. This section of the library contains thousands of books donated by Dr. Asif Aslam’s family to the university library. Mr. Nooruddin Merchant, Assistant Director, Library and Educational Programs, took the audience to the tour of the Asif Aslam Farrukhi Corner and mentioned that the furniture was chosen to match the one at his home library.

Syeda Ummul Baneen from the Office of Resource Development, who has also remained Dr. Farrukhi’s student, introduced the speakers at the event and commented, “Asif Sahab munfarid thay (Asif Sahab was unique). Mukhtalif thay (He was different). Jaise kehte hain na, (it is normally said) one of a kind. You meet someone like him only once in a lifetime.”

Addressing the audience briefly on the occasion, Dr. Nauman Naqvi, Associate Professor in the Comparative Humanities program, said that the late Asif Aslam Farrukhi was instrumental in shaping the curriculum of the university.

Dr. Ghazal Asif, daughter of late Asif Aslam, while addressing the audience, refreshed his father’s memory and thanked the university for setting up a corner of his name in the library as a memorial to his father. “My father was possessive about his collection. He had more than 40,000 books. Some of them more than copy. A portion of collection is with Habib University, I have another portion of it and the other is with the Arts Council,” she told the guests.

She also unveiled the plaque of Gosha-e-Asif Aslam Farrukhi. The President of Habib University, Mr. Wasif Rizvi, Dean of Faculty Dr. Aamir Hasan, members of Asif Aslam Farrukhi’s family and prominent scholars and literary personalities were present on the occasion.

The second part of the event that was held at the H.M Habib Auditorium, was dedicated to the unveiling of a book called “Uss Aadmi ki Kami” by Inamullah Nadeem, Assistant Professor of Practice, Comparative Humanities, and a friend of Dr. Asif Aslam Farrukhi. Dr. Aamir Hasan, Dean of Faculty, delivered his welcome address. Dr. Ghazal Asif revealed the book and expressed her views.

“Perhaps, Asif Sahab loved nothing more than he loved books. His passion, hard work and knowledge are encapsulated in this collection, and it will pass down from generation to generation,” said Inamullah Nadeem at the start of the book launch.

Dr. Aamir Hasan remarked, “Asif Sahab was an important figure here at Habib University as he curated the popular Jehan-e-Urdu course, the liberal core curriculum as well as the Arzu Center for Regional Languages and Humanities. He was a mentor to all and his smile alone would bind him to many people.”

Dr. Ghazal read out an excerpt from the book that she herself contributed to the collection of essays, “I wrote this a year ago, (my experiences, my stories and my memories with my father) but I can’t seem to write more – I have no words, really.”

Reminiscing memories of the beloved professor by loved ones

Yusra Afzal, who was also student of the late professor, remembered, “our time with Asif Sahab was beyond just time spent in classrooms. When I think of Asif Sahab, I recall sitting at Burns Road with him munching on Dehli’s Dahi Baray when I took his course, Pappu Yaar Tang Na Kar. I recall members of the Araish-e-Khayal club sitting with him in Old Lahore, reciting verses of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, and sitting at Al-Hamra taking selfies. I recall eating aalo k samosay and drinking chai with him and Afzal sahab in the mornings, because this was our Asif Sahab.”

“For Asif Sahab, his students were always his celebrities. I still remember how his eyes would shine and he would break out in the most gleeful smile on our smallest achievements, and this is why Asif Sahab was, is and will always remain in the heart of every student he taught and even the ones he didn’t.”

Dr. Shah Jamal Alam, Associate Professor, Computer Science, shared some memories of Asif Sahab’s beginnings at Habib University. “Just when he was about to join in August 2014, I noticed Asif Sahab’s books reached his pod before him. And now that he’s left us, his books are still there and will always remain with us.”

Afzal Ahmed Syed, Associate Professor of Practice, Comparative Humanities, shared that the world of Urdu Literature will never be the same without Asif Sahab.

Dr. Nauman Naqvi, Associate Professor in the Comparative Humanities program, said, “his eyes would always surprise me. No one could separate those eyes from the smile that he held. He was always excited to teach every course of the liberal core and would do it so enthusiastically and rigorously – it was remarkable.”

The event was also attended by a number of scholarly and literary figures. Pakistani author Amar Sindhu, and poets Attiya Dawood and Dr Fatema Hassan were also present at the event.

Short story from the collection read by Zambeel Dramatics Readings Group

Later, the “Zanbeel -Dramatic Reading” group read a story by Dr. Asif Aslam Farrukhi called “Cheel Gaari” which was met with praise by the audience. At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Muhammad Haris, Program Director, Comparative Humanities, thanked the guests. The event was attended by a large number of Dr. Asif Aslam Farrukhi’s family, friends, students and loved ones.

For more information, contact:
Habib University
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-34301051-55
Email: marketing@habib.edu.pk
Website: www.habib.edu.pk

Karachi, June 08, 2022 (PPI-OT):On the 18th of May 2022, the Communication and Design department at Habib University showcased CND students’ final year projects on campus with immense vibrancy and charisma. The event was divided into three segments; film screenings, project displays and installations that were sprawled in separate locations across campus – each showcasing students’ work. The event was attended by the student body, faculty, alumni and jurors assessing the projects. The event was a culmination of the class of 2022’s undergraduate journey at Habib University. A total of 47 projects were displayed at the showcase with topics like design-thinking, social awareness, women-empowerment, mental health, and Covid-19 among others at the heart of the students’ research.

The film screenings featured short films, web series, animation and short film documentaries. To name a few, Mahnoor Nadeem’s short film, Qurbat Ki Leherein, talked about language as a powerful tool in constructing realities and how it constructs and transforms the reality of a close interpersonal relationship. Elsa Sajjad’s Mohabbat consisted of episodes corresponding to five toxic tropes perpetuated in Hollywood.

Umama Leghari’s animation film, Oonhai, was a short, dream-like animated film portraying the experience of flooding and natural disaster in rural Sindh through the perspective of a young boy.

Zain Salim’s short film documentary When The Music Stopped explored the impact of COVID-19 on indie artists within Pakistan’s music industry.

In the project displays, many of the students’ work was centered around women, such as, Kam-Yaabi by Mariyam Aslam Bawany and Fatima Nooraen, a board game and book project that vocational training centres can use to develop, improve and instill entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills in women studying in those vocational training centers.

Fatima Naushad Akhai’s mobile app, HerLife, helps women find jobs based on their needs and requirements while also building a community of women in Karachi. Marium Javed’s photobook, Azaad, represents women’s experiences of oppression and how they transcended them.

Aiman Nouman’s toolkit, Qubool Hai! Magar Kya? – Assessing women’s agency on their nikah namas in Pakistan is a toolkit with a number of components, ranging from a dummy nikah nama, an illustrated zine, a board game, and a manual that aims to act as a design solution for the problem of depriving women of the agency and accessibility to their nikah namas. The toolkit will act as a means to increase awareness. Hanaa Gatta’s project is a child motorcycle carrier exhibits a personalized child carrier for mothers who travel with toddlers on a motorcycle.

Ariba Rafi’s project installation, Feminism for the Middle-Aged Housewife, was an installation and short film on the stories of middle-aged Pakistani women and the way ageism affects their lives beyond 35 years of age.

A few focused on the complex topic of mental health and stigma. For example, Zinnia Amin’s riveting sculpture project, Log Kia Kahein Gay, was a visual and audio exhibit that shed light on the construction of identity and how relationships with people and objects are shaped through this symbolic process. Taha Ali Murtaza’s PC project, Recreating Therapy, was a game that told the story of someone with anxiety going to therapy for the first time.

Some were centered on how material objects and their connection to human life, such as, Maham Khan’s Mini Furniture Display which is an allegorical chest-of-drawers that invites the viewer to explore material objects that represent various layers of a person’s life – from the functional to the dark and unresolved. Eesha Iftikhar Qazi’s stirring project, In Lieu of Forgetting (Memorial Museum) was an installation that evoked the tangibility of loss of life in Covid through material objects.

A number of projects also showcased heritage. For instance, Sara Ahmad and Munira Kazi’s visual display, Karachi on Wheels, that solves an intellectual problem – the lack of knowledge of Karachi’s culture, heritage and history. Bhawna Kamal Lohana’s artist’s book, Imagined City, that showcased displacement of Hindu sites, spaces and movement in Hyderabad. Maria Khan’s visual exhibit, Journey to God – Experiences of Sufism, was an outlook on sufism in Pakistan, its history, design and contemporary importance of it in our times. Will contain architecture, a design catalogue, and an experience-led installation according to geographical divisions of the Mazaars touched upon in Pakistan.

With these innovative and creative projects, the Class of 2022 showed dynamism in their research interests and explored subjects that resonated with the times. Dr. Muhammad Haris, Assistant Dean for the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, commented, “CND students have had a university education about ideas. These are students who are skillful when it comes to the craft of filmmaking. They are also immersed in the history of ideas and can think comparatively.”

Gul Zaib Shakeel, Former General Manager at Teeli (A Dawn Media Company), who was also one of the jurors assessing the film screenings, said, “What I enjoyed about the film screenings was that there were quintessentially Pakistani stories – you see that in their ideation and in their efforts of visually translating their ideas.”

She further said, “Given the kind of stories that they have come up with and how refreshing they are from the narrative that we are seeing in the cinema and on television, we have a totally new brand of storytellers waiting for us – we are very excited about that.”

For more information, contact:

Habib University

Karachi, Pakistan

Tel: +92-21-34301051-55

Email: marketing@habib.edu.pk

Website: www.habib.edu.pk

Karachi, June 01, 2022 (PPI-OT):I submitted the final draft of my thesis on April 29, 2022 to my principal advisor, and it felt as if I had finally achieved something I had been longing for, for years.

My thesis titled, “Towards Access and Equitable Treatment: Afghan Refugees in Pakistan’s Higher Education System” investigates the challenges faced by young Afghan refugees in the country in their pursuit to higher education. The study is a sequential mixed method research and uses a participatory human-justice approach to include participant voices in the study design, implementation and analysis. As simple as this might sound, choosing my senior year thesis topic was nothing short of a journey itself.

The Social Development and Policy program lets you choose from a variety of courses

Like every major offered at Habib University, the Social Development and Policy program has a set of core (mandatory) courses that equip you with theoretical knowledge and practical skills that eventually help in final-year research projects, getting your desired internships or possibly employment. Apart from the core curriculum of the respective majors, students also get to choose from a variety of elective courses each semester to carve individual academic paths that align with their interests. One such elective that I took was titled Migration Diaspora and Transnationalism in Spring 2019. The course content, its teaching methodology, and fieldwork component opened my eyes to realities that I had long ignored in life.

In the next semester, I took the core course Qualitative Research Methods, which helped me design a research question and create drafts of data collection tools for the potential study. At that point, I was not aware that I had already started working for my thesis project.

My thesis advisors helped strengthen my research proposal

As my final year approached, I already had an idea what my thesis research topic was going to be but at the same time I was very unsure of the methods of data collection and analysis. Since I had no funding I also decided to restrict my research to Karachi despite my aim to conduct a nationwide study. Thanks to my incredible thesis advisors, Dr. Sahaab Bader and Dr. Aaron Mulvany, my research proposal was strong enough to get me an undergraduate research grant from the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research in Lahore. The grants solved my numerous problems; not only did it help me in the expansion of the study on a national scale but it also allowed me to hire research assistants, purchase software licenses which were used for analysis, while covering my intercity travel costs.

Habib’s incredible work-study program helped me become a better researcher

Data analysis and writing the discussion were the most difficult parts of my thesis. Though the collection of data is a time-consuming and hectic process, it was just the tip of the iceberg. But with the constant support of my peers and critical feedback from my advisors, my passion to keep going only increased. Despite the general hardships I faced in this year-long research, it was nothing short of an evolutionary learning experience.

I was lucky enough to avail the summer research fellowships and research assistantships as part of the university’s work-study programs as it trained me to become a responsible researcher.

As a student at Habib, that too of the SDP program, you will receive ample opportunities that transition you from a student to a knowledge producer. A thesis project is just the beginning of your potentially ever-lasting journey of knowledge production.

This blog was written by Muhammad Hamza Raza, Social Development and Policy major from the Class of 2022.

For more information, contact:

Habib University

Karachi, Pakistan

Tel: +92-21-34301051-55

Email: marketing@habib.edu.pk

Website: www.habib.edu.pk

Karachi, May 28, 2022 (PPI-OT):Now that it’s time to say goodbye, I can’t help but think how the four years that went by were nothing less than a blissful trance.

Habib taught me to be sensitive and empathetic

When I started Habib, I did not know how to make small conversations, how to quickly reply to a hundred “how are you’s” while walking down the corridor, how to make friends, or how to accept help. But, with time, the long corridors started to feel like home and our tightly-knit community became my second family. Habib taught me to accept help when I need it and offer it whenever I could help. It taught me to be sensitive, empathetic, fierce, and kind. It made me feel excited about life and what’s yet to come.

Habib offered me a kind community

People say we are living in a bubble. But, I disagree. Habib’s people have curated a community that functions on boundless empathy and kindness. We are not afraid to show our vulnerabilities, and that allowed us to become our truest selves. Habib allowed me to accept myself for who I am, and accept people for who they are. And, if everyone could mirror this, the world would become a better place.

I will miss Habib. And my friends. All of them – the seniors who always had my back and the juniors who were always willing to learn. I will miss my CND batch of 2022 and my “Comet courts” group the most that would always converge at the end of the day.

Habib’s professors are more than just professors; they’re friends

More than anything, I will miss my professors. Life makes sense when you have someone to hold your hand and shine the light on the path ahead. And, at Habib, I found the kindest adults in my professors, who become more than just instructors. They became my mentors, my friends, and my reminder to slow down without worrying about being left behind.

I will miss going into my professors’ offices at every minor inconvenience; sitting with them for hours and sharing enlightened conversations; I will miss Haya Fatima’s brightly lit office, catching Basharat Issa in the most random parts of the campus, small conversations with Taha Munir, soulful exchanges with Momin Zafar and Zahra Malkani, hearing life-changing advice from Manahil Huda and Zuha Siddiqui, hearing Nauman Naqvi’s comforting “beti”.

Habib has been my safe haven. Leaving isn’t easy. Habib University has been a home to me, and I am forever grateful for finding my way to it and its people.

For more information, contact:
Habib University
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-34301051-55
Email: marketing@habib.edu.pk
Website: www.habib.edu.pk

Karachi, May 25, 2022 (PPI-OT):Before the degree is conferred upon me and with the graduation just around the corner, I come bearing some essentials for university life; things I wish I knew in my first semester but learned along the way, sometimes by the support of my peers, instructors, and colleagues and sometimes the hard way.

To all my folks

Avail a free subscription to premium versions of a multitude of online software and Apps

You can get a free subscription to premium versions of a multitude of online software and apps simply by claiming the education pack from Github. This includes, but is not limited to, (design people, hear up) access to Canva’s Pro tier! All you need is your official university ID to get the student benefits. You can find the link to the student developer pack below:

https://education.github.com/pack

You can also find free versions of many other creative softwares. Just try asking around from your peers or the IT Department. Do not spend sums of money on softwares that you can easily find online or from a colleague.

Save your work, create backups, use storage devices and tools

There is nothing more excruciating and terrible than having your laptop give up on you just before your assignment deadline or right at the time when you are working on an unsaved project. Technical difficulties and device issues are inevitable. Do not wait up until they fall upon your head to do something about it. Save your work every now and then if working offline. Start using online workspaces such as that Google Workspace or Microsoft Office 365. Use storage devices and tools that are available online for free like Google Drive, OneDrive, Zotero etc. Just remember you have been provided with 1 terabyte of storage. Make use of it.

Quick Tip: Remove the burden from your laptop or device and transfer some of it to the one drive. The most fool proof option is to rely on cloud storage.

Do not wait till your degree audit arrives to see what requirements you have fulfilled and what are left.

Make an excel sheet for yourself from day 1 and list down all the requirements for your own record. The 4-year grid will help you out in this. Double-check your audit with your list and visit your advisor before enrollment to check for any discrepancies.

Take advantage of the Liberal Core and free electives.

Choose interdisciplinary courses. They broaden the way you think and allow you a wider spectrum and grasp over things. You will undoubtedly come across a lot of things that will intellectually challenge you and push you out of your comfort zone. Take time to understand them. Sit through them. You do not necessarily have to embrace them but try to co-exist with them.

It is okay to not pursue a course if it is not working out for you.

You are allowed to drop it and no one can stop you. You can take it another semester. Do not overburden yourself just for the sake of pushing yourself. The next iteration of the course might work out for you even better.

Take a break.

Listen to your body. All-nighters are not cool. If anything, they only push you to the point of burnout. Proper sleep and modest eating is what will get you through the day without putting strain on your mind while also not hindering your performance. You don’t have to study all the time. Rest is equally important too.

Engage and interact with students from batches above and below you.

Try to work with them whenever you get a chance (be it in academic or non-academic settings) or participate in conversations about their experiences and journey. This accelerates your learning and not only gives you a horizontal perspective on the trajectory of university life but also a vertical dimension.

As part of the student body, you will always hold a certain power over the university’s functions and policies. Make wise use of that power and employ it for the betterment of the community and voice your concerns for those who need it. This includes not just the administrative staff, the faculty members, and the student body but also, and importantly, the TCT staff.

When working in groups, set up collective norms that apply for each member.

This can include the frequency of your meetings, the timings for your meetings, division of work, and establishing roles. Take meeting minutes so everyone in the group remains informed about the progress and if need be, the instructor can also have a look at them. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. DON’T GHOST.

For my SDP Folks

Try to fulfil your SDP field practicum before the beginning of your senior year.

Best to do it in the summers or winters preceding your senior year so you can channel your focus towards the planning of your thesis, capstone, job search, or applications for grad schools. It will also allow you an insight into what kind of work environment is your true calling.

Learn as many creative softwares as you can.

Get your hands on those quant softwares. It works in the long run and allows you creative control over your work without depending on someone else or outsourcing.

Write.

Even if that means scribbling your daily routine or making notes. But write. It helps in courses which are writing intensive.

Don’t stress about jobs.

Job hunting remains to be an overwhelming, tedious, and a daunting process especially when your degree spans such a wide spectrum. Trust that Habib has prepared you well enough and equipped you with the skillset that is required of any professional environment. Remember not to compromise on remuneration packages that do not commensurate with your experience or profile. You will get there.

Never hesitate to extend support or ask for some. The previous batches have shown untiring efforts to diligently make this space loving, kind, empathetic, and accepting. The baton has been passed to you now.

For more information, contact:

Habib University

Tel: +92-21-34301051-55

Karachi, Pakistan

Email: marketing@habib.edu.pk

Website: www.habib.edu.pk