Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences

This brand new programme offered at RTC provides a comprehensive grounding in the social sciences and equips students to critically apply theories and understandings to the fundamental issues and problems that confront human societies today. In its approach the programme is both Bhutan-specific, focusing on its history, politics, policies, and culture, and regional and global in its outlook with modules on internal relations, diplomacy of South Asia, world history, and the planetary Anthropocene. In addition to familiarizing students with classical and contemporary thinkers and texts, the programme strongly focuses on the applied nature of the social sciences by providing students with practical research skills, community-engagement, and internship opportunities.

Programme Handbook

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Curriculum Map

Year	Sem	Modules
1	I	SSS101 Foundations of Sociology	PPS101 Foundations of Political Science	PPS102 Political History of Bhutan [Bhutan Studies, Gen. Ed.]	IPS101 IT and Basic Problem Solving [IT Skills Gen. Ed]	EAP101 Intermediate English for Academic Purposes [English comm. Gen. Ed.]
1	II	EES101 Environmental Sociology	PPS103 Political Theory and Ideology	ASC303 Technology and Society [Science / Technology perspective Gen Ed.]	ETH201 Bhutanese Philosophy & Ethics [Ethics & Values Gen. Ed]	EAP102 Upper-Intermediate English for Academic Purposes [English comm. Gen. Ed.]
2	I	SSS202 Sociology of Health	PPS204 Principles of International Relations	STS101 Introduction to Statistics [Numeracy Gen. Ed.]	CEI201 Foundations of Social Work	GSE101 Analytical Skills [Analytical Skills Gen. Ed.]
2	II	STY201 World History of Science and technology	SSS203 Sociology of Numbers	CEI202 Community Engagement Practicum	STY202 Social Dynamics of Data and Artificial Intelligence	DZG101 རྫོང་ཁ་བརྡ་དོན་སྤྲོད་ལེན། [Dzongkha comm. Gen. Ed.]
3	I	PPS305 International Relations and Diplomacy of South Asia	UGR308 Theories and methods of Social Science Research	SSS304 Gender and Society	EES202 Global Capitalism and the Anthropocene	EES303 Climate Change, Policy, and Society
3	II	[Business / Financial Literacy Gen. Ed. Elective]	STY303 Science, Policy and Politics in Bhutan	URG309 Social Science Research Practicum	CEI303 Internship
4	I	UGR404 Undergraduate Research Project	PPS406 Comparative Politics [Global affairs /civics. Gen. Ed.]	SSS405 Urban Sociology and Migration	EES404 Science, society, and Environment in the Himalaya	[Open Gen. Ed. Elective]
4	II	STY404 Science and Technology Perspectives on Global Problems	SSS406 Contemporary Trends and Issues in Bhutan [Bhutan Studies, Gen. Education]	ENV403 Environmental Humanities [Open Gen. Ed. Elective]

Learning Outcomes of the Programme

Graduates of this programme are expected to acquire not only a grounding within the field of social sciences knowledge (subject-specific skills) but will also gain competency in the following skill areas: critical thinking skills, application skills and transferable skills. Specific learning outcomes based on these four different skill sets are the foundation of this programme, along with appropriately aligned teaching, learning and assessment tools.

Subject Specific Skills (Knowledge & Understanding)

Synthesise foundational philosophies, concepts, and debates in the social sciences.
Annotate various schools of thought in contemplating interests and power balances in international and national politics.
Discuss the social processes of society, social institutions, and social behaviour in both local and international communities.
Apply interdisciplinary perspectives to holistically and innovatively address local and global issues.
Investigate the various impacts of climate change and other environmental crises through social science methods and approaches.
Evaluate the relationship between science, technology, and social change in Bhutan and beyond.

Critical Thinking Skills

Communicate social science knowledge and practice in a clear and professional style in written and oral formats.
Demonstrate proficiency in analysing and applying theories and methodologies to complex social science issues and trends.
Evaluate critically a wide range of concepts and philosophies, particularly those encompassing morals and ethics.
Analyse Bhutan's position in the region and the world to understand global events in a regional and local context.
Enhance analytical skills in critically evaluating scholarly writing in the field of social science in Bhutan and elsewhere.
Critically interpret both qualitative and quantitative literature in Social Science contributing to effective decision-making and problem-solving in different areas.
Address complex real-world challenges with a holistic and adaptable mindset.
Adopt interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to critically evaluate contemporary issues in Bhutan and beyond.

Application Skills

Apply problem-solving skills related to social issues and cultivate ethical reasoning.
Apply social science knowledge for diplomacy, negotiation, policy, and planning.
Empathise with diverse perspectives through effective social engagement and team working skills.
Apply key theories and concepts in the social sciences to contemporary issues in Bhutan.
Contextualise global events in the Bhutan and regional context.
Implement a variety of social science methods for both quantitative and qualitative study.
Construct and employ evidence-based and logical arguments in real-world settings.
Apply theories and methods of social work to community settings in Bhutan.

Transferable Skills

Become reflective, independent, critical evaluators, and life-long learners.
Present sensitivity and empathy in cross-cultural communications.
Demonstrate networking abilities through effective communication, active listening, and negotiation.
Execute time management and personal goal-setting skills.
Display presentation, public speaking, and debating abilities.
Articulate critical and effective reading skills for academic and scholarly literature.
Interpret various quantitative data using technical and statistical skills inclusive of relevant software and programming applications/languages.
Implement relevant methodologies for data collection and analysis for qualitative research skills.

Interdisciplinary Programme Clusters

Politics & Governance

Familiarizes students with political thought traditions and explores the role of government in society and how it relates to democracy, social justice, and administration.

Sociology and Social Work

Offers high-quality research training in sociology, including knowledge of relevant theoretical approaches and skills in major research techniques.

Society and Environment

Introduces students to main approaches for environmental social sciences and how social science theories contribute to addressing contemporary environmental crises.

Science and Technology in Society

Explores how modern technology and science shape societies, cultures, values, and institutions, and how societies shape science and technology.

Career Opportunities

Because of its broad and interdisciplinary approach, the graduates in BA Social Science will have robust career opportunities with organisations that look for a wide set of skills and knowledge, including soft skills such as analytical skills, creativity, adaptability, communication, policy formulation, planning, ethical reasoning, and the attitude and openness to learn. The subject-specific content taught in four years, complimented by the transferable soft skills will help prepare students in both academic pursuits as well as the market needs.

Research skills and teamwork are among the top skills that students will learn from their courses which can be directly applied to their jobs. Public and private sector opportunities include positions with government agencies, CSOs, international organisations, consultancies, social work/advocacy, and the tourism sector.