Parvatibai Chowgule College Of Arts & Science

Overview

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

PARVATIBAI CHOWGULE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCE (AUTONOMOUS)

MARGAO GOA

Introduction

Geography has been broadly accepted asa bridge discipline between human and physical sciences. In the beginning,geography focussed on the physical aspects of the earth but the modern geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks to understand the earth and all of its human and natural processes as integrating elements.

Overview of the Department

The Department of Geography and Research Centre is a leading and pioneer department in the State of Goa that offers Graduate (B.A/BSc), Postgraduate(M.A/MSc.)Postgraduate Diploma in Geoinformatics. and Ph.D. programmes in Geography .The only department to provide an array of programmes in the college.

Over the decades, the department has achieved significant milestones. Geography was introduced as one of the subject in 1962, the year college was started. Looking at the popularity and demand of Geography, in 1991, entire Geography(six unit) was introduced at third year level and then,subsequently, a Masters Degree (M.A.)in geography in 2004. Further,envisaging the need of employability of graduates, in 2009, the department started Postgraduate Diploma in Geoinformatics (PGDGIS).B.Sc. in Geography at third year level was introduced in 2012 and to enhance the research aptitude, Ph.D. Programme commenced from 2014. The latest addition is the commencement of M.Sc in Geoinformatics in 2018. Apart from this ,the department runs various short term courses in GIS ,field techniques, QGIS etc. The department runs special Programme like Page to Stage to equip students with personality development and confidence building.

Research and consultancy has been flagship of the department. In the last five years, the department has completed 9 research projects. More than 30 research papers have been published and three books have been edited. One of the research project was international collaborative research project funded by ICCSR,India and National Research Council, Thailand . Presently there are four research scholars registered in the department.The department boast of Well-equipped laboratories, well qualified faculty with strong academic background,collaborations with various national and international institutions , active involvement in consultancy, extension activities and research and an established GIS and Remote Sensing section are the fortes of the department.

From the student's perspective, the department publishes an in-house bi-monthly newsletter 'Geographia' andundertakes various activities through Geography Club 'GLOBE (Geographers Loving Our Beautiful Environment)' and 'AGES (Association of GeographyEx-Students)'. The GLOBE organizes fieldtrips, tours, students events and works for the promotion of the subject, whereas AGES provides financial and logistic assistance. Various scholarships have been instituted by the alumni and faculty.

The department has collaborations with department of geography , Shree Mallikarjun College , Canacona , Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD), Old Goa, (Goa), Gogate-Jogalekar College, Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), Parishkar College of Global Excellence,Jaipur (Rajasthan), S.M. Bapuji Salunkhe Mahavidyalaya, Miraj (Maharashtra) andDepartment of Geography, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (Rajasthan). There are two universities, University of Sri Jayewardenepura and University of Kelaniya,Sri Lanka, with whom, the department has academic exchange programmes. There has been research collaboration with university of Pecs, Hungary, university of Stockholm, Sweden and University of La Reunion, France. Under the ageis of Centre for South Asia studies,the department had faculty and research scholar exchange with La Reunion university , France under Erasmus programme of the European Union for the year 2018-2020.

Over the decades, commitment towards the growth of the subject and expansion of geographical knowledge through teaching,research, consultancy and extension activities, has earned it, a stature of being one of the most eminent academic departments in the State of Goa.

List of Ph.D. Candidates

Date of Enrolment	Name of the Student	Topics	Supervisor
28 September 2015	Rahul Pillai	India- Sri Lanka Development Partnership: A Study on the Impact of Indian Housing Project in Sri Lanka (2010-2016)	Prof. Nandkumar Sawant
26 September 2014	Adrian Ferro	Urban Histories: Appraising Margao: A Study in Urban Geography	Prof. Nandkumar Sawant
26 September 2015	Mallica Desai	International Spatial Mobility of Males & the Ramification on the Families at Place of Origin: A Regional-Rural Perspective, Salcete, Goa, India	Prof. Nandkumar Sawant
25 September 2014	Ulhas Gaonkar	Geographical Analysis of Tribal Communities of Quepem Taluka Goa: Issues & Challenges	Prof. Nandkumar Sawant

Vision & Mission

Mission Statement:

The Department of Geography at Chowgule College aims to provide in-depth knowledge in geographical domains with a special focus on research and skill-building.

It offers core subjects in Physical Geography, Cultural Geography, Geoinformatics,Cartography, Spatial Studies and an array of allied electives. The teaching learning methodologies focus on self focused learning through problem based learning, laboratory experiments, field works and project works.

The faculty has expertise in specialized fields of geography, which ensure that their experience is transcended to the students through discussion forums,workshops, seminars, field works and research work. The department emphasizes that the students participate in intercollegiate events, present papers in conferences, assist faculty in research works and undertake internships.

Our department has the necessary ICT-enabled infrastructure to enable curious learners to acquire essential skills and knowledge. This helps to develop expertise in areas of spatial studies, physical geography, human geography and Geoinformatics.

The department aims to develop skills of field work, survey and research to seek suitable employment as teachers, researchers, surveyors, GIS analysts,cartographers and in allied fields like tourism and regional planning.

Students interested in joining the department, should have passed Higher secondary (12thGrade) and should be genuinely interested in field work and surveys. The students need to have some basic knowledge in statistics and should be curious observers and report writers.