Sociology undergraduates from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters presented their research during the international conference organized by the Philippine Sociological Society (PSS) held from November 11 to 15, 2022.
Following the research agenda of the UST Department of Sociology (i.e. Sociology of Catholicism and Pastoral Issues; Sociology of Politics, Governance, and Communities; Sociology of Youth, Education, and Work), Kalea Adrienne D. Aquino, Marie Hannah Nichol M. Narag, Sweet Hershey D. Araga, Jayson U. Dela Cruz, and Paola Mari V. Jamola presented on the second day in 5 separate parallel sessions, whose themes circulated on the conference’s theme: “Sociology of the Future(s): Uncertainties, Alternatives, and Emerging Narratives”. These are thesis-based presentations guided by their respective advisers, Prof. Clarence M. Batan, Ph.D., and Asst. Prof. Louie Benedict R. Ignacio, Ph.D., as part of their research output forms. Both Ignacio and Batan are former presidents of the Philippine Sociological Society.
Under the session, “Social Hazards, Inequalities, and Fight for Fairness: Narratives of Activism”, Aquino presented a phenomenological paper titled, “Sa Naratibo ng mga Aktibista: Exploring the Influence of the Catholic Church and Church-based Teaching towards the Collective Action of Student Activists from Saint Louis University” which stems from concepts circulating on Catholic Social Teachings, student activism, the church in politics, social justice, and socio-political development.
For the session themed “Gender Identities in Intangible Spaces: Framing and Representation of Gender Identities”, Narag, together with her research adviser Prof. Batan, presented a film analysis paper titled, “Film Portrayals of Filipino Women’s Growing-up Narratives: Uncertainties, Youthhood, and Sociologies,” which argues how selected films structure the gendered images of youthhood in the Philippines, and how these representations lead to understanding some critical youth transitional and generational issues of precariousness in terms of identity formation as well as Familial, educational, and employment experiences.
For the session “Human Mobilities: The Future of Migration and Circulation”, Araga presented an exploratory paper titled, “Let’s Power Up!: Fan Activism of Filipino K-pop stans in Metro Manila as a form of Political Participation” which aimed to discover influential factors of political participation and experiences, online and offline, of Filipino K-pop stans in relation to fan activism, the associated knowledge regarding fan activities vis-à-vis engagement choices, and to politically participate.
Dela Cruz, together with his research adviser Prof. Batan, presented a mixed-methods secondary data analysis paper titled, “Discoveries, Shifts, and Futures of Engagements in Catechetical Education in the Philippines: A Sociological Analysis” during the session “Future(s) of Education: Emerging Narratives from Learning Systems”. Their research utilized a researcher-developed “webinar analysis”, document analysis, and joint analysis to examine how catechetical engagements bring about meaningful and effective catechesis in the conduct of Catechetical Education. This paper stems from the National Catechetical Study (NCS) 2016-2021: Pastoral Action Research and Intervention (PARI) Project under the UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education.
Lasty, for the session, “Technological Innovation and Social Interaction: Technology, Youth, and Active Engagements”, Jamola presented a quantitative paper titled, “Right to Vote: Influence through Social Media and Voting Behavior of Selected Undergraduate Student-Voters” which investigates on the impact of political participation and engagement through Facebook on the voting behavior of college students in Metro Manila, specifically by evaluating content typologies consumed by student-voters, examining social media as political tool, and determining personal network exposure as influence to voting decision of student-voters.
This year’s annual conference of the Philippine Sociological Society is an international conference, which featured plenary sessions with Dr. Jan Nederveen Pieterse, Mellichamp Chair and Distinguished Professor of Global Studies & Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Dr. Debra Davidson, Professor of Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta, and Dr. Nina Castillo-Carandang, Professor of Health Sociology and Global Health, Vice Chair for Administration, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines , Manila.
