11 The Department of Sociology The UJ Department of Sociology is home to 20 staff members, 6 of whom are NRF-rated scholars. We lead in teaching, supervision, and producing socially relevant research. Recently the department was ranked the top sociology department in South Africa according to the 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) released by The Shanghai Ranking Consultancy (https:// businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/513896/top-9universities-in-south-africa-and-the-best-subjectsto-study-at-each/). Apart from the world ranking, the department has grown by welcoming four new colleagues this year, namely Prof Patrick Bond (NRF B1 rating), Prof Nthabiseng Motsemme, Prof Melanie Samson, and Ms. Ragi Bashonga. In 2021, four staff members have been promoted. Prof Pragna Rugunanan was promoted to full professor; Dr David du Toit and Dr Letitia Smuts were promoted to senior lecturers; and Mr Lerato Kgosiemang was appointed as lecturer in the department. Three staff members are currently directors of research centres at UJ. Prof Carin Runciman is the director of the Centre for Social Change, and Dr Trevor Ngwane is the director of the Centre for Sociological Research and Practice (CSRP), which is linked to the Department of Sociology. Recently, Prof Tapiwa Chagonda was appointed as the Head of the Centre for Data Ethics (CDE). While staff members are engaged in various individual and collaborative research projects, the department is actively engaged in critical social research and sociological practice, and the CSRP provides one vehicle for this commitment. The CSRP was relaunched in January 2021. The CSRP’s research themes include ‘Township, village and shack settlements studies’; ‘Land reform’ and ‘Labour studies’. To date, the CSRP has hosted a regular online seminar series and have been engaged with a number of research projects, including a project which considers the South African electricity crisis. As part of the Urban Sociology Honours module taught by Prof Luke Sinwell, students engaged with practical fieldwork linked to the existing “Energy Racism” research project undertaken by the CSRP. In 2022, the CSRP plans on developing a year-long programme of webinars based on and clustered around its three research themes and coinciding with research processes and outputs. Various staff members are engaged in funded research projects. Dr Letitia Smuts is the primary grant holder of a National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences Working Group grant entitled: ‘Heteronormativity in South Africa’ and hosted a two-day winter school called ‘Introduction to Sexuality Studies’ in July of 2021. Prof Kezia Batisai, along with Prof Tina Uys and Dr Letitia Smuts, are involved in a collaborative URCfunded research project with the University of Notre Dame and the University of Sydney in Australia entitled ‘Men, masculinity and gender equality: Young men’s perceptions, responses and negotiations.’ Prof Pragna Rugunanan was invited by Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration program, Ryerson University, to participate in a documentary focusing on migrant lives during the pandemic: https://www. migrantlives.net/. Sociology doctoral students Arina Sibanda and Edson Mutisi assisted with crafting the storyline. Dr Siphelo Ngcwangu is involved in a research project entitled ‘Higher Education, Inequality and the Public Good: Perspective from Four African Countries’. Prof Nthabiseng Motsemme is currently involved in a research project entitled ‘Township Studies Project’, which held a colloquium and launched the Township Studies Research Network in April 2021. The year 2021 marks the 21st year of the UJ Department of Sociology and the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies’ weekly inhouse seminar series. The Wednesday seminar has been a space for postgraduate students, activists, public figures, and scholars to present their work. This spans across various disciplines, and various local and international institutions, and include book launches and documentary screenings. This year, the seminar committee arranged online webinars related to a variety of topical and
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