College Info:

Stella Maris College is a Catholic institution of higher education for women in Chennai, India. It is an autonomous college affiliated to the University of Madras and is partly residential. The college, which is under the direction of the Society of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, is a minority institution that provides university education in a Christian atmosphere for deserving students, especially those belonging to the Catholic community.

The college is under the management of the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. It was founded on 15 August 1947 with an enrollment of 32 students in the intermediate class. Stella Maris was granted permanent recognition in 1951. The college has the unique credit of having initiated bachelor’s degrees in Western Music and History of Fine Arts, as well as master’s degrees in Social Work and Indian Music, at the University of Madras.
Additionally, it was the first women’s college in Madras to offer M.A. degree courses in English, Economics, and Fine Arts. In 1960, the college moved from Santhome to a more spacious campus, “The Cloisters”, Cathedral Road, Chennai. The following few decades saw tremendous growth and development in the college with several firsts and distinctions. The college was one of the few chosen to start the pilot project of the National Service Scheme in 1968. A spacious library was erected on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the college in 1972 and occupies a place of pride on the campus as well as in Chennai.

Course Info:

The B.A. Degree in Sociology – the first in Chennai – was started in 1971 under the headship of Sr. Christine Antony fmm.Sociology is the study of society, social institutions and social processes. It is not to be confused with Psychology or Social Work. The Department seeks to ensure that the syllabus reflects both classical sociological content and contemporary trends and embarks on periodic review of the syllabus.

The B.A. Degree features important foundation papers like Principles of Sociology, Sociology of Indian Society and Development of Social Thought. Students of the Department are trained to make classroom presentations with innovation and clarity. Papers such as Crime and Victimology, Sociology of Ethnic Relations and Sociology of Globalization help broaden their sociological orientation. The Department also organizes field visits for papers like Social Gerontology (study of the aged), NGOs and Organisational Behaviour.