My guiding philosophy in teaching is that it must seek to produce empathetic knowledge among my students who will then be able to connect with the everyday experiences of ordinary people.
”
Dr NARAYANAN Ganapathy
PhD (NUS); MA (Brunel University); BA (NUS)
Department of Sociology
- Deviance and social control
- Crime and delinquency
- Sociology of law and penology
- Methods of social research
- Qualitative research methodology
- Served as the department's Deputy Coordinator and Coordinator of the Honours programme, during which major curriculum reviews were introduced to accommodate an increasing number of sociology majors and several new modules for Honours students were launched
- Conceived and instructed a course in qualitative research methods for the Master of Public Health programme offered by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, with the materials developed becoming a standard resource for health care practitioners
- Contributed expertise and knowledge to the Singapore Police Force by establishing an academic programme offering four different qualifications for junior officers
- Helped create ethical guidelines for student researchers working in the areas of criminology, penology and criminal justice in Singapore that continue to be widely used today
- Teaching materials have been adapted for use by external organisations such as Singapore's National Council of Social Service Training Institute and the Civil Service College
- Presents thought-provoking questions and critiques of theories to encourage students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, question conventional wisdom and be accepting of new perspectives
- Promotes the understanding and appreciation of sociology by sharing research findings and fieldwork strategies during classes
- Facilitates learning by mapping out abstract concepts coherently and systematically, simplifying them and making them accessible
- Outstanding ability to teach a wide variety of modules to students from different faculties and backgrounds
- Published close to 10 articles in high quality international journals such as the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy, Journal of Criminal Justice and International Criminal Justice Review
- Published 12 articles in international conference proceedings and compiled volumes
- Reviewer and editorial board member of journals such as the European Journal of Criminology and Asian Journal of Criminology, and reviewer for Asian Journal of Social Sciences
- Member, International Advisory Board, European Journal of Criminology
- Member, Editorial Board, Asian Journal of Criminology
- Founding member, Asian Criminological Society
- Invited adjunct professor, Queensland University of Technology
- Undertook several consultancy projects for various ministries and government agencies in Singapore, including the Ministry of Education, Singapore Police Force, Central Narcotics Bureau and the National Environment Agency
- Annual Teaching Excellence Award (2006/5, 2005/4, 2003/2)
- Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (2008, 2009, 2005)
- Long Service Award, National Council Against Drug Abuse (2009)
"I am driven by a deep passion for sociology, a firm commitment to my students' learning, and a conviction that what I do every day makes a difference."