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Code: WH_OH_020_AUD_S3(C2)

Academic engagements, thoughts on gender disparities and other comments

Summary:

Coming to the topic of mapping her teaching career, Sujatha Shankar goes into discussion about the kind of teaching roles she has taken on over the years, her teaching approach and pedagogy, and how she engages with the subject and her students. Initially beginning with working on master’s programmes at SAP, she details the experience of how she came to set up foundational courses, and notes how she currently prefers working on thesis reviews and research areas with students. She shares the several insights she has gained from teaching younger generations, how she has seen the practice and subject evolve over time, and recounts learning experiences from these engagements. She also compares the resources available to students of the present time, to that of her own. On the topic of heritage, she notes how there is a revival for the cultural heritage appreciation of our own country against western perspectives of art and design, which she has observed in students as well. While discussing the topic of gender in architecture, she notes how she never felt the need to create a distinction between an architect and a woman architect, and shares further comments about her response to the role of a gendered approach within this profession. Simultaneously, she does mention the challenges of managing family and professional engagements side-by-side. She then goes on to talk about her associations with institutes like IIA and Council of Architecture (COA), and lists the ways in which she worked with them. She also shares her comments about the need for institutional efforts in dealing with gender parity issues within the field, and why she feels that the divide may lessen organically on its own. On the topic of how she became engaged with TV and radio shows, she describes her journey and associations. She concludes with a brief discussion about her book project and what went into its making. 

Practitioner:

Sujatha Shankar

Interviewee:

Sujatha Shankar

Interviewer:

Ishita Shah

Duration:

00.34.14

Mode:

Online

Date:

04/05/2022

Language:
English

Highlights:
(00:01:56:14) Setting up the Master's programme at SAP Chennai, (00:05:28:17) Evolution of pedagogy in architectural education, (00:08:15:29) Influencing to appreciate one's own heritage, (00:12:46:21) Experiences of being a woman in field and the larger society, (00:17:18:27) Negotiating personal and professional lives, (00:23:46:03) Lack of knowledge of mainstream architecture in South India, (00:26:11:00) Television and media coverage of Madras architecture