DHAKA : The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) at North South University (NSU) successfully hosts ‘Graduate Colloquium Series: Fall 2025’ yesterday. The colloquium attracted a diverse audience, including distinguished faculty members, students, academics and researchers, a press release said.
Dr. Md. Rizwanul Islam, Professor of Law and Dean of SHSS at NSU, welcomed the presenters. Professor Bulbul Siddiqi, Professor at the Department of Political Science and Sociology, NSU, served as the discussant for the colloquium. Professor Norman Kenneth Swazo, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Office of Research at NSU, was the Session Chair. Mr. Ahmed Ragib Chowdhury, Lecturer at the Department of Law, NSU, moderated the colloquium.
Dr. Md. Rizwanul Islam, Professor of Law and Dean of SHSS at NSU, encouraged the students to continue pursuing original research work and commended their dedication in preparing for the presentations.
Professor Bulbul Siddiqi provided critical feedback on each paper and encouraged the presenters to publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals to contribute to national and international academic discourse.
Professor Norman Kenneth Swazo delivered the concluding speech as the Session Chair. He highlighted the professional development opportunities for graduate school students and commended them on their presentations.
The student presenters were Mr. Manish Kumar Agrawal from the South Asian Institute of Policy & Governance (SIPG), Mr. Akhlak Ul Islam from the Department of Law, Mr. Monirul Islam Bappy from the Department of History and Philosophy and Ms. Suriya Akhter Sristi from the Department of English & Modern Languages.
Mr. Manish Kumar Agrawal presented his paper titled “Universal Health Coverage in Bangladesh”, where he analysed the systemic challenges in the nation’s sector and provided recommendations for institutional strengthening to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
Mr. Akhlak Ul Islam presented his paper titled “Balancing the Digital Trade and Digital Sovereignty in Developing Nations: A Comparative Analysis of Data Localisation Efforts of China, India and Bangladesh”, where he critically examined how these three nations navigate the conflict between facilitating digital trade liberalisation and asserting national digital sovereignty through policy approaches.
Mr. Monirul Islam Bappy presented a comparative analytical paper titled “Sugarcane, State, and Geopolitics: Industrialisation in Northern Bengal, 1930-1960”, where he analysed the structural shifts and economic implications of the sugarcane industry across the region during the given time frame.
Ms. Suriya Akhter Sristi presented her paper titled “Feminist Resistance in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon”, where she explored how female characters, particularly Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Iphigenia, challenge and subvert patriarchal power structures within the classical tragedy.
During the Q&A segment, faculty members engaged with the presenters on their research topics and exchanged their views and reflections—the interactive exchange of ideas deeply immersed all the attendees. Finally, a Certificate of Achievement was handed over to the presenters to recognise their valuable contributions.
