Empowering Student Researchers: Undergraduate Presentations Take Center Stage on 3rd Day of CASS 2025 Annual Interdisciplinary Conference

By Kyle Pontillo and Andrea Sedero


The third day of this year’s Research Week took flight as undergraduate students stepped into the spotlight for the much-anticipated Undergraduate Parallel Sessions on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.


The College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) officially launched the CASS 2025 Annual Interdisciplinary Conference as part of MSU-IIT’s week-long celebration of research. The conference kicked off on the second day, April 22 with the Graduate Parallel Sessions, which featured a wide array of graduate-level research presented in segmented sessions across the CASS rooms and the Institute Mini Theater.


Succeeding the stage, the Undergraduate Parallel Sessions were held the following day. Each department conducted its own sessions, where undergraduate students presented their theses to an audience of fellow undergraduates. These sessions ran from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM across various locations, including departmental venues within CASS, the Institute Mini-Theatre for the Department of Political Science, and the Institute Main Library for the Department of History.


While the overarching initiative came from the institute, respective departments took charge of curating and tailoring their own colloquiums, exploring various approaches to their activities alongside a diversity of themes.


Despite this being only the second Institute-wide Research Week, the Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan presented their tenth colloquium this year, showcasing their long-standing commitment to academic inquiry. Undergraduate presentations explored a range of contemporary issues in language, literature, and culture, including evolving modes of communication, the study of Filipino texts, cultural representation, and the role of language in shaping identity and heritage, among others.


The Department of Philosophy and Humanities held its colloquium under the theme “Research in Social Sciences and Humanities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” with presentations examining identity, culture, ethics, technology, and social justice through philosophical and interdisciplinary lenses.


Likewise, the Department of Sociology adopted the same theme, with presentations delving into topics such as drag, tartanilla culture, women’s studies, and artisanal salt farming, among others.


The Department of Psychology featured research exploring psychological factors affecting various populations, including topics on well-being, life satisfaction, coping strategies, interpersonal relationships, environment, and technology.


Building on the diversity of themes, the Department of Political Science showcased work on political dynamics and electoral strategies, policy compliance and governance, peacebuilding and social inclusion, Indigenous and cultural practices, as well as responses to social challenges and resilience.


Similarly, the Department of English held their colloquium with undergraduate presentations exploring gender and sexuality in literature and language, the analysis of films as cultural texts, and the representation of Mindanao in both literary and linguistic contexts. Discussions also addressed issues of identity, the shaping of ideologies through language and literature, and the various modes and narrative structures found in textual analysis.


Meanwhile, the Department of History held their colloquium under the theme “AI, History, and the Future,” with presentations exploring cultural histories and notable personalities, as well as community histories and traditions.

Programs were segmented into presentations and open forums, with each session supported by reliable discussants spearheading the evaluation of each paper.


Dr. Maria Cecilia Ferolin of the Department of Sociology noted how the event is a learning process for both audiences and presenters—not only in polishing presentational skills but also in honing a genuine regard for research that centers humanity. Dr. Jay Rey Alovera also called for a more humanist approach to research in one of the sessions.


As part of MSU-IIT’s broader vision of becoming a recognized research university, the Undergraduate Parallel Sessions serve as a cornerstone activity within the annual Research Week. Such conferences continue to hone young minds in honoring relative narratives and niches unexplored in pursuit of living in a better world.