Latest news with #SociologyofLaw
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
DU Executive Council's curriculum changes spark protest from faculty
Delhi University's Executive Council (EC), in its 1,275th meeting on Friday, approved sweeping changes to the syllabus across departments including Psychology, Sociology, and English. It also cleared new academic programmes in journalism and nuclear medicine, introduced uniform rules on teacher seniority, and took key administrative decisions. Curriculum revamp: Psychology and Sociology The elective paper Psychology of Peace will no longer include case studies on conflict. Instead, it will incorporate Indian epics to illustrate peace and conflict resolution. A unit on dating apps has also been removed from the Relationship Science paper. In Sociology, foundational theorists such as Karl Marx and Thomas Robert Malthus have been dropped from the Population and Society paper. A section on Sociology of Food has also been omitted. The Sociology of Law paper will now focus more on Indian authors, particularly those writing on religion. The meeting saw sharp opposition from elected EC members, who decried the revisions as 'ideological interference' and an erosion of academic independence. Particularly contested were the removals of case studies on Kashmir, Palestine, India-Pakistan tensions, and the Northeast, which were replaced with references from religious texts such as the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita. EC member Rudrashish Chakraborty, Associate Professor at Kirori Mal College, called the changes 'an abject compromise on course quality' and 'a complete disregard for disciplinary expertise.' He warned that such ideological impositions could diminish Delhi University's global academic credibility. New academic programmes and structural reforms The university will introduce a two-year M.A. in Journalism, to be offered by both the Hindi and English departments. A BSc in Nuclear Medicine Technology will also be launched at the Army Hospital (R&R) under the Faculty of Medical Sciences, specifically for qualified Armed Forces Medical Services personnel. The EC also approved a uniform policy for determining teacher seniority—prioritising age when qualifications are equal, followed by Academic Performance Indicator (API) scores. EC member Aman Kumar told PTI that Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh has constituted a nine-member committee to examine a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) notification mandating periodic reviews of employees aged 50 and above, which may result in compulsory retirement. The panel will assess its impact on DU staff. NEP rollout and national alignment Registrar Vikas Gupta addressed queries around the new four-year undergraduate structure introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He assured members that students will benefit from multiple exit and re-entry options, with official certifications at each stage. The meeting began with a tribute to the victims of the recent Pahalgam terror attack. A resolution was passed expressing support for the Centre's counterterrorism initiative, Operation Sindoor. Academic autonomy in focus Despite the administration's emphasis on modernisation and national priorities, critics warned the curriculum overhaul could undermine the university's academic standing. 'These decisions may serve short-term political objectives, but they will harm Delhi University's long-term academic integrity,' Chakraborty said.
New Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'Mutilation of academic disciplines': DU Executive Council approves curriculum overhaul amid strong criticism
NEW DELHI: Delhi University's Executive Council in its 1275th meeting held on Friday approved sweeping revisions to the curriculum in various departments, including Psychology, Sociology and English, while also clearing new programs in journalism and nuclear medicine, uniform teacher seniority rules and administrative measures. The Executive Council (EC), the highest statutory body, approved revisions to the elective paper Psychology of Peace, replacing conflict-based case studies with references from the Indian epics for peace and conflict resolution. In Relationship Science, a unit examining dating apps was also dropped. Sociology curriculum changes removed foundational theorists like Karl Marx and Thomas Robert Malthus from the paper Population and Society and scrapped a unit on the Sociology of Food. Meanwhile, the Indian authors, particularly those focused on religion, were emphasized in the Sociology of Law. The meeting was, however, marked by strong dissent from several elected EC members over what they termed "ideological interference" and "systematic erosion of academic autonomy." Controversial syllabus changes include the removal of case studies involving Kashmir, Palestine, India-Pakistan tensions and the Northeast, replaced by the Indian religious texts such as the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita.
