Latest news with #KamalaNehruCollege
News18
10-07-2025
- Business
- News18
DU's 3-Year Vs 4-Year UG Courses: Students Explain What Worked Best For Them
Students who complete the 3-year course can pursue a 2-year PG course, whereas those who finish the 4-year programme are eligible for a 1-year PG course. Since Delhi University (DU) launched its four-year course in 2022, many students have faced a dilemma about which programme to choose. The key difference between the regular three-year courses and the FYUP is that students who complete the three-year undergraduate programme can pursue a two-year postgraduate course, whereas those who finish the four-year programme are eligible for a one-year postgraduate course. Sambhavi Anand, who hails from Bihar, and is currently studying at DU's Gargi College has opted for the four-year course. For Sambhavi, the four-year programme is a boon as it helped her save time. 'According to the old curriculum, before the National Education Policy was introduced we would have to opt for three years BSc and then go for MSc for three years. Only after completing this five year course were we able to join PhD. Now, we can directly take up PhD after completing the four year course only. It is a good chance for those who want to save time. Not only five years of UG and PG education, after that doing PhD is also a very time consuming process," explains Sambhavi. She further added that she is considering studying MTech after graduation and the FYUP is a good choice for those from non-engineering backgrounds. 'Those who are from engineering background have to study BTech which is a four-year course and can then go for two-year MTech. But if one studies three-year BSc, he or she cannot opt for the MTech. In such a case after completing four-year BSc programme, I can now study MTech." On the other hand, Manya Mehta, a student at DU's Kamala Nehru College has decided to go for the three-year UG BCom course. 'I have opted for the three year course because its better for corporate career. I'm currently in the final year of my graduation and have also got placement from my college. I think the four-year course is only good for those who wish to do PhD," she told News18. On similar lines, Kanak Jain, alumni of Kamala Nehru College, said four-year courses are only good for students who wish to take the academic line. 'For me who wanted to start a career after graduation, the three-year course was the better option for me," said Kanak adding that its helps with early industry exposure for students. She completed her graduation in 2025 and had received placement from the college. However, starting this July, DU has introduced a three-year exit option for students in its Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). This means students can now choose to leave after completing six semesters, equivalent to three academic years. Eligible students will then receive either a three-year degree in multiple disciplines or an Honours degree in a single discipline, based on their course structure. view comments First Published: July 10, 2025, 13:20 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Wire
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Remove 'Controversial' Caste-Related Topics, Courses on Pakistan, China: DU Panel
Despite opposition from faculty members, the departments of geography and sociology have been told to make large changes to their geography and sociology postgraduate syllabi. New Delhi: A meeting of Delhi University's Standing Committee for Academic Matters on Wednesday (June 25) has resulted in criticism from faculty members and allegations of "overreach", after the committee said key readings and units from the postgraduate geography and sociology courses should be removed. The faculty was also told to drop several courses completely. The courses that the committee said should be dropped in their entirety, according to a statement released by committee member and associate professor at Kamala Nehru College Dr Monami Sinha, are 'Pakistan and the World', 'China's Role in the Contemporary World', 'Islam and International Relations', 'Pakistan: State and Society' and 'Religious Nationalism and Political Violence'. "All of the above courses were dropped and asked to be changed, despite opposition from myself and several other members of the Standing Committee. We argued that it is imperative to study Pakistan in detail because, pedagogically, we need to train our students and foster scholarship on Pakistan, as it remains one of India's constant foreign policy challenges. Not having adequate knowledge of our geopolitical adversaries may leave us at a strategic disadvantage. Likewise, studying China is critical in a rapidly changing, multipolar world where China is likely to lead many Global South nations. Ignoring this reality would be academically short-sighted," Sinha's statement reads. From the geography postgraduate syllabus, two significant cuts were made to the 'Territorial Bases of Politics in India' course – a section on religious conflict and 'Internal Conflicts and Problems of Nation Building'. In the 'Social Geography' course, the section on 'Distribution of SC Population' saw objection with the committee chair stating that "caste-related topics that are considered controversial should be de-emphasised", according to Sinha. In the sociology postgraduate syllabus as well, objections were raised to various aspects of the course and the committee said that the 'Introduction to Sociological Theory' course should include Indian thinkers and not highlight highlight Marx, Weber and Durkheim. In a section of the course of families, the committee said the joint family system should be included and a reading on queer relationships by K. Weston, 'Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship', removed since same-sex marriage is not legal in India. In the course 'Sociology of Religion', "the Chair felt that the syllabus was unnecessarily controversial and biased", Sinha has stated. "The Chair insisted that rishi-muni be included and questioned why only "church" was mentioned and not other places of worship. The Head attempted to explain that 'Prophet, Priest, and Guru' are academic categories and do not represent any particular religion. Similarly, it was clarified that 'church, sect, cult' are academic phrases used in sociology to refer to types of organised religion, and are not specific to Christianity. However, the Chair remained unconvinced and stated that the syllabus was attributing religious authority to only one tradition. Despite being informed that in sociology, everyday terms may carry different academic meanings, Unit IV was asked to be revisited." Rudrashish Chakraborty, associate professor in the Department of English, Kirori Mal College and a member of the Delhi University Teachers' Association, has also issued a statement against the Standing Committee's decisions, saying that while the committee is free to make suggestions, its decision to order departments to "change their syllabi defies academic rationale and is an act of overreach". "Moreover the departments have the expertise in their respective disciplines to decide on the course contents which should come through the Committee of Courses. It is unfortunate that the Standing Committee has not followed the protocol required in academic decisions and syllabus making: and has succumbed to extraneous considerations which are inimical to the teaching-learning process," he continues. "The University administration of DU has forgotten the fact that the University space is meant for a ruthless and dispassionate debate to foster critical thinking; it is not meant to produce conformist, mediocre minds which can only lead to the cult of hero worship. Instead of cancelling uncomfortable questions, one needs to always engage even with the perceived 'other' to equip oneself with the intellectual wherewithal to tackle the 'other' in the new global geopolitical order," Chakraborty has said. Abha Dev Habib, secretary of the Democratic Teachers' Front and an associate professor of physics at Miranda House, added, "Academic autonomy of Departments stands eroded. Dumbing down of courses by revisions centred around 'beliefs' rather than questions of pedagogy and scientific inquiry is unfortunate. Forced revisions are retrograde and are politically motivated. ...These forced changes will adversely impact scholarship of students. This should worry all of us." Another meeting of the Standing Committee will be held on July 1 to further discuss these new syllabi for these subjects. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
The Print
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
DU professor claims psychology syllabus faced scrutiny at standing committee meeting
According to Monami Sinha, Associate Professor at the Kamala Nehru College and a member of both the Academic Council and the standing committee, several key areas of the syllabus were questioned, particularly for the inclusion of western perspectives and politically-sensitive topics. No immediate response was available from the university. New Delhi, May 2 (PTI) A member of the Delhi University's Academic Council has raised concerns over what she described as undue scrutiny and interference in the psychology syllabus during a meeting of the university's Standing Committee on Academic Matters on Friday. The 'Psychology of Peace' course was a major point of discussion, especially Unit 4, which deals with conflict and conflict resolution through case studies like the Israel-Palestine conflict and the Kashmir issue. Sinha claimed that there were calls to remove this unit altogether, with assertions that the Kashmir issue was 'already resolved' and that teaching the Israel-Palestine conflict was unnecessary. It was proposed, she said, that the unit be replaced with Indian philosophical texts, such as the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita, to reflect indigenous perspectives on peace. Sinha also said objections were raised against content related to social media and dating apps, which form part of another elective. The argument, she said, was that such topics were not appropriate for Indian classrooms and that the curriculum should reflect traditional family values instead. This, despite the relevance of such topics in light of growing mental health concerns and recent incidents involving youngsters and online platforms. She further claimed that proposals were made to drop the Minority Stress Theory from the syllabus — a key framework for understanding the psychological experiences of marginalised groups. Additionally, she noted objections to the inclusion of themes like caste discrimination, misogyny and prejudice under 'Psychology of Diversity', with suggestions to adopt a more 'positive' approach instead. 'These are deeply-relevant issues in contemporary Indian society,' Sinha said. 'Understanding the psychology of oppression, discrimination and evolving youth behaviour in the age of AI and social media is essential. Diluting these topics undermines the academic depth of the discipline,' she added. Sinha expressed concern that the department's academic autonomy is being compromised. 'The nature of the objections appears politically motivated. Academic decisions should be based on pedagogy and research, not ideology,' she said. PTI MHS RC This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
