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The Print
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
DU faces teachers' wrath as it plans to omit courses on Pakistan, China, Islam in Pol Sc. PG syllabus
The university's Standing Committee on Academic Matters met on Tuesday to discuss the syllabi of several courses. This has sparked backlash from faculty members, who call the move politically driven. New Delhi: Delhi University may drop courses on Pakistan, China, Islam, and political violence from its MA Political Science syllabus, with the university's syllabus panel recommending the removal of several electives, faculty members alleged. Dr. Monami Sinha, a member of the Standing Committee, said the Political Science PG syllabus came under 'significant scrutiny' during the meeting. 'The courses that were dropped and asked to be revamped are 'Pakistan and the World', 'China's Role in the Contemporary World', 'Islam and International Relations', 'Pakistan: State and Society', 'Religious Nationalism and Political Violence',' Sinha, who is also a member of the Academic Council said. Speaking to ANI, Monami Sinha said these papers would either be completely dropped or replaced by other courses. The new courses will then be referred to the department's course committee. The committee will prepare a new syllabus. This syllabus will be presented for approval to the university syllabus panel and then tabled in the Academic Council for approval. ANI reached out to the Delhi University administration, but there was no response at the time of filing this report. Recently, Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh informed us that Department heads at the University of Delhi (DU) have been asked to review their syllabus and remove any unnecessary glorification of Pakistan. This statement comes in the wake of a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. However, the members of the DU faculty have objected to these revisions in the syllabus, saying 'forced' changes are retrograde and politically motivated. Dr. Monami Sinha argued that removing these courses undermines academic rigour and geopolitical understanding. '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,' she stated in her note. She also cautioned against excluding China at a time when it is emerging as a key player in the Global South. Along with political courses, the committee recommended the removal of unit 3 in MA Geography (semester 1), on internal conflict and religious violence — including a key text by Paul Brass — from the course 'Territorial Bases of Politics in India.' In the Social Geography paper, the Chair objected to the topic 'Distribution of SC Population', calling for a de-emphasis on caste-related content. A course on vulnerability and disaster was also dropped. In Sociology, the introductory theory paper was criticised for relying solely on Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, with calls to include Indian theorists and joint family structures, Sinha said. Objections were also raised to Kath Weston's reading on same-sex families, with the Chair noting that same-sex marriages are not legal in India. Condemning the recommended changes, Abha Dev, Secretary of Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) alleged that the academic autonomy of departments has been eroded and this 'should worry all of us'. 'Academic autonomy of Departments stands eroded. The 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. DU was known for its UG courses. These forced changes will adversely impact students' scholarships. This should worry all of us,' said Abha Dev. Meanwhile, Mithuraaj Dhusiya, elected member of the Academic Council questioned the authority of standing committee, saying the panel can suggest changes but it cannot ask direct departments to remove papers. '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,' said Dhusiya, in a statement. (ANI) This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also read: Plagiarism, fake information riddle DU School of Open Learning study materials. 'Cruel joke'
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘DU will not encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan': V-C amid syllabus revisions
Amid the ongoing debate over curriculum changes in several departments, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh Thursday told The Indian Express that the varsity will not 'encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan'. Singh's remarks follow internal deliberations over the likely removal of these postgraduate courses in Political Science: 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. The V-C clarified that while departments are free to propose Pakistani thinkers 'who are not anti-national,' final decisions on academic content rest with the university's elected Academic Council (AC), not the administration. 'Syllabus and academic matters are passed by the AC, which is a democratic house in a democratic manner,' Singh said. Discussions around syllabi revision have taken on political and ideological overtones at the varsity, with several faculty members raising concerns about the narrowing of academic space. Following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, heads of departments were reportedly instructed to review academic material and remove any unnecessary 'glorification' of Pakistan. In June, The Indian Express reported that the Department of Philosophy had been directed to exclude references to Pakistan, poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the Manusmriti from its syllabi following an email directive from Dean of Academics. Speaking to The Indian Express, Professor Sanjeev Kumar H M, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science with a specialisation in Islamic Thought and International Relations, among others, defended the revision process. 'There is a process in which the Department Council proposes changes, and it then goes to the Committee of Courses. That committee makes suggestions, and the syllabus then goes to the Board of Studies. From there, it moves to the Standing Committee, where elected members and experts comment and make recommendations. It is then sent back to the department. This entire process is mediated by the Head. There is a democratic process involved in this — it is a matter between the faculty and the Standing Committee,' he said. He added that some readings from 10–15 years ago may now appear decontextualised, given changing global dynamics. 'Our goal is to give the right image. How we portray Pakistan needs some kind of streamlining. It is not about administrative interference,' Kumar said. 'Debating Article 370, for instance, becomes decontextualised without background.' Harendranath Tiwari, member of the Standing Committee, argued that the ideological bent of some proposed papers was a concern. 'The Arts have always been dominated by Left ideologies. Certain papers presented in the Standing Committee were agenda-driven. It is not like Pakistan is not being taught — it is taught in various courses. But the perspective matters. Courses with an 'India-centric' approach have been passed. The problem lies with the 'Pakistan-centric' way of drafting,' he said. However, a professor from the History department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'How do we teach Partition without mentioning or talking about Pakistan?' The professor added that efforts to erase or avoid discussion of sensitive subjects 'risk diluting both historical accuracy and academic honesty'. Professor Rekha Saxena, Head, Department of Political Science, declined to comment when contacted by The Indian Express. Other departments have also seen cuts in their syllabi. During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Academic Matters last month, several key topics — including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Kashmir issue — were allegedly removed from a proposed syllabus revision by the Department of Psychology.
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.
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi University may drop Pak, China, Islam courses from political science syllabus; faculty slams move
The MA Political Science syllabus at Delhi University may lose references to Pakistan, China, Islam, and political violence as the university is likely to drop courses on these subjects from the syllabus. Delhi University is likely to drop courses on Pakistan, China and Islam from the syllabus of MA Political Science. (File Photo) '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' will likely be either dropped or replaced by other courses. Following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, department heads at Delhi University were asked to remove any unnecessary glorification of Pakistan from their syllabus, university Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh told news agency ANI. Faculty slams move The move to potentially drop these courses from the MA Political Science course at Delhi University has not gone down well with the faculty, who argue that it would undermine geopolitical understanding. According to Monami Sinha, a member of the Standing Committee, the MA Political Science syllabus faced "significant scrutiny" during the meeting. Dr. Monami Sinha, a member of the Standing Committee, said the Political Science PG syllabus came under "significant scrutiny" when the university's Standing Committee on Academic Matters met to discuss the syllabi of several courses. "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," she stated in her note. She also called China an emerging key player in the Global South, emphasising why its important to include a course on it. Abha Dev, Secretary of Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) also objected to the move, emphasising academic autonomy. "Academic autonomy of Departments stands eroded. The 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. DU was known for its UG courses. These forced changes will adversely impact students' scholarships. This should worry all of us," said Abha Dev. Mithuraaj Dhusiya, elected member of the Academic Council, reminded the university authorities of the importance of debate. The official argued that while changes can be suggested, departments cannot be mandated to enforce them. "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," said Dhusiya, in a statement. If the courses on Pakistan, China and Islam are replaced, the new ones will be referred to the department's course committee, which will then prepare a new syllabus. This syllabus will be presented for approval to the university syllabus panel and then tabled in the Academic Council for approval. (With ANI inputs)
India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
DU may drop papers on Pakistan, China, Islam in Political Science PG syllabus; teachers object
By Vishu Adhana New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Delhi University may drop courses on Pakistan, China, Islam, and political violence from its MA Political Science syllabus, with the university's syllabus panel recommending the removal of several electives, faculty members alleged. This has sparked backlash from faculty members, who call the move politically driven. The university's Standing Committee on Academic Matters met on Tuesday to discuss the syllabi of several courses. Dr. Monami Sinha, a member of the Standing Committee, said the Political Science PG syllabus came under 'significant scrutiny' during the meeting. 'The courses that were dropped and asked to be revamped are 'Pakistan and the World', 'China's Role in the Contemporary World', 'Islam and International Relations', 'Pakistan: State and Society', 'Religious Nationalism and Political Violence',' Sinha, who is also a member of the Academic Council said. Speaking to ANI, Monami Sinha said these papers would either be completely dropped or replaced by other courses. The new courses will then be referred to the department's course committee. The committee will prepare a new syllabus. This syllabus will be presented for approval to the university syllabus panel and then tabled in the Academic Council for approval. ANI reached out to the Delhi University administration, but there was no response at the time of filing this report. Recently, Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh informed us that Department heads at the University of Delhi (DU) have been asked to review their syllabus and remove any unnecessary glorification of Pakistan. This statement comes in the wake of a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. However, the members of the DU faculty have objected to these revisions in the syllabus, saying 'forced' changes are retrograde and politically motivated. Dr. Monami Sinha argued that removing these courses undermines academic rigour and geopolitical understanding. '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,' she stated in her note. She also cautioned against excluding China at a time when it is emerging as a key player in the Global South. Along with political courses, the committee recommended the removal of unit 3 in MA Geography (semester 1), on internal conflict and religious violence -- including a key text by Paul Brass -- from the course 'Territorial Bases of Politics in India.' In the Social Geography paper, the Chair objected to the topic 'Distribution of SC Population', calling for a de-emphasis on caste-related content. A course on vulnerability and disaster was also dropped. In Sociology, the introductory theory paper was criticised for relying solely on Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, with calls to include Indian theorists and joint family structures, Sinha said. Objections were also raised to Kath Weston's reading on same-sex families, with the Chair noting that same-sex marriages are not legal in India. Condemning the recommended changes, Abha Dev, Secretary of Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) alleged that the academic autonomy of departments has been eroded and this 'should worry all of us'. 'Academic autonomy of Departments stands eroded. The 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. DU was known for its UG courses. These forced changes will adversely impact students' scholarships. This should worry all of us,' said Abha Dev. Meanwhile, Mithuraaj Dhusiya, elected member of the Academic Council questioned the authority of standing committee, saying the panel can suggest changes but it cannot ask direct departments to remove papers. '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,' said Dhusiya, in a statement. (ANI)
