Delhi University’s Standing Committee on Academic Matters (SCOM) on Wednesday directed the political science department to “drop” several postgraduate papers proposed to be introduced that focused on Pakistan and China, at least two committee members said.
Among the proposed papers dropped were four discipline-specific electives (DSEs): Pakistan and the World (DSE 29), China’s Role in the Contemporary World (DSE 31), State and Society in Pakistan (DSE 35) and Islam and International Relations (DSE 33). A fifth, Religious Nationalism and Political Violence (DSE 52), will be reviewed in the next SCOM meeting on July 1, according to a proposal list that the department tabled at the meeting, which HT has seen.
The DSEs were part of the draft postgraduate curriculum under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. To be sure, these papers were so far not taught to students yet.
“The papers were asked to be completely dropped and the department was asked to reframe the syllabus,” said one committee member who did not wish to be named.
Another member, Monami Sinha, added, “The registrar opened the meeting by saying controversial topics related to Pakistan would be removed. Removing facts from the syllabus means students will lose the opportunity to understand the political climate of the current world, which is detrimental in turn. The department was consistently asked to introduce more India-centric topics.”
DU dean of academic affairs Ratnabali K, who chaired parts of the meeting, said, “We should not glorify Pakistan. If we want to bring Pakistan into the syllabus, which is of course necessary, India has to be the centre point. For the China paper, we asked: why only China, and not other key or neighbouring countries?”
The sociology department’s syllabus also faced scrutiny. In a discipline specific core (DSC) paper Sociology of Kinship, the committee objected to the inclusion of Kath Weston’s Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship. Sinha said the rationale offered was that same-sex marriage is not legal in India and “joint families should be taught first.”
Ratnabali confirmed this, saying, “Students should first understand the concept of family in India. We have no objections to these topics but these can be taught later.”
In Sociology of Religion, a section titled Religious Authority and Organizations triggered objections over terms like “prophet” and “church.” According to Sinha, when the department explained these were standard academic concepts, the committee asked for the syllabus to be “revisited”.
“We suggested replacing ‘church’ with ‘religious structures’ to make the language more inclusive,” Ratnabali said. “If you include prophet, why not rishi too?”
In the geography department’s postgraduate syllabus, a course titled Geographies of Gender and Development in South Asia was flagged for mentioning patriarchy without matriarchy. A committee member said, “They asked the department to add matriarchy for balance.”
To be sure, the standing committee does not have the final say on changes in syllabus. Once recommendations are made, the syllabus goes back to the respective departments for revision. Next the revised syllabus will have to be tabled at the academic council, which is DU’s highest academic body and then at the executive council.
An AC meeting is scheduled to take place on July 5, 2025.
