DU may drop papers on Pakistan, China, Islam in Political Science PG syllabus; teachers object

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. 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.

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.

Recently, Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh informed 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)