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Here’s everything you need to know about the B.A. (Honours) Sociology course offered at DU!


With the introduction of the NEP and the FYUP for the 2022-23 session, courses are bound to face a drastic shift. However, it helps to know what the course has looked like up till now. 

What Did the Course Structure Look Like?

B.A. (Honours) Sociology was divided into six semesters, two every year. The first two semesters had Introduction to Sociology – 1,   Sociology of India-1, Introduction to Sociology-2 and  Sociology of India -2. The second and third semesters consisted of  Political Sociology, Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Gender, Economic Sociology, Sociology Of Kinship, and Social Stratification. The last two semesters consisted of Sociological Thinkers, Sociological Research Methods, Sociological Thinkers-2, and Sociological Research Methods-2.

How High Were the Previous Cut-offs? 

Cut-offs ranged from 98.75% in Miranda House College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women  to 91% in Bharati College for Women in 2021.

Refer to the links below for detailed cut-offs:

What Career Choices are Available After This Course?

  • Academics
  • Social Work
  • Law
  • Management
  • Policy Making
  • Human Resource Development
  • Research
  • Civil Services

Which Colleges Offer This Course?

Colleges that  offer B.A. (Honours) Sociology  course include Shree Venkateshwara College, Lady Shri Ram College, Miranda House, Hindu College, Kamla Nehru College, Jesus and Mary, Janki Devi Memorial College, Maitreyi College and Bharati College.

What Do Students Think About This Course?

Studying sociology in Delhi University is a dream come true. It has made me think about situations and things in a very different way than before. Sociology of gender in the 3rd semester is one such paper which has been the most enriching and interesting for me personally. It has made me think analytically about the concept of gender itself.

Anonymous

Are there any Notable Alumni from B.A. (Honours) Sociology?

  • Dipankar Gupta (Professor and Author of Redefining Caste in India)
  • Deepak Mehta (Professor at Ashoka University, Researcher)
  • Jit Uberoi (Author of Science and Culture)
  • Amita Baviskar (Professor at Ashoka University)
  • Gopa Sabharwal (Professor at Lady Shriram College)

 

Read Also: #Admissions2022: College Profile- Hansraj College

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Devanshi Panda

[email protected]

On the recommendations of the oversight committee, the competent authority has approved the syllabus for English, Political Science, History and Sociology.

The oversight committee put in place for the revision of the syllabus for first-year undergraduate courses at the University of Delhi (DU) has approved the changes in the curriculum of four subjects – English, Political Science, History and Sociology, and has asked the departments to consider some of its recommendations.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, in letters to the departments, the DU Deputy Registrar has notified that the syllabus for the first semester of Political Science, English, History, and Sociology as well as the syllabus of the General Elective papers for the same has been screened by the competent authority.

It has also been recommended that the updated and complete curriculum is to be uploaded by the departments on their website to invite consultations and suggestions from the student body. The committee has also directed that the syllabus, after revisions and edits, will then have to be submitted for final approval by 31st October 2019.

Amidst protests, the DU Executive Council had returned the syllabus submitted for undergraduate programmes for these key subjects to their respective departments. The syllabus was met with objections raised by some teachers and students, who protested that the revised syllabus was intended to put forth a right-centric ideology.

The Oversight Committee had given the respective departments a deadline till 31st July 2019 to complete the revision process of the syllabus, after taking into account the objections raised by different members.

Meanwhile, DU has asked its Executive Council (EC) to consider the change in modalities of the School of Open Learning (SOL) and Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB) by conducting semester-wise examinations like DU.

The council stated that the agenda of the meeting was notified to them just a day before the meeting, so they weren’t given sufficient time. EC member Rajesh Jha told The New Indian Express that the members were not given enough time to consult the stakeholders of this decision. He also added that many of the EC members couldn’t even attend the meeting.

Feature Image Credits: News18

Bhavya Pandey

 [email protected]

According to a press release, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) formed an open forum for ‘scrutiny of undergraduate curriculum’.

The Delhi University Students’ Union formed ‘Student’s Open Forum for Scrutiny of Under Graduate Curriculum’ (SOFSUGC)  for ‘Scrutiny of Curriculum’. This move comes after the controversy over the English syllabus, which the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) opposed as leftist propaganda.

Through the open forum, the DUSU will submit its report to the Heads of Departments of English, Sociology, Political Science and History, after seeking students’ views on the syllabus. In the press release, the DUSU urges the head of departments to review and consider the committee’s suggestions. The forum is expected to submit its report by 30th July, just five days after its formation. The DUSU expects the Heads of Departments to hold a meeting of the syllabus drafting committee only after the DUSU submits its report. 

DUSU President Shakti Singh said “It is important to listen to the suggestions of the students in the context of syllabus and to implement the relevant suggestions as the students are also stakeholders in the decision of the University and any decision has a direct and first effect on them. This committee will democratise the process of syllabus drafting.”

DUSU Joint Secretary Jyoti Chaudhary said, “We have already made it clear that students should not be on the losing end. If the syllabus drafting committee had adopted democratic process in the past, the students would not have suffered like this. We hope that the syllabus review committee of above mentioned departments will discuss the suggestions of the students and the false propaganda made by the left will come to an end and we students will be on track to study.”

However, students seem to be disgruntled by the move. “I think the syllabus offered to us is quite alright, and as for students we actually do not  know what syllabus we actually need, so consulting the HoD is needed,” said Suman, a third-year Political Science student from Ramjas College.

 “The demand to alter or change the content being studied is not only an attack on the academic right of a student but also on the core fundamentals on which a University stands. Personally, I have no confidence in the ABVP backed DUSU, therefore if a student forum is formed by DUSU, I doubt that the suggestions made by the forum will be free from bias. Moreover, I do not think it is appropriate to change or alter the syllabus which has been recommended after years of studies by eminent scholars based solely on suggestions made by a student forum,” adds Noihrit, a second-year History student at Ramjas College.

This puzzling move leaves one wondering why only four departments from the humanities and social sciences were targeted for this students’ forum. The accessibility of this forum and the details of its members are still unknown. DU Beat reached out to Sidharth Yadav, the media secretary of ABVP who remained unavailable to comment. 

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

Jaishree Kumar

[email protected]

 

Recent proposals for changes in the syllabi of various undergraduate courses have sparked opposition from the teaching staff, and the ABVP.

Controversy over academic matters arose in the  University of Delhi (DU), with some members of the Standing Committee and the Academic Council (AC), along with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) taking objections to some of the proposed changes in the syllabi of various undergraduate courses.

The controversy has taken the form of opposition from Academic Council members and protests by the ABVP, which some had alleged to have turned hostile.

The Background

A report in The Hindu stated that changes in the syllabus proposed by the English department of the University were opposed in a meeting of the Standing Committee to review the Undergraduate syllabus on 11th July. Among the proposals was the inclusion of study materials related to the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the 2002 Gujarat riots, and use of Hindu deities in the reading of Queer Literature.  

Similar was the case with the English Journalism syllabus. As reported by The New Indian Express on 15th July, objection was raised by some members of the Academic Council over the inclusion of chapters about Muzaffarnagar riots, and instances of lynchings.

On 17th July, The Indian Express reported about the syllabus changes of other courses and the objections that came along with them. These included syllabi of History, Political Science and Sociology, along with English. The report stated that the Academic Council “referred the syllabus of English and History back to the respective departments for reconsideration, thereby refusing to pass it as it is.” The report further read, “On the syllabi for Political Science and Sociology, some AC members said they too had been sent back for modification, while others claimed they were passed with ‘minor modifications’.”

Who objected and why?

Professor Rasal Singh, a member of the Academic Council, had raised objections regarding the syllabus changes. He alleged that in the story Maniben Alias Bibijaan – a background to the 2002 Gujarat riots – RSS and its affiliate organisations like Bajrang Dal were shown in a “very bad manner”, and were portrayed as “looters” and “murderers”.

He further said that in the syllabus proposed by the English department, “Gods Vishnu, Shiv, Kartikeya and Ganesh were depicted as part of the LGBT community. The sources and evidence for these were secondary sources like ‘Same Sex Love in India’ written by Leftists on the basis of foundational texts of Indian culture such as the Bhagavata Purana, Skanda Purana, and Shiva Purana.” He also alleged that “too much Literature was being incorporated in a paper like ‘Communication Skills’. Instead of core courses like ‘Indian Writing in English’, new papers such as ‘Literature and Caste’ and ‘Interrogating Queerness’ were started.”

Regarding the History department, he said that “[topics about] Rajput history, Amir Khusrau, Sher Shah Suri and Babasaheb Ambedkar were removed from the syllabus. In the ‘Democracy on Work’ course, only the history of Naxalism and the Left have been included.”

He also said that the topics related to the Vedic society, the joint family, village swaraj, and “basics of Indian cultural thought such as environmental discussions and nature worship” were removed from the Sociology syllabus. On the Political Science front, according to Mr Singh, Maoism had been included in the course on ‘Indian Social Movements’, while other social movements like the Ramakrishna Mission, Arya Samaj, Brahma Samaj, and Khudai Khidmatgar were removed.

Mr Singh also alleged that the English department had not complied with the format and instructions of the Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) and instead of a 30 percent change in the syllabus, close to a 100 percent change had been done.

The syllabus showed “tremendous predominance of leftist ideology and a ceaseless opposition towards nationalist ideology, Indian culture and the RSS,” Mr Singh said.

The ABVP, the student-wing of the RSS, organised a protest on 15th July, against the “inclusion of false facts relating to Hinduism and nationalist organisations.” The ABVP also demanded for the “inclusion of elected office bearers of Delhi University Students’ Union in the Academic Council,” as per a press release made by the student organisation on 16th July.

While some alleged that the ABVP tried to “barge into” the Vice Chancellor’s office and demanded that the Heads of Department of English and History, and Academic Council member Saikat Ghosh be “handed over to them,” the student organisation maintained that the protest was “peaceful.”

“Following the protest of ABVP yesterday, Delhi University administration has withdrawn the proposed syllabus of Political Science, English, History and Sociology courses for revision and decided to retain 5 students as members in the Academic Council,” said Ashutosh Singh from the ABVP.

Note – Mr Ghosh could not respond to requests for comments by the time of publishing of this report. This report would be updated as and when he does.

Similar instances in the past

In October last year, the ABVP had objected to the appointment of historian Ramachandra Guha as the Shrenik Lalbhai Chair Professor of Humanities and the Director of the Gandhi Winter School at the Ahmedabad University’s School of Arts and Sciences. Pravin Desai, the ABVP Secretary for Ahmedabad city was quoted in The Indian Express as saying, “We said that we want intellectuals in our educational institutes and not anti-nationals, who can also be termed as ‘urban Naxals’. We had quoted anti-national content from his [Guha’s] books to the Registrar. We told him, the person you are calling is a ‘Communist’. If he is invited to Gujarat, there would be a JNU-kind ‘anti-national’ sentiment.”

Following this, Mr Guha announced that he would not be taking up this position due to “circumstances beyond my control.”

Counter-protests

Some student organisations have condemned the ABVP’s protests. Organisations such as the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA), Collective, and others had called for a ‘joint protest’ on 17th July at the Arts Faculty, to “save our critical thinking universities and textbooks from communal forces.”

Amarjeet Kumar Singh from AISA said, “We demand that the syllabus should be decided by the Academic Council and not by the ABVP.”

Feature Image Credits: Various.

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

 

Trend of Previous Cut-Offs

In the previous year, the cut off for B.A.(Hons.) Sociology varied from 97% to 78.5%, while that for OBC fluctuated between 96% and 65%. The SC and ST had to face the cut off between 95 – 65 % and 96 – 67% respectively. The highest cut off in all the four categories was set by Indraprastha College for Women.

Core Papers

In the first 2 semesters, the students are taught 2 papers divided in two halves named, ‘Introduction to Sociology’ and ‘Sociology of India’.

In the third semester, there are again two core papers named ‘Sociology of Religion’ and ‘Economic Sociology’.
Followed by two compulsory course papers in the fourth semester, named, ‘Sociology of Kinship’ and ‘Political Sociology’. There is an option between ‘Environment and Society’ and ‘Sociology of Gender

In semesters 5 and 6 again, the core papers ‘Sociological Theories’, ‘Methods in Sociological Research’ and ‘Social Stratification’ are divided in parts one and two for the respective semesters. There is are optional papers named ‘Urban Sociology’ and ‘Industrial Sociology’ in semester five, but none in semester six.

Discipline Specific Electives(DSE)

In semesters 5th and 6th, the students are given an option between the papers Urban Sociology, Agrarian Sociology, Environmental Sociology, Sociology of Work, Sociology of Health and Medicine, Indian Sociological Traditions, Visual Culture and Reading Ethnographies. They select one DSE for each semester that they study along with their core papers.
Skill Enhancement courses

There are two Skill Enhancement Papers in the 3rd and 4th semester. The course includes ‘Reading, Writing and Reasoning for Sociology’ and ‘Techniques of Ethnographic Film Making’

Colleges that offer B.A. Sociology (Honours)

8 colleges in Delhi University offer B.A. Sociology (Honours) as a course. This does not only show the lack of colleges offering the course but also the lack of co-ed colleges in the list below.

Hindu College
Janaki Devi Memorial Collage
Jesus and Mary College
Kamala Nehru College
Lady Shri Ram College
Maitreyi College
Miranda House
Sri Venkateswara College

Career Options
After a Bacholars’ degree in Sociology, one can pursue higher studies. However, if one wants to directly enter a profession, one can chose to become a
Guidance counselor, human resource representative, lawyer, management consultant, PR Specialist, media planner, policy analysts, market research analysts.

Skills Learnt

Sociology helps a student to get away from the societal norms to question all their thoughts and beliefs. The students begin to see the harmony and disturbance of an individual and in the society as a whole. They begin using reason and discretion rather than social obligations to take decisions.
“Sociology, when actually applied, has helped me see things without preconceived notions and preconceptions. One could say, it has to do away with judgement.” says Nehal, a sociology student from Miranda House “Coming from various backgrounds, in a place like Delhi, especially with the diversity of students and teachers that end up here, it’s easy to be quick to judge and form ideas about what a person is like based on looks alone. However, sociology actually urged me to let go of the stereotypes that I and many others had in mind. The beauty of Sociology is looking at things as if we were starting afresh. Distinguishing between diversities and seeing and treating them all equally.”
Image credits: Top Universities

Khyati Sanger

[email protected]

I enrolled myself in a BA Sociology Honours degree in 2014, with a score of 85%. Initially I was apprehensive about the subject, but who isn’t? I hailed from a commerce background that I thoroughly enjoyed. It would be safe to assume that now I was miserable, for I had to reluctantly pursue a subject that was frowned upon for being inadequate and a sop, with ‘no future’ whatsoever. I had resigned to my fate; it was depressing to watch my counterparts majoring in conventional fields of study that the wise elderly folks considered lucrative and ‘respectable’. I envied them.

For the uninitiated, sociology is the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. It deals with social problems and their root causes, which are often overlooked by mainstream scholars. On the contrary, these scholars stress the significance of economics and science in matters concerning individuals and society, but ironically dismiss the relevance of social studies.

My perception of sociology changed after attending a few lectures in college. The course appeared to grow more interesting with each class. We studied about class, caste, sex and sexuality, religion, kinship, the social dynamics existing in politics and economics, and many other facets of life that we typically discuss over tea. I was quick to develop a liking towards the subject, albeit detesting some particularly theoretical aspects of sociological theory. By now, it seemed to me almost absurd that people discounted this discipline.

For this reason, I thought it necessary that the public deserved to understand not only the importance, but also the relevance and scope of sociology.

MISCONCEPTIONS vs REALITY

Almost every field of study, particularly in humanities, comes with a set of preconceived notions that may discourage a potential student from opting for it. Sociology also faces the task of busting certain myths related to it:

  • Despite the fact that sociology is based on predictable social issues, it is not merely common sense. Andre Beteille, a renowned Indian sociologist, expertly describes how sociological thinking and common sense differ.
  • Students with lower grades are not the only ones who opt for this discipline. Sociology attracts students with remarkably high grades, as well as students who study the subject as a backup. In this way, it is no different from any other academic discipline.
  • Sociology is not synonymous with social work. Social work is the practice of advocating for individuals and communities, while sociology is the study of societies and human interaction. The former does not necessarily need a degree.
  • Sociology does not have undergraduate campus placements, but that does not make it a waste. Many humanities degrees offer no placements at the undergraduate level.
  • Jobs are not exclusively offered to sociologists who hold a Master’s degree. Like most fields, a Master’s degree enhances your capabilities and would offer better employment opportunities, but this is not exclusively applicable to sociology students.

LIMITATIONS

No discipline comes without its shortcomings, and I do not intend on withholding crucial information that is capable of affecting life-altering changes. Here are some of the limitations of pursuing sociology as a degree:

  • Sociology is an extensive body of knowledge. It consists of general information which runs through almost all fields of study. This means that a specialisation or Master’s becomes indispensable if you aim to get a high-paying job and a stable career.
  • Sociology requires critical thinking. Do not opt for this subject with the expectation of acing it without first truly understanding how various societies and their dynamics function.
  • Sociology is offered by a limited number of colleges, which also happen to be the best in the business. Therefore, getting into a college for Master’s can be a daunting task without putting in additional studying hours.

WHY OPT FOR SOCIOLOGY?

  • It is an underrated and an underestimated field of study, which is emerging as one of the most sought-after disciplines in humanities.
  • A student of sociology is bound to stand out in a crowd, for the subject provides a broader skill-set by virtue of its all-encompassing syllabus.
  • It encourages critical thinking which leads to a well-rounded individual and consequently an ideal workforce.
  • It offers potential for joint Honours degrees.
  • It prepares you for the future. From government jobs to the corporate sector to leisurely pursuits, sociology prepares you for all tests that the education system could throw at you.

 

PERKS OF A SOCIOLOGY DEGREE

As mentioned previously, the vast range of the subject allows you to pursue almost every Master’s degree that involves humanities. Furthermore, sociology is a great asset in various fields of employment. These range from criminal justice and law enforcement to advertising, human resources, and leadership training. Government and private services of security, planning, and research, as well as labour rights, adoption, and child care are also areas where sociological knowledge is a coveted skill-set. Sociology is also a lucrative field in education and communication.

There is a large set of well-renowned people who are sociology graduates. One of these is Martin Luther King, Jr., who changed the way the world views civil rights. Closer home, Arnab Goswami is an example of a successful sociology graduate in the Indian media fraternity.

 

MY EXPERIENCE

I have come a long way from opting for sociology reluctantly to appreciating it fully as a discipline. The study of sociology has been instrumental in shaping my personality. Today, I am more sensitised than I was two years ago. I understand the subtleties underlying various social institutions and the conditions of oppressed groups. I have discovered that the personal is also political, and that being tight-lipped about social issues solves nothing. Possessing such knowledge has given me confidence in public settings where I can challenge armchair activists who talk about ‘mundane issues’.

Do not discourage students from opting for sociology, or any subject for that matter, simply based on its stereotypes or without properly analysing the facts. It all boils down to one’s aptitude, interest, hard work, and career goals.

To me, it’s not just a degree anymore. It’s my passion.

Guest post by Shreya Sankar, Janki Devi Memorial College

If you have similar stories or a love-hate relationship with your major to share with us, write to us at [email protected].

 

Criminology is a social science that is concerned with the scientific study of crime. A criminologist is a social scientist who specializes in the study and control of crime. Criminologists gather and analyze statistics about crimes and the people who commit them in order to identify patterns of criminal behavior but are not on the front lines fighting crime like police officers.

In India, criminology is a dveloping field. Criminology careers can be divided into three broad categories: Law Enforcement Criminologists, Professors and Academic Researchers, and Correctional Officers and Social Workers. Students who are interested in this field usually study psychology or sociology at the undergraduate level before earning a masters degree in criminology. If one doesn’t end up working directly in criminology, he/she can use the background to work in social services or law enforcement.  NGOs, banks and teaching are good options too.Both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in criminology are offered by various institutes. The basic requirement for getting admission at the undergraduate level is Class 12th with either arts or science and at the postgraduate level is to be graduated with science or arts subjects.

Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science (NICFS) in New Delhi, University of Madras(Chennai),Lucknow University, Banaras Hindu University are some of the institutes that offer  courses on criminology.

Analytical skills, good understanding of psychology, sociology, good data collection ability and an empathetic and sensitive attitude towards the needs of the society and a desire to construct a safe society are the essentials skills of this field.