DELHI UNIVERSITY’s standing committee on academic affairs has returned the psychology department’s proposed fourth-year undergraduate syllabus, demanding substantial revisions including the removal of key topics such as sexual orientation, caste, religious identity, and an entire elective paper titled “Psychology of Sexuality,” according to two officials familiar with the matter.
The department was told to give the revised syllabus by Monday night following an in-house debate over the changes that were being mooted. All this comes within a wider curriculum revamp following the National Education Policy (NEP) structure being put into place for Delhi University’s inaugural batch of students of its four-year undergraduate programmes.
Among the most controversial recommendations of the committee is the overhaul of the elective paper “Psychology of Peace,” with officials suggesting that the syllabus contain Indian epics like the Mahabharata to demonstrate ideas of mediation and negotiation. An official said, “The paper on ‘Psychology of Peace’ has to be rewritten using examples from the Mahabharata,” indicating the committee’s desire to Indianize the course material.
In its other big recommendation, the committee also urged the psychology department to take out all mention of “Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Kashmir” from its course. This follows days after it had protested over mentions of conflict zones in the world like Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, and India’s North-East, and proposed that the Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata be employed in their place to impart peace and conflict resolution.
DELHI UNIVERSITY: Should a syllabus for psychology at a university omit issues such as caste, sexuality, and religious identity, which are social realities experienced on the ground?
Although the suggestions put forth by the standing committee are not compulsory, they are regarded as advisory and could prove to be the game-changer in terms of the way psychology is taught in Delhi University. The decision lies with the university’s academic council, which has a meeting convened for May 10.
According to a faculty member from the psychology department who spoke on condition of anonymity, “We are being asked to eliminate topics on discrimination and minorities, even though these are pressing realities for many students and communities. How can psychology ignore negative experiences when it is fundamentally the study of human behaviour?”
The teacher also affirmed that instructors in the department are coming forward to voice concerns regarding the committee’s reason. “We intend to register our protest during the academic council meeting,” said the member, referring to rising discontent among scholars over ideological encroachment on course development.
The department’s proposed elective “Psychology of Sexuality,” which was reviewed by Hindustan Times, was intended to enable students to “understand sexuality, analyze the influence of media and societal norms, evaluate psychological constructs such as sexual distress and well-being, and critically analyze how sexuality is constructed.” The suggestion to drop this elective has created controversy regarding academic freedom and diversity in education.
Another course, “Relationship Science,” has also come under scrutiny. The committee requested deletion of materials on nuclear and alternative family settings, suggesting in place that emphasis be put on joint families as well as Indian family literature. Sections concerning dating apps and relationships have also been suggested to come under review for possible deletion.
Secondly, in the paper “Understanding Diversity,” the standing committee apparently directed the department to delete all mentions of caste and religious identity and suggested that the material be limited to linguistic and cultural diversity.
The dispute at Delhi University is part of a broader trend of curricular examination. The psychology department is among several departments—including English, biochemistry, philosophy, Persian, and Urdu—whose redrafted syllabi were sent back for revision. The committee also examines content this week from 20 other departments as part of its curriculum reconstruction process.
A second university administrator indicated that the committee has generally called for eliminating Western illustrations from the psychology syllabus and urging teachers to include Indian traditions and stories instead. Among the proposed additions are figures and messages of the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Buddhism, and Jainism to describe psychological phenomena.
Critics opine that although Indianizing education may provide useful cultural relevance, blanket exclusion of global and contemporary social facts erodes critical thinking. “A curriculum that disallows debate on caste, sexuality, and modern relationships is not equipping students for the realities of real-world human relations,” said an academic tracking the events closely.
The last word on the destiny of the revised psychology syllabus will be spoken at the academic council meeting on May 10. Till then, the controversy over academic autonomy, cultural contextualization, and ideological interference at Delhi University is likely to grow in intensity.
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