Making Humans out of Technocrats

Volume 4.4

Making Humans out of Technocrats?

The humanities courses in the undergraduate curriculum have been subject to much criticism by the students despite the efforts to make them an effective means forpersonality development. Amrit Kallar attempts to find the reasons for this pervasivefeeling in the student community.The humanities courses are essential to sensitize students to social and economic issuesof relevance to everyday life. They are crucial for personality development and forpreventing students from becoming lopsided technocrats.The aforesaid are the institute’s objectives for including humanities and social sciencecourses in the curricula for undergraduates. Most of us would prefer to think otherwise.HS lectures are considered “lukkha” lectures where one can sit back and laugh gleefullyat the (apparent) simplicity of things or scorn at an (occasional) metaphysical comment.A few restless souls will chuck planes, scribble on desks, or initiate classroomconversations in the hope of intellectual stimulation. Of the ‘large’ number of‘presentees’ (on paper, of course) there are a few who fervently take notes in the hope ofAAs and ABs and fewer still who attend lectures out of interest in the course. Are HScourses about proxies, cramming from Xerox notes and mindlessly writing foretoldanswers? Are they really being instrumental in achieving the all-round development ofstudents they are set to achieve? 

A major drawback of introductory HS courses and arguably of other technical courses aswell, is that they are too theoretical in approach. The increased stress on theory and factskills the essential creative aspect of these courses. In Sociology, for instance, there aresome very obvious and obsolete theories of age-old sociologists (Karl Marx’s labourtheory is a classic example) given in a bombastic language, which are to be memorisedclause by clause. What is so wonderfully enlightening about these theories, one oftenwonders. The ideas behind these theories are simple and become intuitively clear. Thereseems to be no benevolent purpose in testing whether students know (read learn) themwell. A comparative study of capitalism and socialism with case studies of differentuniversities (within and outside India) is perhaps more desirable.

In psychology, students have to memorise facts well for an objective examination withnegative-marking. Such overbearing weightage to theory lowers the due weightage onapplications. In contrast, IITK has a Psychology lab where cases are demonstrated andstudied to complement the theory taught in classes.

Another case in point is the Philosophy course. A majority of students have littleinclination to dabble in metaphysics and care little about the way life evolved and beingscame to existence. More often than not, Philosophy courses are taken up due to lowCPI. It is not surprising then, that the efforts of disinterested students fall short of thelevels an exacting course like Philosophy demands.

What we’re trying to put forth here is the fact that HS courses are different from othertechnical subjects, and so must be carried out in a distinct and characteristic way. HSlectures are like any other lectures (without tutorials, assignments, formulae, derivations -more the reason why students find them ‘cool’) where students try to imbibe semi-clearconcepts as the professor speaks. HS courses should aim at developing conversationalqualities among students, apart from developing an appreciation for the social sciences.Presentations and seminars can be a regular feature of HS lectures. The onus should lieon the HS department for developing the much-needed conversational abilities.

Another feature which contrasts IITB from foreign universities and other IITs is the non-existence of a foreign language or linguistic programme. Presently there is an Englishlaboratory to help students weak in English. IITK and IITM have French and Germanelectives. IITD floats courses in French, for which interested students can enrol on a CPIbasis.Largely, the HS courses are enjoyed by most students as they offer a refreshing break

from the maddening workload of other technical courses. A few drawbacks need to be addressed for better achieving the purpose of HS courses and catering to a cross-section of interests.