IHS-09Locating Humanities & Social Sciences

7/29/2019 IHS-09Locating Humanities & Social Sciences

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Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology:

Ravinder Kaur

Positioning of sociology in techno institutes raises question of how and what

to teach and place and space of HSS discipline The current article examines the structural maps of universities and techno

institutions and the explores the political economy which differentiallyvalues the contribution of various forms of disciplinary knowledge

Subjects such as English literature, economics, sociology, philosophy,

psychology etc. taught along with engineering and other sciences What purpose or felt need such soft discipline are expected to serve or

fulfill?

Rational for the general education programme Purdue University Such courses integral part of engineering curricula

It enables the engineering students to appreciate the world in which they live and work Provides a framework for rational inquiry, critical evaluation, judgment and decisions when

dealing with issues that are non-quantifiable and ambiguous or controversial

The Lewis Committee on educational survey, 1947: MIT shouldemphasise four general areas of education and each area to be organised

as separate school with its own dean Engineering science, Science, Architecture and Planning and HSS


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Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of

Technology: Ravinder Kaur

MIT Known both for its engineers and social scientists

MIT tried to humanise the scientist, Harvard tried to scienticise the Humanist

Undergrad curriculum in US students have almost free choice of electives spanning artsand sciences

Need to question the doctrine of ethical neutrality in sciernce and technology led tocreating space for HSS in technical institutions

Example: the rationality/irrationality of Vietnam war led to, for instance, creation ofprogramme ofValues, Technology and Science at Stanford University

HSS disciplines provide context for societal understanding, cultural trainingunderstanding of moral issues and ambiguity

Exm: failure of big technology like large dams, ethical questions in genetic engineering ledto questioning the assumed value neutrality of science and technology

IITs based themselves on MIT model

Sarkar committee (1946): existing engg colleges fail to integrate science, engg andhumanities

IITs to overcome this lacunae and strong departments of science and humanities to beestablished with status camparable to engg deptt.

Not see HSS as service model as was the approach of traditional engineering departments


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Service Model of HSS

In service model of HSS disciplines chosen on perceivedusefulness For example, in a society like India with variable English language skills and a

perceived linkage between good English language skills and professional success,English as language teaching takes on an important role

So, courses in communication skill (technical communication) and its technocounterpart, language lab, accepted unquestionable in technology institutes

Language lab expected to provide finishing school effect to the immaturegawky engineering students

Psychology lab also has similar appeal

Of social sciences economics seen as more useful, acquainting students withworld of commerce and industry

Economics, due to its mathematical and statistical tools, finds easier acceptanceand considered to be harder while other disciplines are considered to be soft

Economists enjoy higher prestige than even engineers!

Nigam and Indiresan: last 2-3 decades no engineer has been a member ofPlanning Commission though engineers are responsible for 80 percent of theplanned expenditure. In industry, climb to the top through sales, marketing andfinance, not engineering ladders.


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Ravinder Kaur

Hence, economics with its linkage with policy making and running governmentsis reluctantly given respect in otherwise marginal HSS departments

In NITs even economics is reduced to commerce with token course in accounting

Understanding of core economics is unavailable to students

Accounting is seen as useful part of economics

The discipline is bifurcated into useful and non-useful aspects

Useful aspect is perceived to contribute directly to skill development

Management studies, seen as key to managing human resources, has been on therise across the globe

Deadly combination of B. Tech and Management degrees propel young engineersto lucrative management positions

Following the logic of market, most engineering institutes have introduced

management courses If there is no independent department, then management courses are floated

through disciplines such as economics, psychology, sociology and philosophy

In such scenario, HSS department has been reduced to specialized cells dealingwith technical communication, organizational behaviour, managerialeconomics, industrial sociology, professional ethics


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Ravinder Kaur

The love affair with management studies may last as long as market is

convinced that it has something to deliver Wall Street is also showing preferences for PhD in pure sciences

Service model of HSS has a hard time accommodating its core disciplineson their own merits

Where such disciplines survive they tend to get internally split into their

useful and non-useful components Thus destroying such split takes away the essence that makes them the

source of critical questioning and thoughts

Core Model

IITs from their inception have followed a non-service model of HSS Core model avoids demonstrating practical usefulness

Sees training of students as an integrated effort

Distinction between imparting training and imparting education in theclassical sense


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Curriculum is not need driven or market driven

All HSS disciplines find their own merit as reflection and understanding onsociety and human condition

Teach students to develop a framework of rational enquiry, criticalevaluation, judgments and decisions when dealing with a range of issues

HSS disciplines allow the students to hold a mirror to society and to oneself

Have full-fledged PhD programmes on par with engineering and sciencedepartments

High faculty competence and IIT HSS faculty producing research ofinternational standards

In structuring of departments IITs have followed two models: one withcombination of core courses and electives and other with only electives

The faculty members have freedom to design and float new courses withsystem of internal evaluation allows faculty to innovate and upgrade whatthey teach

The interdisciplinary nature of these departments further source of strengthand fecundity

L i H i i & S i l S i i I i f


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Status of HSS vis--vis Science & Engineering

Has the spirit of the core model been sustained?

If not, what are the reasons for decline or marginalization of HSSdepartment in these elite institutions?

It is shortsighted to think that knowledge is divisible into useful/useless

Yet, there is a hierarchical ranking between the knowledge provided byengineering and science disciplines and HSS

Structurally in engineering institutes HSS departments occupy marginal andnot poor position

o Faculty size is small (irrespective of faculty strength, students have to be taught)

o No direct concern with many affairs of the institutes (entrance examination,science and engineering R&D activity)

o Students are there to acquire degree in engineering, not in HSS

o Inappropriate time slotting

Many HSS faculty imbibe this marginality

As a result they tend to be academically less demanding in terms of grades,

attendance etc.




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Students also internalise the characterisation of HSS courses as soft, lightand easy

Pick electives which yields good grades and a professor who is not fussy aboutattendance

At the same time there are students who feel HSS courses are the only courseswhich they enjoy with good teachers and interesting subject matters

The possibility of classes being interactive and discussion based and subjectsperceived as being useful and helping in their overall development of thestudents attract many engineering students to HSS courses

RECs, converted to NITs, have also adopted the core model of HSS disciplines

Two Cultures: The University and the Institute

There is differential structure and character of the university and the institute Different organizational structure promote different kind of work culture

While university framework promotes democracy, dissent, openness,discussion and debate, technology institutes are more regimented, insulated,apolitical, hierarchical and authoritarian (fear of bad grades hinders any

questioning of authority)




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Technological institutes considered as places of highly specialised training

Universities known as the locus of production of knowledge in all disciplines(which allows scope for exploration and critical questioning)

Institutes has to remodel itself as university where space is created for freedomto read, think, research and teach in respective disciplines

Although institute and faculty imagine themselves as free of ideology, they

tend to be conservative in their outlook In general, they try to remain isolated from the outside world

Still several IITians have broken out of the mould and taken to activism ofvarious kinds

Even some have opted out of conventional engineering careers by taking up

development related issues While appreciating the role of engineers in society and making science useful

to society, C. P. Snow asked whether engineer was merely an ignorantspecialist

The mutual ignorance of scientist/engineer and literary/social science person

would be disastrous




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Science and humanity need to inform each other about their concerns

For example, ecology, biotechnology, IPR issues, large dams and developmentdebate, etc.

Joint courses would serve to sensitize the students to social, technical andenvironmental dimensions of the issue

Faculty members of HSS departments need to highlight the social context and

framework of technology Engineers need to understand that science is a human enterprise; hence, can

not be ideology free

Technology has power to do both good and harm

Hence, becomes doubly necessary keep the dialogue going among natural

scientists, social scientists and engineers and technologists



Documents

IHS-09Locating Humanities & Social Sciences