NEW DELHI: Kashmir and Palestine, once part of Delhi University’s psychology syllabus under a section on conflict resolution, have been dropped following a meeting of the university’s Standing Committee on Academic Matters, which reviewed proposed elective papers last Friday.
According to reports by The Times of India and The New Indian Express, the chair of the committee, Professor Shri Prakash Singh, objected to what he termed an “overrepresentation” of Western ideas in the syllabus. He reportedly recommended that case studies on Kashmir and the Israel-Palestine conflict be removed from the ‘Psychology of Peace’ paper and replaced with Indian epics such as the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita to better reflect “Indian ways of thinking.”
Faculty members present at the meeting said the committee chair argued that “Kashmir is resolved” and there is “no need to teach about Israel-Palestine.” Unit 4 of the paper — focused on ‘Conflict and Conflict Resolution’ — was accordingly dropped. It had included not only international conflicts but also domestic ones, including Northeast India, particularly Nagaland and Manipur.
The elective papers, designed to supplement the core curriculum, also included a paper titled ‘Relationship Science’ that proposed examining digital dating, love, and attraction, including the psychological impact of dating apps. This proposal, too, was rejected, with Singh reportedly saying, “We need not teach about dating apps to young people. Our Indian family system and system of arranged marriages and low divorce rates are excellent in itself.”
Also removed was content on the Minority Stress Theory and the psychology of diversity in workplaces. These topics aimed to help students understand the mental health challenges of marginalised communities, including those facing caste-based discrimination and gender-based bias.
Dr Monami Sinha, a member of both the Academic Council and the Standing Committee, said, “These topics are vital for a modern understanding of Indian society. Ignoring them reduces the relevance of psychology in addressing lived realities.” She also raised concerns over what she described as the chair’s unilateral approach to syllabus revision.
A panel has now been formed to rework the syllabus and present a new draft. While there was no official response from Professor Singh, and the head of the psychology department, Urmi Nanda Biswas, could not be reached for comment, the discussion has sparked wider questions about the direction of academic content at one of India’s premier universities.
