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 differentially values 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 should

emphasise 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

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 arts

and sciences Need to question the doctrine of ethical neutrality in sciernce and technology led to creating space for HSS in technical institutions Example: the rationality/irrationality of Vietnam war led to, for instance, creation of programme of Values, Technology and Science at Stanford University HSS disciplines provide context for societal understanding, cultural training understanding of moral issues and ambiguity Exm: failure of big technology like large dams, ethical questions in genetic engineering led to 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 and humanities IITs to overcome this lacunae and strong departments of science and humanities to be established with status camparable to engg deptt. Not see HSS as service model as was the approach of traditional engineering departments

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: Ravinder Kaur

Service Model of HSS
In service model of HSS disciplines chosen on perceived usefulness 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 techno counterpart, language lab, accepted unquestionable in technology institutes Language lab expected to provide finishing school effect to the immature gawky engineering students Psychology lab also has similar appeal Of social sciences economics seen as more useful, acquainting students with world of commerce and industry Economics, due to its mathematical and statistical tools, finds easier acceptance and 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 of Planning Commission though engineers are responsible for 80 percent of the planned expenditure. In industry, climb to the top through sales, marketing and finance, not engineering ladders.

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: Ravinder Kaur

Hence, economics with its linkage with policy making and running governments

is 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 the rise across the globe Deadly combination of B. Tech and Management degrees propel young engineers to 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 dealing with technical communication, organizational behaviour, managerial economics, industrial sociology, professional ethics

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: 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 disciplines on 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 the

classical sense

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: Ravinder Kaur

Curriculum is not need driven or market driven All HSS disciplines find their own merit as reflection and understanding on

society and human condition Teach students to develop a framework of rational enquiry, critical evaluation, 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 science departments High faculty competence and IIT HSS faculty producing research of international standards In structuring of departments IITs have followed two models: one with combination of core courses and electives and other with only electives The faculty members have freedom to design and float new courses with system of internal evaluation allows faculty to innovate and upgrade what they teach The interdisciplinary nature of these departments further source of strength and fecundity

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: Ravinder Kaur

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 HSS

department 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 by engineering and science disciplines and HSS Structurally in engineering institutes HSS departments occupy marginal and not 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.

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: Ravinder Kaur

Students also internalise the characterisation of HSS courses as soft, light

and easy Pick electives which yields good grades and a professor who is not fussy about attendance At the same time there are students who feel HSS courses are the only courses which they enjoy with good teachers and interesting subject matters The possibility of classes being interactive and discussion based and subjects perceived as being useful and helping in their overall development of the students 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)

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: Ravinder Kaur

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 freedom to 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 of various 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 ignorant specialist The mutual ignorance of scientist/engineer and literary/social science person would be disastrous

Locating Humanities & Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology: Ravinder Kaur

Science and humanity need to inform each other about their concerns For example, ecology, biotechnology, IPR issues, large dams and development

debate, etc. Joint courses would serve to sensitize the students to social, technical and environmental 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