B.A./B.A (Hons.) - Double Majors

The B.A. in Double Majors is a unique offering of the Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Here, students have the opportunity to specialise simultaneously in any two disciplines (History, Political Science, Economics and Sociology) through the period of four years of the programme. The curriculum of each of the four disciplines have been conceived in such a way that the graduating student will not only have a strong foundation in the fundamentals of their chosen disciplines but will also be acquainted with emerging, innovative and interdisciplinary fields that correspond to these disciplines. Majoring in two disciplines will enable students to gain a more complex and nuanced understanding of the world and the paths they wish to take as young agents of change.

The programme offers three kinds of orientation to students:

• Disciplinary orientation: - Theoretical and Disciplinary Foundations and Specialisations that offer students frameworks to apply on to social realities
• Data orientation: - Developing the ability and skill to think, create and handle ‘data’, from within and across disciplines.
• Communication orientation: -Developing communicative abilities through various modes so that students are able to engage with different kinds of audiences.

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The first semester of the double majors programme has been conceived as a broad and critical introduction to social sciences. In this semester, students will take introductory courses in all four disciplines where they will engage with fundamental concepts necessary for any social science student to have an acquaintance with. At the end of the semester, students will be able to make a more informed choice about the combination of disciplines they wish to pursue in the university from the second semester onwards.?

History

The history curriculum has been designed to introduce students to the practice of history, i.e. the ways in which historical scholarship about the past has evolved over the decades, what the debates and arguments have been about understanding the past and the importance of historical thinking in understanding our present and shaping our future. Moving away from the conventional understanding that to study history is to memorise a series of facts about events, great leaders and their legacies, the curriculum will introduce students to new and interdisciplinary scholarship on social histories of caste, gender and religion, cultural and literary histories, regional and environmental histories, connected histories of trade among others. The curriculum engages with different spatial contexts ranging from Indian to 沙巴体育 Asian to Global to enable students to understand the interconnectedness of the past. A novel course on Applied History introduces students to domains other than history where the past is produced such as museums, archives and heritage

Political Science

Encouraging students to explore and critically engage with the diverse facets of the ‘political’, the political science curriculum is devised to familiarize students with both the theory and practice of the discipline. Underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge production in Social Sciences, the curriculum invites students to approach the discipline without losing sight of both context specificity, connectedness, and the nuanced readings such socio-political complexities demand. In the first year of the course, students will be introduced to the evolutionary trajectory of the discipline and its implications, Indian Constitution, nature and scope of political theory, the major political ideologies and thought leaders that have shaped the course of modern political-intellectual history. Dynamics of the Indian government and politics, nuances of the fault lines such as caste, class, gender etc. along which these processes unfold, the complex dialogue between state and terrorism, international relations and the changing currents of global politics constitute the guiding themes of the second year of the course. Departing from the conventional top-down approach, in the third year, students are introduced to the making of public policy, public administration, the concepts and praxis of conflict transformation and peace building among others. Beyond the rigors of textual understanding of the discipline, the curriculum envisages refining students' perspective of politics in an interdisciplinary manner that would aid them critically appreciate political systems and the possibilities of human agency in responsibly contouring the political.

Economics

The Economics curriculum, with a focus on applied economics, provides a robust foundation in economic theory and its practical applications. Beginning with foundational courses in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Quantitative techniques, students explore market dynamics, consumer behaviour, and the role of government. Students are also introduced to aspects of applied econometrics with emphasis on cross-sectional data, time series and panel data using STATA software and R. Advanced courses in industry-relevant areas such as Behavioral Economics, Financial Economics, Health Economics, and Environmental economics equip students with analytical tools to address global challenges. The curriculum emphasises critical thinking and problem-solving thereby preparing the students to analyze economic issues, engage in policy debates, and develop informed solutions. The course also ensures that graduates develop an interdisciplinarity approach by integrating learning insights from political science, sociology, and history for tackling economic issues.

Sociology

The sociology curriculum aims to keep students abreast of the latest thematic developments in the discipline while establishing a strong foundation?in its fundamental principles.?Aside from introductory?courses on theoretical frameworks and social anthropology, it?also seeks?to develop a sociological imagination for everyday phenomena?such as?work, emotions, digital interactions, sports, gender, and urban dynamics. In the later semesters, the?course?builds on conceptual understanding by equipping students with skills to develop a nuanced understanding of?social problems and effectively engage in advocacy for social change.?These tracks of enquiry are strengthened through an engagement with perspectives on social inequalities, development models and social movements, education, law, and health and wellbeing?to name a few. ??

Future directions: Career Prospects

With a degree in double majors, graduates are well-positioned to pursue careers in governmental and non-governmental organizations, development sector, corporate consultancy, research institutions, media organisations and academia. The strong analytical and problem-solving skills acquired during the program will enable our graduates to navigate a rapidly evolving job market and make impactful contributions in their chosen fields. Additionally, disciplinary training offered within thedouble majors programme will be of use when students wish to take up competitive examinations.

For those wishing to pursue higher education, a degree in double majors will equip them to move into interdisciplinary fields such as international relations, development studies, public policy, public administration, business and management, multimedia among others.

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Detailed view of Course Structure