DU's Hindu Studies Centre plans to offer Bhagavad Gita for Humanity, Dharma, Religion as electives

NEW DELHI: Introduction to Vedic Literature, Upanishad Parichaya, Dharma and Religion are among the options that the Delhi University's Centre for Hindu Studies plan to offer to its students as minor electives. In a bid to expand its course curriculum and provide a wide range of choices to students, the department has proposed to introduce six new elective papers for students, who wish to specialize in Hindu Studies and await their approval from the Academic Council of the university.

A meeting of the Academic Council of Delhi University is slated for July 12. These additions are proposed based on the recommendations of the Governing Body of the Centre for Hindu Studies. In addition to the UGC approved syllabus, the Centre for Hindu Studies now plans to introduce more choices for students by offering papers on various aspects of Hinduism, said an official.

These will also include papers on Bhagavad Gita for Humanity, Hindu Thinkers and Purana Parichaya. The students, who don't wish to study Commerce, Political Science or Computer Science as minor electives along with the major subject can avail for these choices.

"We have proposed these electives to make our course curriculum more comprehensive and aligned with students' needs. As a relatively new establishment, our effort is to make our programmes well-rounded," the official said. Under Introduction to Vedic Literature, students will learn about the literary works of prominent Vedic and Upanishadic commentators, from the Rigveda to Vedangas.

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DU: Six new elective papers

The elective paper on Upanishad Parichaya will introduce foundational Hindutva as analyzed in the Upanishads. The Bhagavad Gita for Humanity elective will acquaint students with foundational Indian spirituality as depicted in the Bhagavad Gita, and the Purana Parichaya paper will cover Hindu history, culture, geography, architecture and other knowledge systems.

"The Hindu Thinkers paper aims to familiarize students with the prominent thoughts of distinguished Hindu thinkers from ancient and modern times. Furthermore, the Dharma and Religion paper will introduce and develop foundational concepts of Hindu Adhyatma and Dharma, comparing them with Western religious traditions," reads the learning objective of the proposed electives.

The Centre also plans to introduce two general electives for students who are not majoring in Hindu Studies but have chosen Commerce, Political Science or Computer Science as their main subjects. These students will be offered papers on Hindu Jivana Drishti and Manovijnana to familiarise them with Hindu Studies. Additionally, the Centre plans to offer six new interdisciplinary electives specifically for Political Science students.