Disclaimer: This article is intended as a guide and starting point for understanding the various courses offered by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. The information given here is collated from various sources, which are correct to the best of our knowledge. Courses offered, along with the instructor for the course, are subject to change across semesters. Information on grades is subjective as well. For comprehensive information, students are advised to inspect the latest timetable provided by the Academic-Undergraduate Study Division (AUGSD).
There are three types of electives that students are required to take up as part of the BITS curriculum apart from their Core Disciplinary Electives (CDCs). These are Open Electives (OpELs), Humanities Electives (HuELs), and Discipline Electives (DEls). HuELs focus on a different set of courses about humanities in contrast to the regular engineering courses. Each student is required to take up a minimum of three HuELs, four DELs and five OpELs apart from their Core Disciplinary Electives. A student can also take up more than three HuELs to complete his OpEL requirements if he/she wishes to do so. A student can take up any course besides his CDCs as an Open Elective. The College also offers the choice of taking up a minor degree along with a student’s primary degree. Taking up a Humanities minor would fulfil a student’s HuEL requirement, with the extra HuELs in the minor being taken up as OpELs.
Dr Sushila Shekhawat
Dr Sushila Shekhawat is an Associate Professor of Communication and English studies in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research interests include film studies, Indian Writings in English, and Business Communication. She is the Instructor in Charge for the Introduction to Mass Communication course and is known to encourage learning through active participation during lecture hours.
Business Communication
Business Communication aims to educate students about the skills involved in any business. These skills are used during meetings, presentations, and group discussions. Although the course material is lengthy, students ought to be familiar with it after having studied Technical Report Writing. The lecture slides are sufficient to prepare for the evalutives in this course. A B grade is usually awarded at an average score.
Introduction to Mass Communication
Introduction to Mass Communication touches upon various aspects of journalism and editorials in great detail. It also discusses cinema, television and books. The course provides interactive sessions involving presentations, group discussions, and reports. The course difficulty is said to lie between easy and moderate.
Dr Madhurima Das
Dr Madhurima Das joined the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at BITS Pilani in 2019. Her research focuses on transnational gender politics, globalisation, and feminist issues. She is the Instructor in Charge for Introduction to Conflict Management and Introduction to Gender Studies.
Introduction to Conflict Management
Introduction to Conflict Management focuses on various methods of resolving conflicts. The course is theoretical and it is recommended to stick to the course textbook. As for the examinations, elements of moral value can be expected to appear in the questions.
Introduction to Gender Studies
Introduction to Gender Studies allows students to explore and address issues of gender equity and gender roles. It is a rigorous course that deals with feminism and the LGBTQ+ community. Good writing skills form a valuable informal prerequisite for the course, since the examinations consist of subjective questions that require writing long answers. With less than 10% of students usually getting an A, the course is rigorous in nature. At an average score, a grade of C can be expected. Class participation is an essential factor in this course.
Dynamics of Social Change
The course on Dynamics of Social Change exposes students to the nature of society and social institutions, along with the concept of socio-cultural change that is linked to everyday life. As the course progresses, topics like caste, religion, and the patriarchy are introduced and explored. It is an excellent opportunity to learn about various forms of government along with topics such as liberalism and capitalism. Students who have had an interest in history may find this course to their liking. Continuous evaluation has historically occurred in the form of two quizzes. Examinations require clear and to-the-point answering. A grade of B is expected at an average score.
Dr Tanu Shukla
Dr Tanu Shukla is an Associate Professor who has done doctoral work in Educational Policy, Planning, and Administration. She is the Instructor in Charge for Introductory Psychology. Some other courses taken by her include Applied Social Psychology, Research Methodology, and Consumer Behaviour.
Techniques of Social Research
Techniques of Social Research emphasises data collection and analysis. It begins with a survey, after which a report is prepared from the collected data. The course is not very branched in terms of its content, which makes it competitive. Interaction during lecture hours is advisable for the course. Usually, the course requires students to collaborate on a topic for study; although that depends on class strength. Students usually get a B grade at an average score.
Introductory Psychology
Introductory Psychology as an elective deals with the development of psychology as a science, covering thought processes, and the biological science of behaviour. It emphasises problem-solving through creative thinking. Students who wish to learn about perceptions, personalities, and behavioural modifications due to learning will enjoy taking the course. However, a high amount of memorisation is said to be required. With the right amount of interest, the course seems intuitive. A B grade awarded at an average score.
Dr Devika Sangwan
Dr Devika Sangwan was awarded her PhD in Feminism and has contributed articles on Feminism, Literature, English Language Teaching, and Cinema. Critical Analysis of Literature and Cinema, Creative Writing, and Cinematic Adaptations are some of the courses taught by her.
Creative Writing
Creative Writing is a course that attracts students with an appreciation for writing of any sort. This course aims to familiarise students with different forms of creative writing. These forms include constructing events and characters, writing poems and short stories, and needs a verb one-act plays. Contemporary works are also often referenced. Students who already devote time to writing of any form may find it fruitful to take the course. Students usually get a B- grade at an average score.
Cinematic Adaptations
Cinematic adaptations is an elective usually sought after by film enthusiasts. The course will involve the selection of a movie at the beginning. Throughout the semester, a student might realistically have to refer to the movie five to six times to make a detailed analysis. Thus, selecting a good movie becomes a crucial step. The lecture hours, course material, and the instructor all have positive reviews. The coursework flow remains throughout the semester, and evaluations take place in the form of assignments, presentations, and group discussions. A grade of B- is usually awarded at an average score.
Dr Pushp Lata
Dr Pushp Lata is an avid researcher and has worked in the fields of English Language Teaching, Computer Mediated Language Learning and Teaching, Syllabus Designing and Designing Teaching Materials for Classroom and beyond Classroom teaching.
Effective Public Speaking
Effective Public Speaking is a beneficial course for those seeking to develop this skill. The course deals with principles of public speaking, effective listening, use of body language, controlling voice and stage fright, building confidence, and occasion-specific speeches, to name a few. From student experience, the lecture hours and assignments are very productive, and the assignments are generally group discussions, speeches, debates, or personal interviews. A B grade can be expected at scores just above the average.
Cross Cultural Skills
As the name suggests, Cross Cultural Skills involves dealing with different cultures. The course is relatively interesting to students with a specific taste for foreign cultures. This particular elective is said to be one of the more challenging courses on offer due to the abstractness of the content. The course material is relatively lengthy and demands higher-order thinking skills. An open mind and good writing skills make up helpful prerequisites for the course. Students who have taken this course suggest attending the classes regularly and sticking to what has been taught during the lectures while answering questions. Evaluatives like group discussions, presentations, and assignments take up considerable time throughout the semester. It is unarguably one of the more demanding courses on offer, with a grade of B- awarded at an average score.
Dr Kumar Neeraj Sachdev
Dr Neeraj Kumar Sachdev is an Associate Professor of Philosophy. He obtained his PhD in Philosophy with a thesis titled ‘From Rightful Doing to Worthy living: A virtue-theoretic Account of Moral Personhood’. Some of the first-degree courses taught by him are Introductory Philosophy and Sankara’s Thoughts.
Applied Philosophy
Applied Philosophy falls under some of the most popular courses students take. It is well agreed that the course content is organised and well-planned, and the course involves gaining the perspective of various philosophers to understand prevailing issues in society. The course allows students to study ancient Greek and modern western philosophers. The course briefly discusses topics like abortion and euthanasia that make for good debate. From received feedback, it is advisable to attend lectures. The discussions during lecture hours are said to be open-ended, with different people coming up with different views. The evaluatives are in the form of two announced quizzes and two take-home assignments. Since the course is popular, there is healthy competition, with a grade of C usually being awarded at an average score.
Dr Sangeeta Sharma
Dr Sangeeta Sharma is a Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds a PhD in ‘The use of English in Advertising: A study in Lexical and Syntactical Patterns’ from BITS Pilani in 1996. Her areas of interest include Advertising, Technical Communication, Creative Thinking, and Linguistics. She is the Instructor in Charge for the courses Print & Audio Visual Advertising (PAVA) and Creative Thinking.
Print & Audio Visual Advertising (PAVA)
The course provides students with comprehensive advertising and marketing communication knowledge. It aims to familiarise students with the advertising communication process and how it works in relation to the market and consumers. The classes are interactive and the course is especially interesting for anyone interested in the world of advertising. It is a reasonably easy course, with roughly a B- usually awarded on average. The course has several evaluatives throughout the semester, and regular attendance is advisable.
Creative Thinking
The course mainly explores creativity, applications of creativity, and critical thinking. Lateral thinking and its application to real-world problems are other core components of this course. The classes often occur at various locations not limited to just classrooms, and are said to be fun and interactive. This course has several assignments and not much time is required to prepare for the evaluatives.
Dr Veena Ramachandran
Dr Veena Ramachandran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. She obtained her PhD in Social Sciences from IIT Madras and specialised in the topics of Political Science and China Studies. She is the Instructor in Charge for International Relations, Modern Political Concepts, and Public Policy courses.
International Relations
The course offers a critical reflection and analytical understanding of key defining events and the topical issues that shaped and confronted the existing international order. It is designed to encourage students to engage in debates on current international issues. The main aim of the course is to give students a clear understanding of international relations and the practice of world politics. The course material is interesting but entirely theoretical. Writing answers as per course material is advised.
Modern Political Concepts
As the name suggests, this course is based on political concepts. It deals with maoism, socialism, capitalism, and Gandhian philosophy. It discusses the nature and scope of political science, rights, duties, governments, and democracy. The course demands time and consists of lengthy evaluatives. Assessments include a report and a presentation apart from the mid-semester and comprehensive examination.
Public Policy
The course aims to discuss the creation, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of processes of policies in an interactive manner. This course will teach students how policies shape today’s government and affect individuals. There is a research paper as an evaluative apart from the comprehensive and mid-semester examination. The questions in evaluatives usually do not change much compared to previous years.
Dr Leela Rani
Dr Leela Rani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management. She did her PhD in Management (retail and consumer behaviour) from BITS Pilani in 2008. Her areas of interest include sustainable consumption, retail, consumer behaviour, brand equity, and marketing. She is the Instructor in Charge for the course Development Economics.
Development Economics
The course uses several branches of economics to understand the difficulties faced in developing countries with struggling economies. It combines description and analysis with an emphasis on applicable theoretical economic models.
Dr Gajendra Singh Chauhan
Dr Gajendra Singh Chauhan is a Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. He did his PhD in Advertising Communication from Devi Ahilya University, Indore. His areas of interest include Applied Linguistics, Advertising Communication, Media and Culture, and Sociolinguistics. He is the Instructor in Charge Reporting and Writing for Media.
Reporting and Writing for Media
This is an introductory course in news writing and reporting for students interested in journalism. It familiarises students with the basics of reporting and teaches them to gather vital information and write incisive stories. The course is said to be reasonably easy, and the classes are described as fun and interactive, with not many people enrolled in the course. The evaluation scheme for this course is said to be hectic, with several assignments comprising more than 30% weightage for the course.
Copywriting
The course aims to familiarise students with content writing for advertisements. Students are taught how to write content for advertisements in the form of slogans and scripts and how to analyse different types of advertisements. The course content is relatively easy and the evaluatives consist of two group assignments apart from the mid-semester and comprehensive examination.
Dr Paul Mathew
Dr Paul Mathew is a Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. He did his PhD in English Language and Literature from IIT Kanpur. His areas of interest include literature and film, popular culture, youth subcultures, and reproduction theory. He is the Instructor in Charge for the course Marxian Thoughts.
Marxian Thoughts
The course introduces students to the critical concepts of Marxist theory. Various concepts from this theory are discussed, and this conceptual framework is used to analyse cultural texts to develop analytical skills for studying social and economic structures. This course is quite new, and the classes have been interesting for many students. Attendance is compulsory as it has been introduced as an evaluative aspect in the past. Attending classes is also helpful due to the large amount of course material which is difficult to understand without explanation. The evaluatives consist of an assignment apart from the comprehensive and mid-semester examination.
Dr Sanjiv Kumar Choudhary
Dr Sanjiv Kumar Choudhury is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. He did his PhD in Linguistics and Phonetics from CIEFL Hyderabad. His areas of interest include Linguistics, Phonetics, and Language and Communication. He is the Instructor in Charge for the course Current Affairs.
Current Affairs
This course aims to inculcate the habits of reading, understanding, and forming an opinion on national and international events of various domains. This course is especially easy for those caught up with the daily news. Questions are mostly asked from mainstream topics in the recent news. The majority of people find the course reasonably straightforward, so the marks distribution is relatively narrow in evaluatives. There are a few assignments apart from the mid-semester and comprehensive examination.