DU drops Delhi Sultanate paper from revised PG history syllabus under NEP
The paper covered the emergence of the Sultanate, systems of political authority, and the political, religious and cultural developments of the 13th and 14th centuries
The University of Delhi (DU) has notified a revised postgraduate history syllabus in which a long-running paper on the Delhi Sultanate, along with several other courses dealing with ancient, medieval and modern Indian history, does not feature.
The changes are part of the university’s ongoing curriculum restructuring under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The revised Semester III syllabus was notified on August 7.
The dropped paper, “The Delhi Sultanate: Structures of Authority in Medieval North India (13th-14th centuries)”, covered the emergence of the Sultanate, systems of political authority, and the political, religious and cultural developments of the 13th and 14th centuries. According to the report, the course had been part of DU’s postgraduate curriculum for several decades.
Other papers absent from the notified Semester III syllabus include “History of North India, c. 1400-1550”, “Gender and Women in Early India: 1500 BCE to 1000 CE”, “Political Processes and Structure of Polities in Ancient India” and “Religion and Society in Ancient Indian Literature”.
The changes have also raised questions over the number of elective courses finally included in the revised curriculum. According to official records, DU’s History Department had proposed 38 Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) papers, but only 16 were included in the syllabus notified on August 7. Several other courses remain classified in university records as “under discussion” or “undiscussed”.
The “History of North India, c. 1400-1550” paper focused on the period between the decline of the Delhi Sultanate and the emergence of the Mughal Empire. Its themes included Afghan political cultures, political power, patronage, literary cultures, Sufism and Bhakti, as well as debates over state formation and Islamisation.
Among the ancient India courses left out, the paper on “Gender and Women in Early India” examined women across Brahmanical, Buddhist, Jain and Tantric traditions, including marriage, family, property and Stridhana. The course also looked at women as rulers, patrons and workers.
Meanwhile, “Political Processes and Structure of Polities in Ancient India” covered the evolution of political institutions, including taxation, warfare, bureaucracy, land grants, queens, temples, merchant guilds and local administration.
DU says courses sent for review
DU Dean of Academic Affairs K Ratnabali said the courses had not been “held back”.
She said the Academic Council had authorised Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh to constitute an Expert Committee to examine courses that required further review.
The committee included three external experts, the head of History Department and two Academic Council members.
According to Ratnabali, the review was necessitated by changes made to some syllabi after they had already been cleared by Standing Committee, including additions and deletions of papers, changes in units and modifications to reading lists.
“This created a trust deficit and meant that the syllabi had to be revisited,” Ratnabali told The Indian Express.
She said courses considered satisfactory by the committee had been cleared, while some additional papers may be notified after the review is completed.
Sources familiar with the committee’s work said the review was aimed at making the curriculum more representative of different regions and periods of Indian history while aligning it with NEP objectives.
History Department flags delay
The department had also raised concerns about the delay in notifying the Semester III syllabus. In a resolution dated August 4 and addressed to the Vice-Chancellor, the department noted that the new academic session had begun on July 28, while the syllabus had not yet been officially notified.
The department said the delay could affect students’ ability to select optional courses.
“Without access to the official syllabus, students cannot exercise informed choices for optional papers,” the resolution said.
The latest revision comes amid DU’s wider restructuring of its academic programmes under NEP 2020. The university had earlier undertaken major changes to its undergraduate History curriculum, with several courses and references being altered or removed.
The omission of the Delhi Sultanate paper and other established history courses from the latest postgraduate syllabus has now put the focus on how the university is reshaping its History curriculum under the ongoing NEP-linked review.
