Newer Departments of Dhaka University
Sheikh Iraj
Dhaka University is one of the finest public universities in our country. Once called the Oxford of the East, DU has and continues to nurture and produce some of the brilliant minds of our society. The university opened its doors for students on July 1, 1921 with only 87 students in 12 departments under three faculties. Nearly a century later, the university now has about 37,000 students studying in 13 faculties, 77 departments, 11 institutes and 51 research centres. For many, getting into Dhaka University is not easy _ one has to study really hard just to pass the admission tests. Every year, a huge number of aspirants compete against each other for a limited number of seats.
An increasing youth population and technological advancements have led to continuous demands for skilled and proficient graduates, motivating Dhaka University authorities to introduce relevant new departments.
Today we live in the age of technology, and everything around us is changing the way we never thought before. We are trying to match those changes through introducing new, relevant departments, Vice Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique said.
We have recently introduced departments like Meteorology, Oceanography, Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, and we are planning to open a few more. Our work is to make sure all the departments run smoothly. In the beginning, some departments may face different kinds of challenges. We cant always open a department with all the convenient facilities. For example, the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) started (in 1966) with one single room.
There are some innovative new departments of the university that many prospective students may not be familiar with. The universitys official website is not that up-to-date, leaving many without a clear idea about some of the lesser-known departments and what actually is taught there.
According to the Dhaka University website, some of the departments that opened in the past 20 years include Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, Department of Biomedical Physics Technology, Department Of Banking And Insurance, Department of Management Information Systems, Department of International Business, Department of Television and Film Studies, Department of Printing and Publication Studies, Department of Clinical Psychology, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Disaster Science and Management.
This week, YI takes a look at some of the newest departments of the countrys oldest university.
Department of Organisation Strategy and Leadership
The Department of Organisation Strategy and Leadership (OSL) opened under the Business Studies Faculty on June 30, 2016. The department aims to groom students in such a way that they become future entrepreneurs and acquire the skills required to run a business.
The department offers BA Honours course and currently, we have 55 students. From April, the department plans to start a two-year MA course for 60 students. They will have to handle small business projects, as well, Mohammad Rashedur Rahman, assistant professor of the department, said.
Today, our economy is growing at a steady rate and it will continue to so do in the future. Every sector needs people who have some idea about organisational strategy and leadership, he added.
Adeet Ishraq, a student of OSL, wants to become an entrepreneur. I believe studying in this department is a gateway for me to become a successful entrepreneur. My parents know what I want to become and they encouraged me to study in this department, he said.
Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
In recent years, we have witnessed a significant rise in our domestic tourism sector. Economic development of the people and their sheer interest to discover and visit different places of our country has led to the development of this sector.
Posh hotels, resorts and restaurants are opening up in every corner of the country; those have an incredible demand for experts in the hospitality field. To cope with the demand, the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management was setup in 2007 under the Faculty of Business Studies, Saker Ahamed, chairman of the department, told YI.
Every year, a hundred students can take admission to the department, Ahamed said, adding that those who study there can get an in-depth idea about tourism and business.
The department offers both BA Honours and MA courses. At the moment, there are 640 students in the day and 350 students in the evening programme. Students have to complete 17 courses and each course costs Taka 7,500.
However, one thing that the department lacks is a well-equipped laboratory for practical training. We are talking to other institutes, like Tony Khans Culinary Institute and UPDATE to use their facilities, Ahamed said.
Department of Development Studies
The Department of Development Studies was inaugurated in 2002. Since then, the department has become quite popular among students who want to work in the development sector.
Development Studies is multidisciplinary, comprising aspects of social science, economics and politics. The subject is quite new and it started to become popular in the late 1980s, when experts realised it is not possible to have continuous development only through economics. In Bangladesh, prominent universities like Khulna University, Bangladesh University of Professionals, BRAC University and North South University, have opened this kind of department for their students, said Mohammad Imran Hossain Bhuiyan, a lecturer at the department.
In our department, 30 students get to study every year. This department is under the business faculty, Bhuiyan added.
The department mainly serves two objectives _ to cater to the growing need of qualified development professionals, and provide a broad-based platform for thinking and debating about development, as both an academic discipline and a practice.
The predominant idea that students of this particular department will work in one particular sector is wrong. Every year, a thousand students apply, but we can only take one hundred of them. So its quite clear that students who come to study here are among the top on the merit list, said Bhuiyan.
Sharmin Akter Shakila, a student of the department, said: I come from a business background and my parents are the ones who motivated me to study here. I wanted to study in a department that offers exciting new courses, which have a good demand when it comes to jobs. After completing my graduation, I want to work in the United Nations. This department has helped me enormously. For example, I went to participate in many educational exchange programmes, and the department allowed me to take my exams after I returned.
Department of Women and Gender Studies
The Department of Women and Gender Studies focuses on different topics like social science, gender issues, discrimination against women, etc.
Established in April 2000, the department offers four-year BSS Honours and one-year MSS courses. The department started with only 13 students, and has about 40 students at present.
Aumio Srijan Samya, a lecturer, told this correspondent: There are 20 faculty members in this department and 10 of them are former students. Students who graduate from here mostly go for jobs in the development sector. Today, non-government organisations offer regular job opportunities for them.
Every student of the undergraduate programme conducts research. The research has to be original and the teachers of the department take the issue very seriously. Students of the MA course have to do a thesis.
In our country, universities like North South, BRAC and Begum Rokeya have similar departments. On December 9, we observe Rokeya Day, and on that day this year, we have a plan to launch our own website. Its not always easy to upload updates quickly on the DU website. Through our own website, students and other interested persons will get a better idea about our department, Samya added.
Department of World Religions and Culture
The Department of World Religions and Culture started its journey in 1999, with just eight students. The department offers BA Honours and MA courses, as well as MPhil and PhD programmes. Students have to take 28 courses, among which 12 are on different religions. Right now, the department has 60 students.
This department is unique in the sense that no other private or public university of the country has a similar department. Throughout the world, more than 80 universities have departments of world religions and culture. Students who graduate in this subject go on to have lucrative careers in both public and private sectors. Kazi Nurul Islam, who was the chairman of the Philosophy Department, was the one who first felt the need to introduce such a department. The department allows students to learn about religious harmony. It helps them to understand different faiths, said Md Mohshin Reza, a lecturer of the department. There are plans to introduce such a department at Chittagong, Rajshahi and Kushtia universities, he added.
Inzamam Mahbub Mojumder, a student, has always been curious about different religions. So when he passed the DU admission test in 2012, he immediately decided to study in this department. In the beginning, his family and many of his friends did not understand what exactly he was going to study. They even thought that he might convert to another religion. But soon, they realised that he going to learn about other faiths, not practise them. I want to become a teacher. I want to teach children about peace and inform them about different beliefs. I had to explain to many people about what I really study, but I dont mind that. I believe it helps me to increase my public speaking skills! Students of the MA course can do research monographs, as well, Mojumder said.
Department of Peace and Conflict Studies
Like many new departments, the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies faced a number of challenges when it started its journey in 1999.
There are 60 students studying in the department now and many of its former graduates are working in some prominent sectors of the country, Anurug Chakma, a lecturer, said. The department offers BSS Honours, MSS, MPhil and PhD programmes in Peace and Conflict Studies.
In many parts of the world, the subject is being studied as an independent discipline. In our country, Bangladesh University of Professionals has a similar department named Peace and Humanity, which our department helped to setup, Chakma said.
Every semester, students have to complete four courses. There are many types of conflicts around the world and our students get to learn about those. They mainly study different types of conflict situations and learn about peaceful solutions to the conflicts Students of this department favour public sector jobs, he added.
Photos : Jamiul Adnan
