Science + Humanities + Mgmt = Real Impact
Water wheel (above) designed by social innovator Cynthia Koenig for transporting water, made life easy for millions of people. It’s a perfect example of scientific innovation meeting social needs
Engineering and management graduates need to evaluate how their decisions impact the society. This makes the study of humanities imperative in exploring social implications of technical decisions.
AS much as fire enabled civilization to grow, the growing needs of the society were fuelled by the invention of artificial lighting: the electric bulb. Scientific innovations are largely inspired to meet the changing social needs of the people. The growing popularity of social media tools in transmitting information and news reflects how technology is developed to meet the urban social requirements. Irrespective of the newest models of electronic gadgets the social need to connect with friends and family underpins the evolution of science and economy. “Only human culture and societal needs drive technological innovations,” says Dr. Lata Dayaram, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras.
This time of the year witnesses young graduates beaming with pride and standing tall in their black graduation robes as leaders of tomorrow. “They are not going to be people who know just engineering or history. The problems faced by the world today are complex, inter-dependent and they must have a broad view and understanding of the core set of knowledge required to function both domestically and globally,” elucidates Dr Nikhil Sinha, Vice Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University. The integrative approach enriches the learning experience as it unifies the contemporary society to further advancements in technology and its businesses.
Select courses & electives for Engineering |
Philosophy of Mind Stress and Coping Principles of Management and Understanding Creativity and Introduction to Art and Aesthetics Indian Philosophy State, Polity and Society Financing Economic Development Philosophy of Development Ecology and Society Classical Indian Thought in Modern Times Introductory Sociology Literature (Voices and Culture) Diasporic Literature Fundamentals of Cognitive Science |
For Management |
Globalization and Culture Socio-cultural Environment of Business Organizational Dynamics Power and Politics in Organization Philosophical Foundations of Management Social Entrepreneurship: Innovating Social Change Business Ethics Business Law Managerial Communication Social Transformation in India Communication as Impression Management The Art of Persuasion - Communicative and Social Psychological Approach |
Impact on MBA graduates
The understanding of social processes is vital to developing businesses and technology to impact the larger section of the society. As Sarah Wittman, PhD candidate researching in Organizational Behaviour at INSEAD Business School, France elaborates, “When we study management we are essentially studying how individuals and groups interact in some environment. Liberal Studies provides different lenses to understand what motivates people to act in certain ways and not in others (psychology, sociology, economics, philosophy), and how their context and the resources they have access to influence their choices (sociology, anthropology, political science, law, history, economics). Using these bases, we can better answer questions relevant to management studies such as what motivates clients and employees to support one organization over another (marketing, human resources); why some people or groups have power and how they will distribute resources (human resources, strategy, negotiations, networks); and why an organization might expand its operations to one market and not another (strategy, international business).”
Besides this management students learn to put historical and socialistic perspectives into practice as they sit for placements, choose the specialization in the final year and evolve their entrepreneurial ideas. Prapti, PGP 2014 Batch, IIM K credits her smooth sailing through the foreign exchange and internship stint abroad to the humanities classes she attended. “It helped me to understand the interconnectedness of social factors with the politics in corporate sector. I feel the course empowered me to draw critical analysis of the authority by just not accepting plainly,” she said.
TEACHER TALK
Social Science Education as a tool to direct scientific research
"Parameters of caste, class, gender, race, sexuality and nation should be taught to solve problems affecting all sections of the society. This impacts the way students conduct scientific research from architecture to astronomy."
Madam Curie was the one who first questioned, “Why are there no women in Science?”The woman scientist who won two Nobel prizes repeatedly pointed out the prejudices existing against women in Science. This holds true for contemporary times. Although there have been significant advances for women’s participation in Science much needs to be done. Consequently, the gender ratio is skewed in the fields of engineering and other sciences. It is here that Madame Curie’s ideas of affirmative action come into play. It is also important for engineering students to learn what scientists wrote (other than their scientific writings) to understand the historical evolution of science and its impact on society. History is replete with instances of major scientific discoveries impacting society in both positive and negative ways. Many of the Nazi’s during the Second World War were PhDs and postgraduates. For example, the main attendees of the 1942 Nazi Wannsee Conference to plan the logistics of the Final Solution were highly “qualified university educated” men. Hence, it is important to teach Humanities so that leaders of tomorrow adopt an integrative approach to solving problems. Parameters of caste, class, gender, race, sexuality and nation should be taught to solve problems affecting all sections of the society. This impacts the way students conduct scientific research from architecture to astronomy. Issues of gender, sexuality, caste, race and nation cannot be understood by scientists until they are given inputs in Social Sciences. Otherwise prejudices against women, Dalits, blacks, poor, minorities and homosexuals would remain embedded in scientific research. We are all in a state of uncertainty. Natural resources are limited and our consumption is on the rise. This is where Social Sciences come in to direct progressive action. They are important to understand and balance the extremes of ever-changing society. Teachers/educators are important in this regard. We need teachers who identify and nurture talent in every student. Science strengthens our belief system towards rationality but this system needs to be free of biases and prejudices. |
Influence on engineering innovations
Engineering start-ups and innovation models are centered on addressing basic human needs that big corporations may overlook. For instance, mini-tractor named ‘Krishak-the mini tractor’ designed by Tuhin Srivastava, Immortals Pvt. Ltd., TBI, KIET Ghaziabad is directed to enable small-scale farmers perform agricultural activities at a lower cost. Such ideas are triggered by the social awareness among students as they think beyond their classrooms to further economic interest of the people around them. “As a research institution, we try to inculcate values in students so that they identify and solve nationally important problems,” shares Dr. Girish Sahni, Director, IMTECH, Chandigarh.
This is augmented by the spur in research ideas addressing the national needs like affordable healthcare. “We want engineers to work with the medical institutes to help us develop and innovating for us low cost equipment for our patients since what we import turns out to be very expensive. At the same time modify our high-end equipment and accessories at the local level and manufacture them in consultation with the industry, so that the poor patient gets the benefit from these innovations,” expresses Dr Y. K. Chawla, Director, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh
PhD Candidate in Organizational Behaviour,
"When we study management we are essentially studying how individuals and groups interact. Liberal Studies provides different lenses to understand what motivates people to act in certain ways and not in others"
Management Graduate,
"The course was taught mainly through classroom-based lectures and film screenings. Watching a film is always better than reading page after page of reading material. The retention was much better" |
Dr. Nikhil Sinha
Sarah Wittman
Joby Mathew JosephFor more expressive students
The fields of history, anthropology and philosophy may not interest students who are mostly engaged in solving equations and deriving formulae which remains a challenge for teachers at professional institutions. As subject evaluation requires extensive reading and writing, it makes students think subjectively to conclude in coherent writing. ‘When the technical skill sets balances the technical courses by developing an understanding of the larger issues facing the society, interconnectedness of socio-political and economic challenges, historical consciousness, a sense of values, multicultural sensitivities and diversity acknowledgement and appreciation, an appreciation of the fine arts, and an ability to think reasonably, rationally, logically and communicate effectively, that there is a holistic educational experience,” elaborates Dr. Dayaram. The teachers envision expanding the scope of learning of the study group by including audio-visual aids such as film screenings followed by discussions. “The course was taught mainly through classroom-based lectures and film screenings. Film screening was a brilliant tool. Watching a film is always better than reading page after page of reading material. The retention was much better as compared to other traditional approaches,” Joby Mathew Joseph, Management Graduate from IIM Kozhikode shares his experience.
INTERVIEW
Blending Humanities, Science with Management
Q. What challenges did you face as a part of teaching students trained in the objective way of learning? A. The challenges run in both directions: how to teach the students to think and write like humanists; and how to develop in myself, as a teacher, the ability to speak to their concerns as engineers and/or aspiring managers. The majority of students respond to questions by looking for the ‘correct’ solution, or answer with bulleted lists. But subjects like Literature, History, Sociology and Politics don’t work like that; they are about exploring different viewpoints by building arguments rigorously on the basis of various evidences. This involves a lot of reading and writing, a habit that many students from technical backgrounds have fallen out of. Further, reading thoughtfully takes time, and Engineering and Management students already have to juggle a number of courses and responsibilities. Despite this, it’s heartening to see that motivated students are able to develop some of these skills relatively quickly once they understand their importance. Our job, then, is to stimulate their interest in various subjects and issues, and to expose them to the important intellectual debates of our time. In the end, our aim in teaching arts and humanities courses is to enable students to think for themselves, to question the paradigms within which they are working - in other words, to think outside the box.
Q. Does Humanities impact Engineering and Management students? A. The common thread I can see is that Humanities and Arts broaden students’ horizons, make them politically aware, and, in the long run, make them think carefully about how they want to spend their lives. This is as necessary for aspiring managers and businesspersons as it is for future artists or politicians. That’s why IIMK has a dedicated subject area called Humanities and Liberal Arts in Management. The real impact of this on the students will be seen a few years into their careers. When they reach a juncture, as many do, where they want to explore new alternatives or understand where they figure in the larger scheme of things, they will be able to go back to some of the debates, and studies they were exposed to at IIMK.
Q. When should such subjects be taught at UG/PG level and why? A. The earlier Humanities are introduced into the curriculum the better. Ideally students should be exposed to them at school level, so that they make an informed decision about what they want to study in college. Good Engineering colleges do include Humanities in the undergraduate curriculum. For Management students at IIMK we have courses dealing with Indian society, business history, business ethics, and various aspects of communication. Q. How do you incorporate research on Humanities in the curriculum, relating it to STEM subjects? A. We usually don’t follow a single textbook, but instead assign students a wide variety of readings including journal articles, book excerpts, and newspaper/magazine articles. For instance, for a discussion on the relationship between caste and entrepreneurial opportunities, or on controversies surrounding land acquisition for industrial enterprises, the students might read recent papers in the Economic and Political Weekly. On the politics of language in India they could be asked to read a tongue-in-cheek essay by R.K. Narayan alongside a semi-academic article by Ananya Vajpeyi. In addition, I also try to bring insights from my own research to bear on class discussions. |
Dr. Aparajith RamnathLiberal Arts as mainstream
Many institutions are moving in the direction of merging liberal arts studies into mainstream professional courses. ‘Apex institutions’ of excellence in engineering education constitute sixteen IITs that require engineering students to get certain credits in electives taught by Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. Academicians in management and engineering education have realized the relevance of courses like organizational behaviour, corporate communication etc. Emerging public institutions in sciences like Indian Institute of Scientific Education and Research (IISER) are striving to be on the forefront of science education with a socialistic approach. “Along with major science streams, the curriculum sensitizes students on social problems by incorporating courses like humanities and sociology,” says Prof. N. Sathyamurthy, Director, IISER Mohali.
Among the private institutions, Shiv Nadar University has devised a unique curriculum.“Students from each department, regardless of the major, are required to get credits in core curriculum as well as university wide curriculums which include courses taken outside their department. So we have engineering students learning music and dance,” concludes Dr. Nikhil Sinha.
