Surendranath College

In the last few decades, the discipline of Psychology has also emerged as a crucial social science with a strong perspective on social justice. Its training can empower students to engage with social reality through a critical lens and thus contribute to the processes of socio-cultural transformation and justice, besides having relevant social values and skills. In the post-colonial era, there is a need for psychologists to retain a dual focus- to sharpen knowledge perspectives emerging from secular scientific knowledge systems and to provide space for the emergence of voices which are indigenous, local, culturally grounded in folk traditions and proximate to the lives and struggles “of the people”, thereby aligning the anthropological and sociological knowledge domains. This could imply that in the Indian context, even as we are interested in recovering ‘a psychology’ that vibes with our felt experiences, we are open to critically examining these discourses in the very traditions we follow and respect.

It is our endeavour to initiate the undergraduate students of Psychology into a self conscious reading of the history of Psychology, and particularly of the myriad meanings, associations, life contexts and significations connoted by the term “Indian Psychology”. The task before the psychologist is not a simple one. It is not simply to critique the West and thus perpetuate the binary between eastern and western perspectives. Instead we must also emphasise the complementarity in human processes between different cultures-be they eastern or western but at the same time also keep space for their distinctiveness.

One significant development in the study of psychology has been its reflexive and experiential turn. Shifting the focus from its positivist base, psychologists all over the world have been showing interest in a qualitative understanding of human processes apart from their quantification and statistical measurement. This has once again created space for the study of psychology to recover and strengthen its links with humanist, existential, spiritual, and psychodynamic and other human science models, signifying engaging research methods.

Another distinguishing feature of the emerging concerns in the field of psychological science is its openness to accommodate diverse viewpoints. The student is facilitated to develop an inward pointing self-reflective lens (which is also a prerequisite of science in the form self-criticality) as well as capacity for immersive, critical and empathetic engagement attuned to the lives he/she endeavours to study.

Aims of Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Psychology:

The undergraduate psychology programme aims at the following goals:

1. Offering learning opportunities to orient the students towards scientific and humanistic study of the complexities of human mind and behaviour.

2. Imparting knowledge of basic psychological concepts and methods, and developing ability to appreciate the challenges in field settings.

3. Help shaping cognitive, affective and behavioural abilities of students for building responsible psychology professionals and researchers.

4. Facilitating acquisition of basic skills in major areas of application (e.g. psychological testing, experimentation, counselling, interviewing, developing psychological tools, behaviour modification, data analysis, report writing).

5. Promoting self-understanding, reflexivity and personal growth. Helping students understand the complexities of self and human relationships and how the two make each other up.

6. Developing a strong sense of ethical and moral aptness in general and in the context of learning and its assessment in particular.

7. Helping students master the basic reflective, analytical, scientific writing, computational and communicative competencies. 8. Developing respect for social diversity and increasing social and cultural relevance of learning.