By IANS
Lucknow : Clearly inspired by the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) success with Mayawati's social engineering experiment in Uttar Pradesh, the Lucknow University has decided to introduce a two-year master's degree programme in the subject from the next academic session.
Although a diploma programme in the subject was started in the academic year 2006-07, the next session would see the commencement of a post-graduate course.
"The first session will have a total of 40 seats," Lucknow University vice chancellor R. P. Singh told IANS.
Singh said Wednesday he was confident that the new programme would attract a number of scholars from different parts of the country as well as other South Asian nations.
The programme coordinator D. K. Sahu said, "With political parties giving up the idea of exclusion and moving towards inclusion of various castes and communities, social engineering has become an integral part of Indian polity."
Sahu admitted the subject received an impetus largely because of the "practical success of social engineering in India's most populous and politically most crucial state."
According to a University brochure, students will be exposed to theory and analytical skills in the areas of socio-economic-political systems, information sciences, rural-urban-industrial and environmental systems.
The master's programme in Social Engineering will have four semesters and would be conducted through lectures, class discussions, debates, assignments and projects involving fieldwork.