General Education

The objective of the course is to get the students acquainted with major thematic areas of national importance in Bangladesh. Taught from an interdisciplinary perspective, this course covers the following topics: origin and historical development of the nation; geographic features, natural resources and environmental issues; major issues relating to culture and society including cultural change, social inequality and urbanization; important themes relating to the functioning of the state include judicial, administrative and legislative systems, public administration and governance; featured issues of economic and social development comprising several topics such as economic trends and planning, poverty eradication, role of NGOs, donors and the civil society.

The objective of this course is to introduce the culture and civilization of eastern part of the world. The specific goal is to make the students familiar with different religions, culture and heritage, and intellectual tradition of this region. Major topics include: a brief study of the life of early man; an analytical view about cultural settings of our present and ancient civilizations; various features of Eastern epistemology; an elaborate discussion about various features of culture and heritage of our subcontinent especially in Bangladesh; cultural contact between the East and the West; and contributions of some major scholars of Eastern tradition.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: None

The objective of this course is to help students learn basic environmental problems and ecological principles, develop their ability to use these principles to interpret ecological problems and understand the repercussions of environmental mismanagement. Topics include: Environment science, input reduction, population bomb, resources, ecology and population, abundance control, community diversity, energy flow, type of species, demography, resource management, biodiversity, pollution, controlling pollution, water pollution, air pollution, ethics.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: None

The aim of the course is to introduce students with some masterpieces of western literature. The course includes selections from William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Anthon Chekov, Guy de Mupassant, Robert Frost, T.S. Elliot. 

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: None

This introductory course on Psychology aims at familiarizing the students of other disciplines with the central concepts and theories of Psychology. It covers both the traditional areas of Psychology and applied topics, including the biological foundations of behavior, sensation, perception, learning, memory, abnormal behavior and treatment and health psychology. The course will not only provide the students with a conceptual overview of understanding human behavior and mental processes, but also a pathway to self-understanding, offer the potentials of a future career, and will give them an opportunity for intellectual discovery.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG102

Industrial Psychology (I/O Psychology) is the applied field in which the principles of psychology are used to provide insights into how organizations function, and why they do what they do. This course is based on the science of peoples’ behavior at work and the application of psychological principles of organizational and work settings. The purpose of I/O Psychology is to provide how it will directly influence ones lives as job applicants, trainees, employees, managers, coordinators, and consumers, in brief, the nature of work in modern society. It is going to make students familiar with Job Analysis, Performance Appraisal, Assessment Methods for Selection and Placement, Selecting Employees, Training and Development, Theories of Employee Motivation, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment, Productive and Counter Productive Behavior, Working Conditions, Employee Health and Safety from behavioral perspective.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: None

This course is designed to familiarize students with some fundamental problems and issues in philosophy. As a course in a second or higher order discipline concerned with critical thinking, this can help us improve our ways of making sense of the world. This would provide an opportunity for cultivating the skills of evaluating arguments and developing the habits of cooperative rather than adversarial argumentation for problem solving and effective deliberation. The topics to be discussed include: Definition, Nature and Scope of Philosophy; Thinking as the way we make sense of the world; Problem Solving as Thinking Critically; Theories of Reality; Knowledge; Values; Theories of Truth; Proofs for the existence of God; Problem of Freedom of Will; Mind-Body Relation; Existentialism, Pragmatism and Logical Positivism as philosophical trends.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: None

Social Psychology mainly focuses on understanding how and why individuals think and feel as they do in social situations. It seeks to understand the cause of social behavior and thought or identifying factors that shape our feelings, behavior and thoughts in social situations. This course is intended to make students sentient of the application of the information of social factors or social behavior in the field of their interest. Students will be proverbial with social perception, cognition, attitudes, social identity, prejudice and discrimination, interpersonal attraction and relationship, social influence, prosocial behavior, aggression, and groups and individuals.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG102

The study of International Relations attempts to analyze world events and speculate future in a systemic way. The basic objective of this course is to understand the world that is fast changing. Towards this end, this course intends to equip the students with knowledge and analytical tools necessary to comprehend, evaluate, and respond to an increasingly complex array of problems both at the national and international levels. The course focuses on such key areas as Theories of International Relations, Concept of Power, War and Peace, Diplomacy, United Nations, Regional Organizations, Nuclear Arms Race, Inter-State Conflict and Cooperation, International Terrorism and Counter Terrorism, Third World Poverty, International Development, and Globalization.  

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG 102

The broad objective of the course is to examine the basic tenets of newspaper journalism in one hand and media studies on the other. Journalism: The specific objective of the course in Journalism is to how research, organize and write stories; understand the internal structures of newspapers; advertising, circulation and readership and editorial policies of the newspapers; different political systems in which media exists, newspaper censorship and laws of libel as well as ethical issues. Media Studies: The students will be introduced to the various forms of media including print and electronic such as newspaper, radio and television; conceptual learning about operating system of different form of media especially the applications of information technology in TV; news script writing for print and TV media. 

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG 102

The course focuses on conceptual overview and practical tools for understanding the role of women in development process. It discusses the interrelationship between various development issues and gender. The course helps students to become aware of gender issues in both theoretical and Bangladesh contexts. It also attempts to help students to contribute to the efforts to eliminate all forms of gender discrimination in Bangladesh society. The course examinees the role of women in economic development. Students are expected to gather knowledge and skill to develop a career plan in the perspective of gender. The course includes feminist analysis of international relations and development theories and Women Development Policy and Programme in Bangladesh. Topics include: Sex and Gender, Society; Patriarchy; Men-Women relationship in the patriarchal society, Theories of WID, WAD and GAD, Gender role, division of labour and gender needs. Women’s reproductive health and right, Adolescence health care in relation to gender, Health and nutritional and HIV/AIDS issues in relation with gender, Gender and poverty, Gender and environment, Violence against women, One stop crisis centre visit/ Visit to a village, Case preparation, CEDAW and its clauses, Constitutional and fundamental rights of women, Beijing platform for action(PFA), Anti-dowry laws, and labour laws.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG101

This course would provide an opportunity of gaining elementary competence in German language. It would enable the course participants to verbally act and react in simple everyday life situation.

Credits 3; Prerequisite: None 

The course provides an introductory look at the theories and concepts, which form the foundation of development. The student throughout the course will be facilitated to critically assess contemporary development issues such as poverty, gender discrimination and lack of access to natural resources. Key theoretical concepts such as modernization, liberalism, development projects and human rights will be addressed along with the usefulness of social research.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG 102

This course will allow the students to develop their basic communication skills in French. Speaking a new language helps one to get to know another people and culture, as language and culture go hand in hand.  

Credits 3; Prerequisite: None 

This course has been designed to provide understanding of the basic competence in Spanish course. Speaking more than one language is a skill which will increase the marketability of student.

Credits 3; Prerequisite: None 

The objective of the course is to familiarize students with the basics of Chinese language. Employers tend to prefer candidates who speak one or more foreign languages and the fact is that the global economy depends on communication; China plays a vital role in world economy Chinese language plays an imperative role in business.

Credits 3; Prerequisite: None 

The course focuses on essentials of Arabic Language. The course is designed to express basic capability in it. Interest in the Arabic language has increased greatly throughout the world.

Credits 3; Prerequisite: None 

The primary objective of this course is to familiarize students with the basic concepts and principles of public relations. At the end of the course, students should have attained knowledge and understanding of the role and functions of public relations in an industrialized society, the basic tools, process and theories of public relations which include research, planning, communication, evaluation and the use of dynamic communication strategies to achieve organizational goals. This course also strives for a better understanding of public relations activities, impression management and how public relations works during crisis situations in personal and organizational arena.

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG 102

This course has been designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of basic principles of globalization and social identity from an analytical perspective. The course will aid the students to make analytical conclusions regarding key social issues such as migration, governance, terrorism, globalization and international trade. From a developing nation perspective, the course will also shed light on the debate between the Asian and Western Value systems, and thus provide a comprehensive view of people’s perceptions of the globalizing world.  

Credits: 3; Prerequisite: ENG 102

This course will focus on contemporary socio-economic and politico-military security issues in the context of Asia-Pacific region. The course will make an attempt to introduce key elements of global and regional security---nuc1ear security threats, rise of strategic powers and forms and dimensions of security in relation to national and international politics. The course also explores future perception of threats and preventive mechanisms to develop confidence building among the actors. It will address both theoretical and applied knowledge of security discourse in the context of global politics. The objective of the course is to examine the rationale of the security studies and to consider the implications of traditional security in the context of international relations and politics.

Credit: 3; Prerequisite: ENG102, GEN210

স্নাতক (Undergraduate) পর্যায়ের ছাত্রছাত্রীদের বাংলা ভাষায় লিখন ও সৃজনদক্ষতা বৃদ্ধির লক্ষ্যে এই কোর্সটি প্রণীত হয়েছে। মাতৃভাষায় দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধি যে-কোনো মানুষের প্রকাশ ক্ষমতার পূর্বশর্ত। মাতৃভাষায় দক্ষতা অন্য ভাষা শিক্ষণের ক্ষেত্রেও পূর্বশর্ত হিসেবে কাজ করে। সেদিক বিবেচনা করে এই কোর্সে বাংলা ভাষার অতি আবশ্যক কতিপয় বিষয় পাঠ্যসূচির অন্তর্ভূক্ত হয়েছে। এই কোর্সে বাংলা ভাষার ধ্বনি, শব্দগঠন, বানানের নিয়ম, উচ্চারনরীতি, প্রয়োগ-অপপ্রয়োগ, পরিভাষা, সমার্থ শব্দ, চিঠিপত্র ও দরখাস্ত লিখন, সাহিত্যের বিভিন্ন রূপকল্প (কবিতা, উপন্যাস, ছোটগল্প, নাটক, প্রবন্ধ) অন্তর্ভূক্ত করা হয়েছে।

Prerequisite: None, Credit: 3

The main objective of this course is to let students know the history of the emergence of Independent Bangladesh which had been achieved through the lots of sacrifice from all sorts of people. It will also help to understand the true meaning of the spirit of independence and get pledged to uphold that without any compromise. The course includes:

Background- the rule of Colonial power and their Divide and Rule policy, Politics of revivalism of religious nationalism by both Hindu and Muslim community. Hindu-Muslim relation- disparity, distance and distrust. Two nation theory, partition of India. Bengali Muslims’ role in the creation of Pakistan.

Disillusionment- Question of state language. Response of the Bengali intelligentsia. Disparity and emergence of the notion: ‘one nation and two economy’. Consolidation of power by Punjab-dominated military & civil Bureaucracy. Deprivation and economic plundering, internal colonialism.

Movements- Language movement of 1952. Student movement against the education policy and constitutional movement of 1962. Sheikh Mujib’s 6-point movement for autonomy in 1966. Mass Upsurge of 1969 and Rise of a charismatic leader of the people. Awakening and unification of the emerging nation. Refusal of the Pakistani Janata to hand over the power to the elected representative, crackdown and genocide to the recommended reading level. Non-cooperation movement in 1971. Liberation War of 1971. Birth of a nation.

Fight on and off front- Freedom fighters, Sector commanders, Guerilla warfare, Mass participation in war, women’s participation in the liberation struggle. Participation of ethnic minorities.

Safe repressions and anti-liberation activities- Operation search light, Genocides, Mass exodus, Life at refugee camps. Women as war victims. Sufferings of children. Arson look & Destruction, Collaboration politician, committed activists and fortune seekers in peace committees and armed cadres like Rajakar, Al-Badar, Al Shams.

War by media and cultural front- Participation and initiatives in diplomatic and cultural front. Role of the media especially the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, Akashvani and BBC, British and Indian newspaper, Concert for Bangladesh, Musical squad of Muktijuddha Sahayak Samity. Break through news by some leading journalists like Simon Dring etc, role of the foreign governments: India, USSR and the East European countries. USA, UK, China, Non-aligned countries, etc. role of the United Nations and demographic forces of the world including USA.

Credit: 3; Prerequisite: ENG102

This course is designed to introduce ethical and spiritual commitment in the profession in order to maintain higher standard at work environment. More specifically, the course will focus on moral character, character development, moral leadership, developing mortality in organization, moral behavior, characteristics of moral standards, moral issues and ethical principles, moral obligations, spirituality, natural laws-the concept of a moral being, duties and rights, applying natural laws, moral decision-making process-steps in the decision making process, making ethical decisions, decision strategies, personal mortality, codes of professional conduct-purpose of a code of conduct, critical elements in the development of a code of professional conduct, rules of professional conduct, professional standards.

Credits: 3; Pre-requisite: ENG 102

Reproductive Health and Rights: Definition, concepts of reproductive health, reproductive rights and ICPD. Population dynamics, scopes and components of reproductive health, MDGs, indicator and source of data.

Family Planning: Definition and rationale of family planning, unmet need for family planning, health impact of family planning, relevance of family planning to population policies; ICPD principles, male involvement and Islamic view on family planning, definition of sexual health, principles of quality controls.

Maternal Health: Maternal mortality and morbidity- causes, trend, health and social significance, safe motherhood policies and programs, unsafe abortion- causes, incidence and prevention, emergency obstetric care and post abortion care.

STIs/HIV/AIDS, Tobacco and Food Habit: Epidemiology, causes, risk factors, way of prevention, high risk group AND policy of HIV/AIDS, socio cultural determinants and health effects of tobacco use among young people, food safety vs street foods- scope of hygiene and health promotion among adolescents and youths.

Human Sexuality and Gender Relation: Interrelationship between human sexuality and gender relations, violence against women (sexual and gender-based violence), access to information, education and services to achieve good health including sexual health and exercise reproductive rights and responsibilities, laws on marriage and divorce.

Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH): Definition and basic concept, ASRH: issues, current status, magnitude of problems, teen-age pregnancy, unsafe abortion, STIs/HIV/AIDS, policies and programmes for adolescents on SRH: information and services to meeting SRH needs of adolescents.

Adolescents and Youth Friendly Health Services: Youth-friendly services: The opportunities and obstacles, role of Government, UN and other agencies, MDG, national policy focus on adolescent and youth health, national policies on HIV/ AIDS and STD related issues.

Male involvement in Sexual and Reproductive Health: Present status of male participation in RH/FP, problems and issues in male involvement, current policies and programmes to promote male involvement, need for advocacy, broader information/education programmes to promote male participation in RH/FP.

Global Landmark events on Reproductive Health Policies and Programs:  Reproductive health (ICPD, 1994), Safe Motherhood Conference, Nairobi (1987), Reproductive health (Beijing, 1995), Safe Motherhood Inter-Agency Technical Consultation, Colombo (1997), Reproductive health policies and strategies in Bangladesh. 

Credits: 3; Pre-requisite: None

Public Health and Epidemiology: Basic concepts - Health, Public Health and Primary Health Care: concepts and definitions; scopes and opportunities on a historical perspective; Epidemiology: definition, conceptual evolution from study of epidemics to a health research methodology; Chain of infection, Epidemic and Endemic diseases.

Defining Health problems - Epidemiological and statistical methods; Epidemiological studies: Measures of disease frequency and trends: rates, ratios, incidence and prevalence, sampling, errors; validity and reliability; Communicable and non-communicable diseases; Morbidity and Mortality, Sources of Data.

Causation of diseases and Transmission of Infections - The concept of multiple causation, ecological, establishing a cause of a disease; Ecological triad: host, age and environment; Disease communicability, magnitude and variation of disease spread; Direct and indirect transmission, exposure and its potentials; Carrier and resistance to infection; Movement of Disease in Time, Place and Person, population at risk,  Emerging (new viral infections) and re-emerging diseases (tuberculosis, malaria).

Organizing and presenting health related data: Concepts and Tools - Presentation of health data in tabular and graphical formats, Presentation of health information as numbers and proportions, Comparison of magnitude of different health problems’ Basic concepts and measures of statistical inference, Use of bio-statistical methods in epidemiology.

Prevention and Control measures - The scope of prevention: Chronic non communicable disease; Levels of prevention: primordial, primary, secondary and tertiary prevention;   Preventing spread of communicable diseases; Ten most common public health problems of Bangladesh; Screening, surveillance and Control of environment

Ecology - Basic principle of law of ecology; Spectrum of infection; Biological gradient of disease; Human ecology; Frontier of ecosystem: Atmospheric ecology.

Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology- Environment and Health; Exposure, dose and risk assessment; Injury epidemiology; Zoonosis and veterinary public health.

Health Policy and Planning with Practical on Public Health Research -    Health policy: use of epidemiological information for the purpose; Program planning: the planning cycles; Practical on public health research.

Credits: 3; Pre-requisite: None

Introduction Population Studies is a   multidisciplinary course aims to provide fundamentals of the dynamics of human populations in relation to the changes in their sizes, structures and distributions. Population changes have implications for the environment, employment, work, family relations; health, ageing and urbanization and explore the broader nature of social and economic change and the impact of demographic change on the natural environment. Population studies is an essential component of many activities like social and market research, environmental use, administration, in particular people centered development planning and forecasting.

Outcome: This course will improve student’s understanding the demographic phenomena (birth, death, migration) and on how decision-making regarding these life events (e.g. its timing) is influenced by the historical, economic, societal, cultural, and medical context of the country as well as society.

Specific topics to be covered:  The course will cover the following broad topics:   population structure, composition and changes, fertility, mortality, migration, family and households, health and morbidity, urbanization and urban problems, and its differentials by social class, race, ethnicity, gender other social and economic issues.

Detail Course outline: 

Introduction: Concept of demography. Why study demography? Demography and population studies, sources of population data. 

Population Perspectives/ Theories: Pre-modern doctrines (Ancient Judaism; Oriental Philosopher; Confucius; Plato; Aristotle; Cicero; St Augustine; Ibn Khaldun; Mercantilism;), Modern Theories (Malthus; Neo-Malthusian; Marxian; Cornucopian; Demographic transition theory)

World and Bangladesh Population Growth: World population growth and prospects. Population growth of Bangladesh. Stable and stationary population Zero population growth, Population momentum

Population Structure:  What is age/sex structure? Population pyramid, Impact of mortality/migration on the age/sex structure. Age-structure transition and demographic dividend

Fertility:  Concept and measurement (Crude birth rate. General fertility rate. Age specific fertility rate. Total fertility rate. Gross reproductive rate.  Net reproductive rate and determinants of fertility, Causes of high and low fertility.

Fertility Theories: Davis-Blake Model, Bongaart’s Model, Thompson-Notestein Model), New Home Economic Theory (Schultz’s Model, Caldwell’s Intergenerational Wealth Flows Theory); Fertility Regulation Costs (Easterline Model), Diffusion theory of fertility.

Mortality:  Components of mortality (lifespan, longevity). Measurement of Mortality (Crude death rate. Age specific death rate etc), Causes of death and its determinants (Social class differentials in mortality, sex differentials in mortality, age differentials in mortality, Urban and rural differentials in mortality).

Migration:  Definition. Causes and consequences of migration. Characteristics of migrants. Theories of Migration 

Population Growth and Economic Development:  The debate: Population growth a stimulus to economic development. Population growth unrelated to economic development. Population growth detrimental to economic development. Population growth and food crisis.

Population Growth and Urbanization: Demographic components of urbanization. Impact of population process on urbanization. Impact of urbanization on the human condition.

Population Policy:  What is population policy? Who needs a population policy?  Family planning and beyond family planning. Population

 Population Dynamics of Bangladesh: Fertility situation in Bangladesh, high fertility and fertility changes; Infant, Child, Maternal mortality levels and factors influencing mortality levels; Migration trends over time, population program of Bangladesh- its strengths and weaknesses. 

 Credits: 3; Pre-requisite: None