The Department of Social Science and Humanities (SSH) at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT Delhi) is home to a multi-disciplinary faculty offering courses and conducting research in Economics, Sociology, Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Political Science and Communication Theory.
Catering to undergraduate studies, the department delivers core courses and elective modules for an innovative new degree programme, the B.Tech in computer science and Social Sciences (CSSS) launched in 2017 in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Institute. This unique B.Tech in CSSS, aims to develop cross-disciplinary IT knowledge and expertise in students, very much in demand in the academia and industry. The courses offered within CSSS program also provides to students specializing in other programs offered in the Institute and therefore constitutes an integral part of academic planning and structure. For post-graduate studies SSH offers PhD in Economics and Sociology/Social Anthropology. The department houses a wide range of laboratories like Econometrics, Game theory and cognitive science, enriched in facilities providing a platform for research in these areas.
Located in the heart of India's capital, the department serves as a hub for IT and social sciences and regularly hosts seminars, public talks and research related events at IIIT Delhi. It addresses the educational needs we are likely to see in the future with even more convergence of IT with social systems. It is concievable that an increasing role that IT will play in addressing society's problems, as well as answering the human questions posed by social scientists, will lead to an increase in demand for IT experts who are well versed in the social sciences and also of social scientists who understand computing and IT and apply them innovatively to solve problems in their own domain. The SSH department at IIIT Delhi would seek to bridge the disciplinary boundaries that exist between various IT and social science streams and develop a cross -disciplinary research and teaching agenda that is forward looking and cutting edge in technology education.
Modern university systems all over the world evolved by separating out the study of science and technology from that of the liberal arts - philosophy, literature and history. Even the social sciences - economics, sociology, anthropology and psychology - which emerged later under the strong influence of the methods and goals of science, could not shake off this divide. But today, the influence of science and technology over actual human lives and societies has increased so dramatically, that this division in knowledge can no longer be supported. The development of Information Technology in particular, has raised an urgent need over the last few decades, to be studied and researched in its social context, given its huge potential for public good and the speed and intensity with which it has overtaken our everyday lives.
The need to examine the societal and human implications of the vast successes and risks of IT can no longer be denied. As a result, the Human and Social Sciences and Computer education have come closer together in the best universities of the world. The Department of Social Sciences and Humanities at IIIT Delhi addresses this changed environment in technology education through its teaching and research program and offers a range of courses in Economics, Sociology and Cognitive Sciences as well as from the broader grouping of Liberal Arts, Communications and Humanities to the students of the Institute. The Department is home to the B.Tech. in IT and Social Sciences programme and provides the core teaching and research support for this innovative educational offering.