Ambedkar University has recently launched a new bachelor’s programme in Law and Politics for students at the undergraduate level with a total of 50 seats at its Karampura campus. This programme was introduced by the School of Law and Global Citizenship (SLGC).
According to the University, the course will introduce its students to “the dynamism of legal and political field which extends beyond the study of formal institutions.” The course will thus aim to study law and politics as an integrated discipline rather than a discrete one.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, the University had earlier received a positive response for its interdisciplinary postgraduate degree in Law, Politics and Society which was a major driving force behind launching this new course.
Pursuing Law in India is a very popular career choice which can be gauged by the fact that more than 54,000 students took the competitive CLAT exam this year.
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is the national level eligibility test to get into NLUs (National Law School). There are other entrance exams like AILET or All India Eligibility Test for Delhi’s National Law University too. This year due to the technical glitches and callousness on the part of the concerned authorities, CLAT got received flak from students all over the country. This new course stands as a good alternative for students who want a better perspective of law under the lens of politics or those who want something other than the traditional law courses offered by NLUS or other law colleges.
Anyone who has passed the class 12 board exams or an equivalent exam is eligible to apply for this new course. Unlike CLAT or other competitive law entrance exams, the admission to this course will be based on merit, on the basis of the marks obtained in class 12 which will not include any vocational subject. In conversation with Hindustan Times, a professor at the School of Law and Global Citizenship (SLGC), also found guilty in a case of sexual harassment by an internal committee at AUD earlier this year, Lawrence Liang said: “the undergraduate course offers more foundational courses in law and political theory, progressing to interdisciplinary courses only in the final year of the three-year programme.” He further mentioned that the course is “much more disciplinarily grounded”.
The number of candidates seeking legal courses has always been high, and the acceptance percentage of good law colleges in India does not meet the required needs of the growing number of students who aspire to graduate with a law degree. This course thus isn’t just an ingenious idea in the field of traditional law degrees but also comes as a refuge for all students by giving them an alternative. The introduction of new courses that provide holistic knowledge and change in the traditional courses is a much-needed reform in our country’s education system. The turnout for this course too is anticipated to be a positive one.
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