The Department of Sociology was established at the University of Dhaka as early as 1957 (academic session 1957-58), and this is the oldest sociological center in Bangladesh. It established an unmistakable academic profile under the leadership of Pierre Bessaignet, a UNESCO advisor and famous social anthropologist who first chaired the department of Sociology at the University of Dhaka. The department opened its doors at the University of Dhaka under a UNESCO programme with four faculty members.
Professor Nazmul Karim – one of the founders of Bangladesh sociology was the first Bengali head of this department who took charge in 1958. In establishing the full, organized sociology department in the University of Dhaka foreign experts from France, Germany, The Netherlands, and the USA rendered valuable assistance in the department’s early years.
While the Department of sociology began under the Faculty of Arts in its early days, it was included in the Faculty of social sciences in 1973. Currently, the department has a highly qualified team of faculty members trained mostly in North America, Australia, and Europe, with extensive academic and field experiences. The foundation of the Department of Sociology at this university paved the way for teaching and research in sociology in Bangladesh. The department offers a variety of courses from BSS (Hons.) to a Ph.D. in the discipline of sociology on four academic levels: Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, M.Phil, and Ph.D.
The department is the nation’s largest sociology department, with 34 faculty members and about 1130 students in it’s graduate and undergraduate programmes. The Department strives to give students a diverse exposure to an understanding of sociology, offering 50 courses, ranging from Medical Sociology to the Development of Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology. Over the years, the department has put strong emphasis both to the methodological and theoretical preparation of its students.
The department is determined to create and maintain its reputation by establishing an excellent academic environment that provides ample opportunity to think critically and apply sociology to students’ personal experiences. The Department has a library that caters to the need of the students. It has a museum where important archeological materials have been preserved for the benefit of teachers and students.