What’s love? Find out at Presi

The paper will explore the concept of love sociologically; it will draw on Sufi texts, literature, Rabindra Sangeet and Bollywood movies

poulomi ghosh
KOLKATA, 30 JUNE: Those perplexed about the various dimensions of love — what it is, when and how does one know one is in love, what are the places it can occur in, between whom and how, what makes it legitimate or otherwise — could well head for Presidency University. For, the varsity plans to introduce a paper on ‘Love’ as part of its new curriculum; the paper will be open to all students enrolled in undergraduate programmes at the university.
The idea for the 50-mark paper — a definite ‘crowd puller’ — has been floated by the Sociology department, and university authorities have taken to it enthusiastically.
What has allowed for the department to make a pitch for this rather unusual paper is the change in curriculum structure. ‘Pass subjects’ have been replaced with General Education (GenEd) papers that will be offered by different departments, and an undergraduate Arts student will have to take up 10 GenEd papers in first two years. Therefore, ‘Love’ from the Sociology stable. 
The paper itself will explore the concept of love sociologically, beginning with the Bhakti period and coming all the way down to the current Bollywood romances.
“Love has been rendered differently in various art forms. The paper will have bits and pieces from all; we will explore love in Sufi texts, Rabindra Sangeet, Bollywood movies and literature,” said Prof Malabika Sarkar, Vice-Chancellor, Presidency University.
Students enrolling at the university this year will be able to take up the paper in their third or fourth semester next year, although there are plans to bring it ahead to the first or second semester in due course.
Some so-called ‘contradictions’ of life will also be addressed in this paper, said a teacher. For instance, the oft-cited opposition between rationalism and emotion, subjectivity and objectivity, romance and utility.
There is no definite framework that the faculty will follow while teaching the paper, since there is no benchmark.
Prof Swapan Kumar Pramanik, sociologist and former V-C of Vidyasagar University said the concept closest to ‘Love’ that is studied as part of Sociology is ‘Family’.
"Offering an entire paper on love is unprecedented,” he said.

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