Hey readers, don't you think in this digital age, navigating a relationship is even more difficult than solving a chapter of Quantum Physics?
But you don't need to worry anymore because Delhi University has introduced a ground-breaking an undergraduate elective starting in the 2025–26 academic year titled “Negotiating Intimate Relationships.” Shocking, right?
Created by the Department of Psychology and open to students across all disciplines, the four‑credit course aims to equip Generation Z with essential tools to navigate love, friendship, jealousy, and heartbreak in an era dominated by dating apps, social media, and cinematic expectations of romance.
The course is structured around four main units: the psychology of friendships and intimacy, theories of love and sexuality, identifying warning signs of toxic relationships, and strategies for building healthy bonds. Lectures will include debates, film criticism, social‑media network analysis, and role‑play sessions. Films such as Kabir Singh, Raanjhanaa, Animal, and even Titanic will be dissected to highlight how idealised narratives often glorify control, obsession, and emotional volatility.
According to Dr.Latika Gupta, a psychology faculty member at DU, the course responds not only to pop‑culture influences but also a troubling spike in violence in Delhi. She notes:
These aren’t isolated crimes. These are symptoms of a deeply rooted inability to regulate emotions, amplified by constant online monitoring of partners. Without early emotional education, this cycle will only worsen. Films reflect how love is often idealised or even normalised when it's toxic. But when analysed in a classroom, they can become powerful tools to deconstruct unhealthy patterns. No one teaches how to handle rejection or set boundaries. If we learn this early, some of the tragedies wouldn't happen.
Experts outside the university also emphasized the importance of such relational literacy. Professor Kanika K. Ahuja of LSR College, known for her work on mixed‑family dynamics, argues that:
Navigating intimate relationships offers a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the dynamics of our most cherished social connections.
Elaine Hatfield, former Chair and Professor at the University of Hawai‘i, praises the course’s culturally sensitive approach:
Solid relationships are the cornerstone of any society… it elevates their context… providing an expansive vision for the power of relationships in all our lives.
The timing of DU’s initiative seems pertinent, given the tragic incidents that began earlier this year in Delhi, including murders of young individuals in emotionally volatile encounters and the notorious Shraddha Walkar case.
This offering aligns with Delhi University’s broader intent to infuse the new four‑year undergraduate programme with greater flexibility and life‑skill orientation. While syllabi for other electives have drawn controversy, particularly over content relating to sexuality and social identity, the relationship course has moved forward with wide faculty backing.
As a student, I felt that this course is extremely important for us, young adults. Dealing with the anxieties of dating apps, breakups, and social media comparisons, I’ve witnessed classmates struggle in silence. Learning about consent, emotional boundaries, and recognizing unhealthy patterns wasn't something we did in class rather it was something we figured out through trial and error. Knowing that DU is now treating relationship literacy as a teachable, credit-worthy subject feels empowering. It signals that emotional well-being deserves a place alongside academic achievement.
Kuch kuch hota hai.. predicted this couple of decades ago