Starting from the 2025-26 academic year, Delhi University will roll out a new elective aimed at helping students navigate the often messy world of modern relationships. Titled ‘Negotiating Intimate Relationships’, the course is being introduced by the psychology department to address the emotional struggles many young adults face in today’s digital-first world, as reported by The Times of India.
The course, which has been available on DU’s website since 2023, has been designed to equip undergraduate students with tools to better understand friendships, romantic relationships, and emotional well-being – especially in the age of dating apps, social media, and constant online interactions. Open to students from any academic background, it will carry four credits.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns about emotional distress and even violence stemming from toxic relationships on college campuses. By bringing conversations about love, friendship, and emotional health into the classroom, the university hopes to build what it calls “greater emotional awareness and resilience among students”.
The curriculum is structured into four key modules. The first focuses on how friendships and close relationships form, psychologically speaking. The second examines theories of love and sexuality, including Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love and the two-factor theory. Next, the course explores the warning signs of unhealthy relationships – think jealousy, gaslighting, manipulation, and abuse. Finally, students will learn ways to build supportive, meaningful, and lasting relationships.
Although there won’t be a practical component in the traditional sense, tutorials promise to be interactive. Activities will range from reviewing films like Kabir Singh and Titanic – to critically dissect how pop culture portrays love and conflict – to engaging in debates about dating culture, and even analysing the role of social media in shaping relationships. Students will also get hands-on with tools like Sternberg’s triangular love scale to assess relationship dynamics.
According to the official course outline, the key takeaway for students is to “understand the foundations of intimate relationships, recognise emotional triggers and conflicts, and cultivate the ability to form meaningful and respectful bonds”. By the end of the term, students should be able to connect psychological theories with real-life situations and have a more grounded understanding of what makes relationships healthy or toxic.
The course arrives at a time when stories of emotional breakdowns and violent episodes related to toxic relationships among college-goers have made headlines, highlighting the urgent need for such structured learning.
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Enrolment will be open to all undergraduate students who have cleared their Class 12 board exams.
