“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn,” is a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin. More often than not, educational institutions stop with just teaching and there are only a handful that go beyond. One such institute is the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities (MCPH) in Karnataka. Offering postgraduate courses in English, philosophy and sociology, the centre sets its own standards in helping students understand the nuances of their chosen field.
Pursuing humanities in India has often been sidelined by more obvious choices like science and engineering. What people don’t see is the multi-faceted capabilities of students who study arts and humanities. The versatility of the courses offered at the centre allows students to engage in spirited discussions with teachers, which creates an ideal environment for learning. Dr. Nikhil Govind, Associate Professor and Head of MCPH, says, “It is the essence of humanities education to create thoughtful, diversely aware citizens. Critical thinking, communication and writing skills and a broad knowledge base is essential for serving society and the country meaningfully. Many of our students go on to serve in non-profit, education, government, arts advocacy, etc.”
Inter-disciplinary approach
Marian Henna, a second-year English student, says that the centre has helped her grow as an individual. “Emphasis is placed on the individual abilities of the students to critically think and engage with ideas. The interdisciplinary approach mirrors the need in these areas for a comprehensive understanding of concepts.” Mariam goes on to add that the centre does not conduct examinations but the students submit term papers by researching and writing on their topic of interest. Lectures and various conferences by writers and scholars are organised frequently, allowing the students to engage with these scholars directly.
With faculty from national and international institutions, the centre also offers an interesting combination of subjects aimed at honing the students’ ability to think from all viewpoints. The unique combination of courses like English, sociology, philosophy, film studies, gender studies, religious studies, history, and so on, at MCPH gives the widest range of career and skill-set options to the students. “Inter-disciplinary means we can approach a topic — say, film studies — from a variety of viewpoints. Not just philosophy or sociology, but through gender or performance or textual analysis. Parents and employers are increasingly realising that such a well-rounded education is the only immunity from swift changes in the workplace. A narrow, skill-based education runs the risk of being rendered redundant by automation. It is widely recognised abroad that a holistic education positions you best to have a wide range of options on graduation,” says Dr. Govind.
Holistic learning
The centre also has a vibrant and pro-active student council. Some of their initiatives include literary magazines, film clubs, charity volunteer service organisations, theatre and poetry readings. “Apart from academics, the students are actively encouraged to start any club or any creative venture. The faculty completely supports us in these things. In the previous academic year, the students of my batch started a theatre club and even put up a play. We started Chaicopy, a completely student-run journal, and the university even provided us with funds to issue print copies. The literary club organises lawn mushairas where the students and faculty gather around and read out poems or stories. The film club screens a movie every week, followed by a discussion,” says Mariam.
Breaking the long-held notion that humanities could be challenging for class-room teaching, Dr. Govind explains that it is the most tailor-made stream for classroom teaching as it is discussion-based, and encourages looking at any problem from diverse points of view. Nowadays, many prominent international scholars have videos on YouTube, and these have led to very fun and intense discussions in class after we listen to the lecture together,” he adds.
World-class institute
The institute has a restricted intake and thus they have a better student-instructor ratio. “It enables us to pay close attention to students. We stress on writing regular assignments, and continuous feedback is provided to students with the expectation that at the end of the course, the process will help them to develop a coherent, original argument in their term-papers,” says Dr. Anubhav Sengupta from Sociology. “We already have a track record of regularly sending several of our students to the best universities in the world on scholarships for doctoral studies,” adds Dr. Govind. MCPH also offers one undergraduate course in humanities. More details at: https://manipal.edu/mu/academics/centers-of-excellence/mcph.html