Centre for Visual and Performing Arts to promote research and practice
Bengaluru, 12 July 2021. The RV University has established a world-class School of Liberal Arts and Sciences under the leadership of Prof. (Dr.) Piyush Roy, a National Film Award-winning critic-columnist, internationally published author, curator, poet, filmmaker, and professor in film and media studies.
This School offers a three-year B.A.(Hons.) degree with majors in Film Studies, Performing Arts, History, Indology, Philosophy and Ethics, Literature and Languages, and Political Science and Leadership Studies; and a three-year B.Sc.(Hons.) degree with majors in Environmental Science, Psychology and Mind Sciences, Physics and Filmmaking.
The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences is also offering a unique university and corporate partnered 4-Year B.Sc. (Hons.) Degree in Decision Sciences launched jointly by RV University and Mu Sigma – a leading decision sciences firm offering data analytics services. All admitted candidates are assured placement at Mu Sigma upon successful completion of the B.Sc. (Hons.) programme.
Welcoming the establishment of this School, Professor Y.S.R. Murthy, Vice-Chancellor, RV University said, “The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides a unique platform for cutting edge research. The faculty are drawn from the best institutions in India and abroad and are global leaders in their research areas. The students would have opportunities to participate in ongoing research projects and hone their understanding and skills in research.” Referring to the School’s commitment to give students an all-rounded education, Dr Murthy further said, “RV University joins an elite set of universities worldwide that offer a wide range of options for minors. This eclectic choice of minors from History, Philosophy, Literature, Psychology, Physics, Theatre and Performing Arts, Film Studies, Economics, Finance, Marketing, and Design is geared to prepare the student for creative and impactful futures.”
Dr. Piyush Roy, who joins the RV University as Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences has produced a critically acclaimed documentary, Pleasures Prejudice & Pride: An Indian Way of Filmmaking. It was the first Indian documentary in the new millennium to be the focus of an exclusive multi-city global seminar screening tour, across South Asian centres in seven universities in the United Kingdom in September-October 2019. said: “We offer India-focused education across the interdisciplinary curriculum of a global standard for existing and emerging careers. With the changing of jobs and job destinations becoming commonplace in 21st-century careers, the purpose and nature of education too will have to go the liberal studies way – i.e. making student careers ready, instead of only being ready for their first job. Hence cross-disciplinary pursuits will increasingly be prioritised over silo-centric studies.”
A liberal education breaks away from thinking within silos, encourages lateral thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. “The liberal education approach at our school is driven by five guiding mantras – India focused study, decolonising twentieth-century models of education, interdisciplinary curriculum, new-age teaching methods and creativity rewarding evaluation,” informed Prof. Roy.
Under this School, the foundation courses in the first year in history, philosophy, literature, theatre, critical thinking, environment and development, South Asia, writing, principles of science are the building blocks of the degree. This year also allows students to discover their interests to pursue specific major and minor combinations in their degree. In the second year, the RV University undergraduate has a unique opportunity of choosing a wide range of minors from the School of Economics and Finance, the School of Design, and the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The third year of the undergraduate degree allows for specialisation in the major as well as industry internships and research theses and portfolios.
To nurture research in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at RV University, the Centre for Visual and Performing Arts has been established. It is directed by Prof. Deepa Ganesh, Professor in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and co-directed by Prof. Shabari Rao, Assistant Professor in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Prof. Deepa Ganesh, a former journalist with two decades of work in the field of culture, has authored several books. She is academically trained in music. Prof. Shabari Rao a professional Kathak dancer, researcher, and educator, has studied at the Royal Academy of Dance, UK and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance, London.
This Centre for Visual and Performing Arts is driven by the key aim to encourage the research and practice of visual and performing arts. This centre will hold exhibitions, workshops and masterclasses on performance and theatre. The centre will be a node for artists and researchers locally and across the world. The centre contributes to the teaching at the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Apart from academic courses, the centre is a dynamic space for student and faculty performances, music, and dance workshops as well as city-wide student-led music and arts festivals. The centre aims to produce state-of-the-art research, and practice grounded in lived experience. The centre encourages innovative, artistic, systematic, and creative work that strengthens the knowledge base and builds local capacity. The RV University envisions all its research centres to be a vibrant and lively space for the personal and intellectual growth of faculty and students alike.
RV University is a private university that has been established under the RV University Act, 2019 passed by the Karnataka legislature. RV University is sponsored by the Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust (RSST) which has eight decades of institution building in higher education. The educational institutions under the RSST umbrella are well known in Bangalore as well as Karnataka and India. RV University will commence undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate programmes in October 2021 in three diverse schools: School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Economics and Finance, and the School of Design.