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Why choose SSLA
Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA) is India's first liberal arts college to offer a four-year full time Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science (Liberal Arts) Honours degree.
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Admissions
All students seeking admission to SSLA need to appear either for the Symbiosis Entrance
Test (SET) and/or apply through the Rolling Admission Process (RAP).
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Community
SSLA is not just about academics! It is a co-constructed space where faculty and
students come together to extend learning beyond the classroom.
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Academics
The liberal arts programme at SSLA is holistically designed to combine multi, inter and
transdisciplinary learning focused on transferability of skills, employability and a
spirit of enquiry.
EST 2011
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About SSLA
Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA) is India’s first liberal arts college to offer a four-year full time degree: Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research and Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science (Liberal Arts) Honours.
Established 15 years ago, SSLA offers a wide spectrum of 24 specialisations from diverse fields such as Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Media Studies, Business Studies and Performing Arts, giving the students the freedom to tailor their degree their own way. Centrally located in Pune, the Oxford of East, SSLA is anchored in the excellence and legacy of Symbiosis International (Deemed University).
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India's first Comprehensive Liberal Arts Programme
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A four-year Undergraduate degree, allowing students to craft their own academic journey.
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Inter, multi and transdisciplinary academic engagement
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Fosters holistic development and inculcates core transferable skills.
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1:20 Faculty to Student ratio
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Small class sizes that encourage active participation to make learning more engaging.
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Innovative pedagogies
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Learner-centric classrooms that promote critical thinking.
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Over 370 courses across 24 disciplines
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Options to choose across Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences, Business Studies, Media, Performing Arts.
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Co-constructed and collaborative environment
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Student-run cells, clubs, publications and sports teams foster leadership, creativity, and teamwork.
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Internationalisation
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Semester exchange, semester abroad and internationalisation at home for global immersion.
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21st century skills- World Economic Forum and NEP
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Problem solving, Self Management, Working with people, Technology and Development.
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Strong focus on research
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Research projects, Seminar Papers, Research Methodology courses enable students to think critically.
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Experiential learning
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Faculty with industry experience, Community Outreach, Internship and field-trips bridge theory and practice.
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Explore Our Courses
Anthropology
Applied Environmental and Sustainability Science
Business Studies
Computer Studies
Economics
Education
English
History
International Relations
Mathematics and Statistics
Media Studies
Psychology
Political Science and Public Policy
Philosophy
Sociology
Computer Studies
- Logic Designing and Research Techniques in Python
- Programming Concepts and C Language
- Object Oriented Programming
- Relational Database Management Systems
- Computer Systems and Networks
- Software Project + Javascript
- Data Structures + Design and Implementation of Algorithms
- Software Engineering
- Foundations of Data Warehousing and Data Mining
- Theory of Computation
- Information Technology for Management
Mathematics and Statistics
- Foundation Course in Mathematics and Statistics
- Calculus
- Statistical Methods I
- Statistical Methods II
- Linear Algebra
- Graph Theory
- Analysis
- Fundamentals of Mathematics
- Theory of Distributions
- Group Theory
- Operations Research
English
- English Romanticism
- Victorian Literature
- Indian Writing in English
- Linguistics and Phonetics
- 20th Century Literature
- Reading Popular Literature
- History of Literary Criticism
- Shakespeare and his Times
- Literary Criticism 2
- American Literature
Economics
- Mathematical Methods for Economics
- Principles of Microeconomics
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- Money, Banking and Finance
- International Economics
- Development Economics
- Business Statistics
- Introductory Econometrics
- Industrial Economics
- Public Economics
Political Science and Public Policy
- Introduction to Political Science
- Western Political Thought
- Political Process and Dynamics of State Politics in India
- Comparative Politics
- India's Political Economy and Developmen
- Public Policy and Governance in India
- Indian Political Thought*
- Foundations of Public Administration*
- Catch 22 in Politics
- Political Philosophy
- Advanced Ethical Theory
- Ideology and Politics
- Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
- Politics of Social Justice
- Critical Ideas of the 20th Century
- Marxism
- Global Justice
- Women in Conflict and Peace Process
- Contemporary Latin America and Africa
- Contemporary India
- Internal Security in India
Psychology
- Introduction to Psychology
- Lifespan Development
- Major Theories in Psychology
- Advance Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Organizational Psychology
- Biological Psychology
- Psychopathology
- Counseling and Psychotherapy
- Contemporary Studies in Psychology
Sociology
- Sociology: An Introduction
- Sociology of India: Themes and Perspectives
- Sociology of Gender and Sexuality
- Popular Culture, Media and Everyday Life
- Environment, Ecology and Society
- State, Civil Society and Market
- Contemporary Sociological Theories
- Research Methodology: Theory and Application
- Sociology of Globalization: Global Culture, Economy, Emerging Issues
- Analysis and Research in Sociology: Dissertation
- State, Civil Society and Market
- Society and Science
- Knowledge: Contested, Contextualized, Confirmed
- From Marxism to Post-Marxism: Critical Discourses
- Labour in India: Past and Present
- Understanding Urbanity: Classical and Contemporary Approaches
- Religion and Rebellion: Roots of Resistance in the Ground of Tradition
- Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
- Class Caste Race and Patriarchy
- Sociology of Inequality
- Politics of Social Justice
- Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict
Business Studies
- Management Essentials
- Business Laws
- Financial Management
- Human Resource Management
- Fundamentals of Marketing
- Production/Operations Management
- Organizational Behaviour
- Corporate Governance and Ethics & Business Ethics
- Accounting
- Information Technology for Management
Media Studies
- Media Theories with Culture and Communication
- Visual and Audio Communication
- Introduction to Journalism
- Introduction to Audio Visual Radio and Television
- Marketing Communication - Advertising PR and Events
- Practical: Creation of a Newspaper/Film/Marketing Communication-AD, PR Events with New Media
- Evolution of Media, Media Ethics and Laws
- Economics & Business of Media
- Introduction to Films
- Introduction to Corporate Communication Practices
- Fundamentals of Advertising Creative and Copywriting
- Media and Consumer Behaviour
- Media Research and Capstone Project
- Design Thinking and Innovation - Advanced
Anthropology
- What is Anthropology?
- Biological/PhysicalAnthropology
- Socio-Cultural Anthropology 1
- Socio-cultural Anthropology 2
- Anthropology Today: its Applications
- Introduction to Archaeology: Theory and Techniques
- Human Biological Variation
- Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studies
- Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict
- Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
- Advertising and Contemporary Culture
- Women in Conflict and Peace Process
- Independent Study
- Culture in Making
- Popular Culture, Media and Everyday Life
- The History of Anthropological Theory and Changing Ethnography
- The Emerging Global Order
- Sociology of Globalization: Global Culture, Economy, Emerging Issues
- Conflict, Diplomacy and War
- World Music: Crossroads of Space, Place and Identity
- Anthropology of Globalization, Development and Consequential Urbanization
- Identity, Ethnicity, Nationality, and Fundamentalism
- Global Justice
- The Living Past: Comprehending India
- Analysis of Current Events
- Revisiting the City: Urbanization, Urban Aspiration and Urban Reality
- Understanding Urbanity: Classical and Contemporary Approaches
- Introduction to Human Genetics
- The Illbeing – Disease, Health and Socio-politics
- Urban Studies: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
- Economic Anthropology and Value-centred Praxis
International Relations
- Introduction to International Relations
- Conflict, Diplomacy and War
- India’s Foreign Policy
- International Political Economy
- International Law and United Nations
- Issues in World Politics
- Analysis of Current Events
- Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studies
- The Emerging Global Order
- Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
- International Economics
- Ideology and Politics
- American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War World: Processes, Policies and Debates
- Leadership and World Politics
- Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict
- Contemporary Latin America and Africa
- Contemporary Middle East
- Sociology of Globalization: Global Culture, Economy, Emerging Issues
- Global Justice
- Comparative Economics
- Living with Climate Change
- Colonialism in Latin America and Africa
- Politics and the Media in India
- Indian Constitution
- Comparative Politics
- Women in Conflict and Peace Process
- Role of Armed Forces in International Politics
- Internal Security in India
- United Nations Peacekeeping Operations - Resolution and Management of Conflict for Sustainable Peace
Philosophy
- Foundations of Western Philosophy
- Foundations of Indian Philosophy
- Modern Western Philosophy
- Modern Indian Thinkers
- Logic, Reasoning and Methodology
- Philosophy of Science
- Advanced Ethical Theory
- Analytic Philosophy
- Phenomenology and Existentialism
- Pragmatism
- Schools of Contemporary Philosophy
History
- Histories and Historiographies
- World History and Geography
- Texts in Practice
- Roots of India: Prehistory to 10th Century CE
- Medieval India: 11th to 18th Century
- Connected Worlds
- History and Geography of the Americas
- History of Africa
- History of West Asia
- History of East Asia and Oceania
Applied Environmental and Sustainability Science
- Environment, Development, and Sustainability: Issues and Ideas
- Fundamentals of Water Science and Water Resource Management
- Climate Change: Science, Impact and Action
- Environmental Data Analytics and Laboratory Measurements (Water, Air, Soil Testing Laboratory)
- Environmental Sustainability for Businesses
- Mapping Environmental Change through Technology (RS&GIS)
Education
- Education in Contemporary World
- Philosophy of Education
- Understanding Policy and Governance of Education (Public and Private Schools and HEI)
- Education for the Individual and Society: Psychology and Sociology of Education
- Education in Practice-School and HEI
- Education Management- School and HEI
Biology
Film Studies
Law
Peace and Conflict Studies
Performing Arts Dance
Performing Arts Music
Performing Arts Theatre
Physics
Women and Gender Studies
Biology
- Introduction to Biology
- Taxonomy, Diversity and Organization of Life
- Biochemistry and Metabolism
- Inheritance Biology
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Applied Biology and Biotechnology
Law
- Indian Constitution
- Legislative Processes and Administrative Law
- Criminal Justice Administration
- Law of Obligations
- Corporate Law
- Flexi Credit Course
- Human Rights and Related Laws
Women and Gender Studies
- Introduction to Women and Gender Studies
- Women in India
- Representation of Gender in Image and Word (Film/TV/Literature/Advertising/Music)
- Gender Labour and Work
- Socialization and Sexuality
- Understanding Feminisms
Film Studies
- Silent Cinema
- Realism and Cinema
- The Cinematic Apparatus
- Narrative Cinema
- Documentary Cinema or Non-Fiction
- Global Cinema Today
Peace and Conflict Studies
- Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studies
- Sociology of Inequality
- Politics of Social Justice
- Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict
- Gender and Law
- Global Justice
- Independent Study (student-faculty create coursework)
Performing Arts Dance
- Ballroom and Latin American Dances
- A Glimpse into Folk Dance Forms of India
- Kathak
- Bharatnatyam
- Odissi
- Uday Shankar Style of Creative Dance
Performing Arts Music
- Experiencing Music Globally
- American Popular Music and Culture
- Music and the Struggle for Civil Rights
- Music of Asian America
- South Asian Performing Traditions
- World Music: Crossroads of Space, Place and Identity
Performing Arts Theatre
- Theatre Games and Movement
- Voice and Speech
- Text Analysis and Playwriting Lab
- Improvisation and Devising Theatre
- Introduction to Dramatic Territories
- Performance and Creation Lab
Physics
- Classical Mechanics
- Waves, Light, and Electromagnetism
- Mathematical Methods in Physics
- Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
- Thermal and Statistical Physics
- Solid State Physics
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Semester 5
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Semester 7
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Semester 8
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ELECTIVES Across 4 years
ELECTIVES Across 4 years
- Reading the Classics
- Film Appreciation
- Creativity and Innovations
- Idea of Art: Art, Art History and Aesthetics
- Comparative Religion: Their greater similarities and finer differences
- Indian Constitution
- World Music: Crossroads of Space, Place and Identity
- Society and Science
- Sustainability Studies
- Literature and Gender: The Politics
- Advertising and Contemporary Culture
- Philosophical Reflections on Money and Wealt
- The Living Past: Comprehending India
- Reading World Poetry 1
- Reading World Poetry 2
- Law Relating to Intellectual Property Rights
- Laws Relating to Information Technology
- Living with Climate Change
- Introduction to Wellness Management, Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Introduction to Social Justice
- Urdu Paper 1
- Greek Philosophy
- Analysis of Current Events
- Women Philosophers
- Law of Torts
- Uday Shankar Style of Creative Dance
- Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studie
- Marxism
- Oop’s: Objects Out of Place, the Unexplained and the Unexplainable
- Mahabharata
- The Novel
- Comparative Mythology
- Indian Penal Code
- Revisiting the City: Urbanization, Urban Aspiration and Urban Reality
- 20th Century- Bloodiest Century in Human History
- Haiku Poetry
- Introduction to Theatre Making
- Roots of India: Ancient Indian History and Culture (Pre- history to 1200 AD)
- India and Growth of Islam in Medieval Era (1200AD - 1700AD)
- Verily Food is Life: The Story of India through it’s Food
- Modern Drama from around the World
- Soundscapes of Pune City
- Culture in Making
- Dance/Movement Therapy
- The Poetic Body, Absurd and the Surreal
- Art, Philosophy and Society
- Scientific Inquiry and Learning Science
- Buddhist Philosophy: The Indian Tradition
- Phenomenology and Existentialism
- Introduction to Social Sculpture and the Field of Freedom
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Cinema, Masculinity and Culture
- Programming Concepts and C Language
- The Literature of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Imagery in Creative Writing
- Innovation Management and New Product Development
- Health and Wellness Management
- Adaptation: Cinema and Literature
- Foundational Course in Economics
- Mathematical Methods for Economics
- Other Asian Imaginations: Cinema from Japan and China after the Second World War
- Understanding Hindi Cinema since Independence
- Introduction to the 20th Century Theory: I
- Introduction to Linguistics
- Critical Writing: Writing as Resistance, Writing as Recovery
- Knowledge: Contested, Contextualized, Confirme
- Literary Imagination in the World
- From Marxism to Post-Marxism: Critical Discourse
- An Introduction to Culture Studies
- Modern Indian Theatre and Performance: History, Theory, Text and Culture
- Re-conceptualizing the Noir Film
- Labour in India-Past and Present
- Understanding Urbanity: Classical and Contemporary Approaches
- Religion and Rebellion: Roots of Resistance in the Ground of Tradition
- Use of Signs and Symbols for Marketing and Branding
- Love in Literature; Literary Expressions and Explorations across World Cultures
- The Politics of Difference
- Critical Ideas of the 20thCentury
- Postmodernism: Literature and Philosophy
- Crisis in West Asia
- Colonial Encounters: Literary Representations and Theoretical Reflections
- Introduction to Human Genetics
- World Drama: Text and Performance Traditions in their Cultural Context
- Sport and Performance Psychology
- Design Tools- I
- Design Tools- II
- Postmodernism: Literary and Philosophical Perspectives
- The Psychology of Good and Evil
- Sustainability for the post-2015 World
- Critical Debates in 21st Century Technology
- Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
- Creative Writing - Media, Advertising, Content, and Screenplay
- Contemporary Fiction Today: A Junior Seminar Course
- Design Tools-III
- Design Tools- IV
- Introduction to Web Design
- Introduction to Python
- Foundation of Web Technologies
- Mobile Programming
- Internet of Things
- The Illbeing – Disease, Health and Socio-politics
- Of Scripts and Shots
- Caste in India: Origin and Practice
- Introduction to the Microbial World
- Principles of Taxation Law
- American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War World: Processes, Policies and Debates
- Literature and Religion
- Everyday Physics
- Women and Environment Eco-feminism
- Gender Justice and Law
- Class Caste Race and Patriarchy
- Women in Conflict and Peace Process
- Feminist Criticism, Semiotics, Psychoanalysis
- Indian Parallel Cinema/Art Cinema/Regional Cinem
- Cinema and the Market; Digital Cinema and the New Media
- Film Analysis and Research
- Introduction to Social Work
- Politics and the Media in India
- Natyashastra: An Indian perspective of Performing Art
- Science as Muse: Intersections of Science and the Arts
- Carnatic Music in Indian Musicology
- Intermediary Econometrics
- Introduction to Moral Philosophy
- Communication for Social Change
- An Introduction to Maker Culture: Developing Technological Interventions for Societal Needs
- Global Justice
- Micro Economics II
- Hindi 1
- Hindi 2
- Basic Hindi I
- Basic Hindi II
- Decoding the Genetically Modified
- Comparative Literature
- Logic Designing and Research Techniques in Pytho
- Human Rights and related Laws
- Flexi Credit Course
- Ecology and Evolution
- Reproductive and Developmental Biology
- Applied Biology and Biotechnology
- Mathematical Biology
- Behavioural Biology (Cognitive Science, Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology)
- Comparative Economics
- Economic, History and Thought
- Contemporary Indian Economy
- Conversational Skills in Spanish
- Conversational Skills in French
- Conversational Skills in Chinese
- Conversational Skills in Japanese
- Conversational Skills in German
- Sociology of Health
- Classical Hinduism: A Study through Scriptures
- Permaculture Design and Regenerative Ecosystem
- History and Story: Through the Looking Glass of Fiction
- The History of Small Things
- From Products to Self: Personal, Image & Reputation Brand Management
- The Self, Individuality and Identity – A Biological Perspective
- Role of Armed Forces in International Politics
- United Nations Peacekeeping Operations - Resolution and Management of Conflict for Sustainable Peace
- Basics of Western Music
- Maritime History of India
- Urban Studies: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
- Introduction to Hindustani Classical Music
- Global Mental Health
- Contemporary India
- Internal Security in India
- Conversational Skills in Korean
The college always supported anything a student wanted to do and all that
was needed was enough interest, enough research and as long as it was
pitched well, they would support to get it done.
Sana Vaidya
SSLA has definitely provided a space with ample opportunities – both
academic and extra-curricular for students to develop skills that can be
used across the board and will cater to whatever interests you may have,
regardless of your major.
Ira Deshmukh
SSLA really trains its students to thrive in the atmosphere of
multi-tasking… by the end of those four years, everyone learns to manage
SSLA’s academic rigour while pursuing their talents and their skills outside
of the classroom… which prepares you for life.
Shivani V
Events at SSLA
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OPT
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SLF 2024
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Symbiosis Literary Festival
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Armadhaam. Onam Celebration at SSLA
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Home is where the liberal heart is
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Hon. Penpa Tsering on Why Tibet Matters
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ICE-SSLA
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Natak Society
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Onam celebration
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Onam celebration
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Republic Day
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Sports@SSLA
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Sports@SSLA
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Traditional Day
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Welcome home
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SSLA Speaks
Our Blogs
SSLA Speaks is a space where our community pauses to think about what we do and why we do it. Anchored in an environment of interdisciplinary learning, it offers a peek into SSLA’s evolving process of learning, innovative pedagogies, research, and community building to think, evolve, and excel.
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Team SSLA
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Admissions cell
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Art club
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Bandemonium
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Business Development Cell
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Campus team
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Career cell
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Chess team
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Collaborative of Anthropology
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Comedy Club
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Community Outreach
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Cultural Team
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Dance Club
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Events Team
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Evergreen Club
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Historia
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International Cell
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International Gender Conference Team
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Legal Awareness Society
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Music Club
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Natak Society
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Photography Club
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Queer Crew
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Research Cell
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Reverb Radio
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The Economics and Public Policy Cell
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Women's Basketball Team
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Women's Tennis Team
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Women's Volleyball Team