Students at Tianjin University can now enroll¹ in courses in what is possibly the most difficult subject of all - love.

天津大学的学生现在可以选修一门可能称之为世界上最难的课程——“恋爱课”。

Around 200 students crowded into a lecture hall at the prestigious² university on March 30 as the first class of a new course on romance, "Basic Theory and Experience of Love," got underway.

新学期伊始，该校就推出了一门名为《恋爱理论与实践》的选修课，3月30日的第一堂课就吸引了约200名学生前来听课。

"Hopefully the lecture will give students a higher sense of responsibility toward dating," said Liu Xiaochun, an associate professor of law at Tianjin University and course lecturer.

天津大学副教授、也是本门课程的主讲老师刘晓纯说：“希望这门课程的开设能让学生们对于男女交往更具责任心。”

During the 90-minute talk Liu explained legal issues related to dating, including such topics as mistresses, domestic violence, divorce and abortion³. "It is the first time I have talked about dating in public," he said.

在90分钟的课堂中，刘教授解释了恋爱中的法律问题，话题包括情妇、家暴、离婚以及流产等等。“这也是我第一次在公众前谈论恋爱问题，”他说。

For many, often away from home for the first time, college is their first chance to explore romance after dedicating much of their high school years to study.

对于许多首次离家出远门的大学生来说，大学是他们探索恋爱的第一次机会，毕竟他们的高中生活主要是围绕着学习。

One male student who asked not to be named, said he hoped the course would help him get along with his girlfriend better.

一个不愿透露姓名的男生表示，他希望通过学习此门课程，帮助他更好地和女朋友相处。

Organized by a student dating club, the course covers a wide range of topics from dating tips and etiquette⁴ to counseling. The classes are taught by teachers from the university and external experts.

这门课程是由一个学生恋爱社团组织的，话题覆盖面广，从恋爱技巧、恋爱礼仪一直到恋爱咨询，主要由本校的老师以及外聘专家讲授。

The course was inundated⁵ with more than 800 applications, far beyond initial expectations, Wang Rui, head of the student dating club, said. "Students can gain two credits by attending no less than five lectures and submitting a 2,000-character report at the end of the semester."

社团负责人王蕊表示，这门课程选课人数超过了800人，远远超出预期。“学生只要能上五次课以上，并在学期末上交一篇2000字左右的报告就可以修得两个学分。”

College relationships have been openly discussed across Chinese campuses, resulting in several programs to help students make their way through what could be a minefield. Such august institutions as China Youth University of Political Studies, Wuhan University and Renmin University of China all have similar courses.

大学恋爱关系现在已经在中国各大校园里进行公开讨论，这使得很多学校开始开设一些课程来帮助学生们跨过所谓的“雷区”。一些令人敬畏的院校，如中国青年政治学院、武汉大学以及中国人民大学，也都开设了类似的课程。

"The purpose of these courses is not to encourage students to fall in love, but to help them develop a proper attitude toward love and cope with problems they might meet when dating," Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of 21st Century Education Research Institute, said.

21世纪教育研究中心副主任熊炳奇表示：“开设这些课程的目的不是要鼓励学生恋爱，而是帮助他们对恋爱建立起正确的态度，并很好地处理恋爱中遇到的问题。”

Yang Li from the mental health education center at Tianjin University said many students lack the capacity to deal with failures involved in love, which can be traumatic and result in rash or even violent behavior.

天津大学心理健康教育中心主任杨丽表示，很多学生在面对失恋时缺乏处理能力，可能会造成心理创伤，行为鲁莽甚至伤害行为。

The Tianjin course was applauded by social media users, who acknowledged the value of such lessons for often clueless students.

天津大学这门课程的开设也受到了社交媒体用户的好评，他们认为这对于不成熟的学生们来说很有价值。

"It is rare for college lovers to end up married," user "Yindaxiaxia" posted on microblog Sina Weibo. "It is crucial they understand love and relationships to avoid conflict and pain."

“大学里的爱情终成眷属的并不多”，一名叫“尹大虾虾”的网友在新浪微博上说：“‘恋爱课’可以让在校学生对此有深刻的认识，避免冲突和伤害。”