The course “Agriculture and Man” or “Pertanian dan Manusia” (course code PRT 2008) is perhaps one of the most maligned courses among UPM undergraduates. This course is compulsory for all undergraduates regardless of their degrees. So you have students from motley disciplines: music, social studies, engineering, medicine, and language studies gritting their teeth as they are “forced” to study a subject they complain has nothing or little to do with their degrees.

Good heavens, one batch of music undergraduates once exclaimed, what has agriculture got to do with music?

Good question. And to answer this question brings us to ask a much deeper and profound question: What is the purpose of a university? There are some popular misconceptions about the purpose of a university. Those in the academia field believe that a university is mainly about producing copious amount of research papers, patents, and commercialized products. Others in the public believe that a university is one that trains students for their future jobs.