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MA-ENGLISH in English at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College
Delhi, Delhi
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About the Specialization
What is English at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College Delhi?
This MA English program at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, affiliated with the University of Delhi, focuses on developing advanced critical thinking and analytical skills in literature. It offers a comprehensive study of English literature from various periods and geographies, incorporating contemporary literary theories. The program is highly relevant in India''''s growing academic and cultural sectors, preparing students for diverse roles in education, media, and publishing. Its strong theoretical foundation distinguishes it.
Who Should Apply?
This program is ideal for humanities graduates, especially those with a BA in English, seeking deep literary engagement. It caters to individuals aspiring to careers in academia, research, content creation, journalism, and publishing. It also suits working professionals looking to enhance their analytical and communication skills for roles in education or corporate communications, provided they meet the University of Delhi''''s specific eligibility criteria for postgraduate admission.
Why Choose This Course?
Graduates of this program can pursue career paths as assistant professors, researchers, content writers, editors, journalists, and civil servants in India. Entry-level salaries typically range from INR 3-6 LPA, growing significantly with experience and specialization. The robust curriculum prepares students for NET/JRF examinations and M.Phil./PhD programs, offering strong academic growth trajectories within Indian universities and research institutions.
Student Success Practices
Foundation Stage
Master Foundational Literary Theories- (Semester 1-2)
Engage deeply with critical theories introduced in Critical Theory I & II. Read primary theoretical texts alongside secondary interpretations. Form study groups to discuss complex concepts and apply theories to literary works from Chaucer to the Romantics.
Tools & Resources
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Purdue OWL, online academic journals
Career Connection
Strong theoretical grounding is essential for academic research, literary criticism, and analytical roles in content development.
Develop Robust Academic Writing Skills- (Semester 1-2)
Diligently practice academic writing, focusing on clarity, coherence, and correct citation methods (MLA/Chicago style). Seek feedback from professors and peers on essays and research papers. Participate in university-level writing workshops.
Tools & Resources
Grammarly, Zotero/Mendeley for citation management, faculty office hours
Career Connection
Excellent academic writing is crucial for research, publishing, content creation, and effective communication in any professional setting.
Build a Strong Base in Indian and British Literature- (Semester 1-2)
Systematically read and analyze prescribed texts from Indian English Literature and British Literature across various periods. Create reading schedules and maintain detailed notes on literary movements, authors, and themes. Attend departmental seminars and guest lectures to broaden perspectives.
Tools & Resources
Literary anthologies, online archives like Project Gutenberg, reputable literary criticism websites
Career Connection
A comprehensive understanding of literary history is fundamental for teaching, research, and cultural commentary, providing a rich context for contemporary discussions.
Intermediate Stage
Specialize through Elective Choices- (Semester 3-4)
Strategically choose Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) courses based on career interests (e.g., Translation Studies for publishing, Digital Humanities for tech roles, Gender and Literature for social advocacy). Dive deep into the chosen area through independent reading and project work.
Tools & Resources
DU Department of English faculty advisors, course descriptions, LinkedIn for career exploration
Career Connection
Specialization makes you a more attractive candidate for targeted roles and helps define your research niche for higher studies.
Engage in Research and Paper Presentations- (Semester 3-4)
Identify potential research topics early, especially in areas of interest from DSEs. Work on developing a research proposal or a substantial seminar paper. Aim to present at student conferences or departmental colloquia.
Tools & Resources
University library databases (JSTOR, MLA International Bibliography), research methodology guides, faculty mentorship
Career Connection
Research experience is vital for PhD applications, academic roles, and demonstrates critical thinking and analytical rigor to potential employers.
Network with Faculty and Industry Professionals- (Semester 3-4)
Actively participate in departmental events, workshops, and literary festivals. Seek opportunities to interact with visiting scholars and alumni working in relevant fields. Use platforms like LinkedIn to connect with professionals in publishing, media, and education.
Tools & Resources
Departmental notice boards, LinkedIn, university career services cell
Career Connection
Networking can open doors to internships, mentorship, and job opportunities, providing insights into industry expectations and trends.
Advanced Stage
Prepare for NET/JRF and PhD Entrance Exams- (Semester 3-4)
Begin rigorous preparation for the UGC NET/JRF examination, which is crucial for academic careers in India. Practice previous year question papers, focus on core concepts, and attend coaching classes if needed.
Tools & Resources
UGC NET syllabus, previous year question papers, online test series, specialized coaching institutes
Career Connection
Cracking NET/JRF is a mandatory step for aspiring assistant professors in Indian colleges and universities, and JRF provides research fellowships.
Develop a Professional Portfolio- (Semester 4)
Compile a portfolio of your best academic essays, research papers, creative writing samples (if applicable), and any presentations. Tailor your resume and cover letters for specific job applications or PhD programs.
Tools & Resources
Personal website/blog, Google Drive for document storage, career counseling services
Career Connection
A well-curated portfolio showcases your skills and achievements, significantly enhancing your chances for employment or admission to advanced programs.
Explore Internship and Placement Opportunities- (Semester 4)
Actively search for internships in publishing houses, content agencies, NGOs focusing on education/literacy, or media organizations. Attend campus placement drives and workshops on interview skills and resume building.
Tools & Resources
University placement cell, online job portals (Naukri, LinkedIn), industry-specific job boards
Career Connection
Internships provide practical experience, clarify career goals, and often lead to pre-placement offers, accelerating your entry into the professional world.
Program Structure and Curriculum
Eligibility:
- Bachelor''''s Degree in English (Hons.) from DU or equivalent with 50% marks; OR Bachelor''''s Degree in any subject with 50% marks and 60% in English; OR Master''''s Degree with 50% marks and 60% in English.
Duration: 4 semesters / 2 years
Credits: 80 Credits
Assessment: Internal: 30%, External: 70%
Semester-wise Curriculum Table
Semester 1
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC1 | Critical Theory I | Core | 4 | Introduction to Theory, Formalism and New Criticism, Structuralism and Post-structuralism, Deconstruction, Psychoanalysis |
| CC2 | Indian English Literature | Core | 4 | Emergence of Indian English Writing, Poetry (Tagore, Ezekiel), Fiction (Anand, Rao, Narayan), Post-Independence Fiction, Contemporary Voices |
| CC3 | English Literature From Chaucer to the Restoration | Core | 4 | Medieval English Literature (Chaucer), Renaissance Poetry and Prose, Jacobean and Caroline Drama, Metaphysical Poetry, Restoration Drama |
| CC4 | Academic Writing and Research Methodology | Core | 4 | Principles of Academic Writing, Research Design and Methods, Citing and Referencing (MLA/Chicago), Writing a Research Paper, Ethics in Research |
Semester 2
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC5 | Critical Theory II | Core | 4 | Marxism, Feminism, Postcolonial Theory, Queer Theory, Ecocriticism |
| CC6 | Literature and the Contemporary | Core | 4 | Contemporary Literary Trends, Digital Age Literature, Graphic Narratives, Climate Fiction, Global South Literature |
| CC7 | English Literature From the Augustan Age to the Romantics | Core | 4 | Augustan Poetry and Prose (Pope, Swift), The Rise of the Novel, Pre-Romanticism, Romantic Poetry (Wordsworth, Coleridge), Romantic Prose (Lamb, Hazlitt) |
| DSE OPT SEM2 1 | Literary Criticism | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Classical Criticism (Plato, Aristotle), Renaissance Criticism (Sidney), Neoclassical Criticism (Johnson), Romantic Criticism (Wordsworth), Modern Criticism (Eliot, Richards) |
| DSE OPT SEM2 2 | Indian Aesthetics | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Natyashastra, Rasa Theory, Dhvani Theory, Alankara, Abhinavagupta |
| DSE OPT SEM2 3 | Poetics and Literary Theory | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Aristotle''''s Poetics, Russian Formalism, New Criticism, Structuralism, Deconstruction |
| DSE OPT SEM2 4 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Digital Textual Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Digital Archiving, Data Visualization, Text Encoding |
| DSE OPT SEM2 5 | Literature of the Indian Diaspora | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Diaspora, Identity and Belonging, Migration Narratives, Second-Generation Writers, Authors (Rushdie, Lahiri) |
| DSE OPT SEM2 6 | Translation Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Translation, Types of Translation, Cultural Translation, Untranslatability, Role of Translator |
| DSE OPT SEM2 7 | Partition Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Historical Context of Partition, Trauma and Memory, Literary Representations (Manto, Sahni), Gendered Experiences, Oral Histories |
| DSE OPT SEM2 8 | Gender and Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Feminist Literary Criticism, Representations of Gender, Masculinities, LGBTQ+ Literatures, Women''''s Writing |
| DSE OPT SEM2 9 | Children''''s Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | History of Children''''s Literature, Genres and Themes, Pedagogy, Moral and Social Values, Classic and Contemporary Authors |
| DSE OPT SEM2 10 | Folklore Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Folklore, Oral Traditions, Myths and Legends, Folktales and Ballads, Performance Studies |
| DSE OPT SEM2 11 | Literature and Disability | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Disability Studies, Representation of Disability, Ableism, Narratives of Illness, Disability Activism |
| DSE OPT SEM2 12 | Popular Culture Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Popular Culture, Mass Media, Fan Culture, Genre Studies, Cultural Consumption |
| DSE OPT SEM2 13 | World Literatures in English | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Anglophone Literatures, Globalisation and Literature, Literary Flows, Transnationalism, Comparative Approaches |
Semester 3
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC9 | English Literature From the Victorian Age to the Modern | Core | 4 | Victorian Poetry (Tennyson, Browning), Victorian Novel (Dickens, Eliot), Modernist Poetry (Eliot, Yeats), Modernist Novel (Woolf, Joyce), Post-World War I Literature |
| CC10 | Literature and Gender | Core | 4 | Feminist Literary Criticism, Representations of Gender, Masculinities, LGBTQ+ Literatures, Women''''s Writing |
| CC11 | Literature and the World | Core | 4 | World Literatures, Postcolonialism and Globalization, Translation and World Literature, Migrant Narratives, Cultural Exchange |
| DSE OPT SEM3 1 | Literary Criticism | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Classical Criticism (Plato, Aristotle), Renaissance Criticism (Sidney), Neoclassical Criticism (Johnson), Romantic Criticism (Wordsworth), Modern Criticism (Eliot, Richards) |
| DSE OPT SEM3 2 | Indian Aesthetics | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Natyashastra, Rasa Theory, Dhvani Theory, Alankara, Abhinavagupta |
| DSE OPT SEM3 3 | Poetics and Literary Theory | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Aristotle''''s Poetics, Russian Formalism, New Criticism, Structuralism, Deconstruction |
| DSE OPT SEM3 4 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Digital Textual Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Digital Archiving, Data Visualization, Text Encoding |
| DSE OPT SEM3 5 | Literature of the Indian Diaspora | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Diaspora, Identity and Belonging, Migration Narratives, Second-Generation Writers, Authors (Rushdie, Lahiri) |
| DSE OPT SEM3 6 | Translation Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Translation, Types of Translation, Cultural Translation, Untranslatability, Role of Translator |
| DSE OPT SEM3 7 | Partition Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Historical Context of Partition, Trauma and Memory, Literary Representations (Manto, Sahni), Gendered Experiences, Oral Histories |
| DSE OPT SEM3 8 | Gender and Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Feminist Literary Criticism, Representations of Gender, Masculinities, LGBTQ+ Literatures, Women''''s Writing |
| DSE OPT SEM3 9 | Children''''s Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | History of Children''''s Literature, Genres and Themes, Pedagogy, Moral and Social Values, Classic and Contemporary Authors |
| DSE OPT SEM3 10 | Folklore Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Folklore, Oral Traditions, Myths and Legends, Folktales and Ballads, Performance Studies |
| DSE OPT SEM3 11 | Literature and Disability | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Disability Studies, Representation of Disability, Ableism, Narratives of Illness, Disability Activism |
| DSE OPT SEM3 12 | Popular Culture Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Popular Culture, Mass Media, Fan Culture, Genre Studies, Cultural Consumption |
| DSE OPT SEM3 13 | World Literatures in English | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Anglophone Literatures, Globalisation and Literature, Literary Flows, Transnationalism, Comparative Approaches |
Semester 4
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC13 | Postcolonial Literatures | Core | 4 | Theories of Postcolonialism, Empire and Resistance, Hybridity and Identity, Subaltern Studies, Major Postcolonial Authors (Achebe, Rushdie) |
| CC14 | Shakespeare and the Renaissance | Core | 4 | Shakespearean Tragedies (Hamlet, Othello), Comedies (A Midsummer Night''''s Dream), History Plays, Sonnets, Renaissance Context and Culture |
| CC15 | Literature and Ecology | Core | 4 | Ecocriticism, Environmental Justice, Nature Writing, Anthropocene Literature, Representations of Nature |
| DSE OPT SEM4 1 | Literary Criticism | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Classical Criticism (Plato, Aristotle), Renaissance Criticism (Sidney), Neoclassical Criticism (Johnson), Romantic Criticism (Wordsworth), Modern Criticism (Eliot, Richards) |
| DSE OPT SEM4 2 | Indian Aesthetics | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Natyashastra, Rasa Theory, Dhvani Theory, Alankara, Abhinavagupta |
| DSE OPT SEM4 3 | Poetics and Literary Theory | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Aristotle''''s Poetics, Russian Formalism, New Criticism, Structuralism, Deconstruction |
| DSE OPT SEM4 4 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Digital Textual Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Digital Archiving, Data Visualization, Text Encoding |
| DSE OPT SEM4 5 | Literature of the Indian Diaspora | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Diaspora, Identity and Belonging, Migration Narratives, Second-Generation Writers, Authors (Rushdie, Lahiri) |
| DSE OPT SEM4 6 | Translation Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Translation, Types of Translation, Cultural Translation, Untranslatability, Role of Translator |
| DSE OPT SEM4 7 | Partition Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Historical Context of Partition, Trauma and Memory, Literary Representations (Manto, Sahni), Gendered Experiences, Oral Histories |
| DSE OPT SEM4 8 | Gender and Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Feminist Literary Criticism, Representations of Gender, Masculinities, LGBTQ+ Literatures, Women''''s Writing |
| DSE OPT SEM4 9 | Children''''s Literature | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | History of Children''''s Literature, Genres and Themes, Pedagogy, Moral and Social Values, Classic and Contemporary Authors |
| DSE OPT SEM4 10 | Folklore Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Folklore, Oral Traditions, Myths and Legends, Folktales and Ballads, Performance Studies |
| DSE OPT SEM4 11 | Literature and Disability | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Disability Studies, Representation of Disability, Ableism, Narratives of Illness, Disability Activism |
| DSE OPT SEM4 12 | Popular Culture Studies | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Theories of Popular Culture, Mass Media, Fan Culture, Genre Studies, Cultural Consumption |
| DSE OPT SEM4 13 | World Literatures in English | Elective (Choice from pool) | 4 | Anglophone Literatures, Globalisation and Literature, Literary Flows, Transnationalism, Comparative Approaches |
