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M-A in English at Barkatullah University, Bhopal
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
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About the Specialization
What is English at Barkatullah University, Bhopal Bhopal?
This M.A. English program at Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal, offers a comprehensive study of English literature from its origins to contemporary global writings. Focusing on critical theory, linguistics, and diverse literary traditions, the program equips students with advanced analytical and interpretive skills vital for academic and research careers in India. It delves into classical, modern, and postcolonial literary landscapes and theoretical frameworks.
Who Should Apply?
This program is ideal for arts graduates with a strong inclination towards literature, critical thinking, and research. It suits fresh graduates aspiring for academic roles, teaching positions, or further research (M.Phil./Ph.D.). Professionals seeking to enhance their literary expertise or transition into content creation, editing, and media industries will also find it beneficial due to its rigorous academic foundation.
Why Choose This Course?
Graduates of this program can expect diverse career paths in India, including university professors, lecturers, content writers, editors, journalists, and public relations specialists. Entry-level salaries range from INR 2.5 to 4 LPA, growing significantly with experience. The program fosters critical analysis, research, and communication skills, highly valued in both academia and the broader Indian job market, preparing students for competitive exams like NET/SET.
Student Success Practices
Foundation Stage
Immersive Reading and Textual Analysis- (Semester 1-2)
Develop a habit of extensive reading beyond syllabus texts. Focus on understanding historical context, literary movements, and authorial intent. Practice close reading techniques to analyze themes, motifs, and literary devices in canonical works. Engage with diverse critical perspectives from scholars.
Tools & Resources
University library archives, online literary databases (e.g., JSTOR, Project Gutenberg), reputable literary criticism journals, peer discussion groups
Career Connection
Builds foundational analytical skills essential for research, critical writing, and a strong knowledge base for competitive exams like NET/SET and academic pursuits.
Academic Writing Proficiency- (Semester 1-2)
Master the conventions of academic writing, including essay structuring, argumentation, rigorous referencing (MLA style, specifically for English literature), and understanding how to avoid plagiarism. Seek constructive feedback on essays and research papers regularly from professors or peers.
Tools & Resources
University writing center, online style guides (Purdue OWL MLA), academic writing workshops, Grammarly, peer review sessions
Career Connection
Crucial for success in research, higher studies, and professions like content writing, editing, journalism, and any role requiring articulate written communication.
Participation in Literary Discussions and Seminars- (Semester 1-2)
Actively participate in classroom discussions, departmental seminars, and literary society events. Practice presenting findings, engage respectfully in academic debates, and develop effective public speaking skills. Attend guest lectures by eminent scholars and authors to broaden perspectives.
Tools & Resources
Departmental seminar series, literary clubs, inter-collegiate literary festivals, online forums for literary analysis
Career Connection
Enhances communication skills, critical thinking, and networking abilities, which are highly beneficial for academic presentations, interviews, and collaborative projects in any professional field.
Intermediate Stage
Specialized Research and Dissertation/Project Work- (Semester 3-4)
Engage in in-depth research on a chosen specialization area within literary studies, potentially culminating in a dissertation or substantial research project. Focus on comprehensive literature review, critical interpretation, and rigorous academic report writing under faculty mentorship.
Tools & Resources
University library, faculty mentors, research databases (JSTOR, MLA International Bibliography), academic writing software, thesis/dissertation guidelines
Career Connection
Develops independent research, critical thinking, and scholarly writing skills, essential for higher academic pursuits (M.Phil./Ph.D.) or research-oriented roles in publishing or think tanks.
UGC NET/SET Preparation and Application- (Semester 3-4)
Intensify preparation for the UGC NET/SET examinations, which are crucial for lectureship and Junior Research Fellowship positions in Indian universities. Participate in specialized coaching, systematic revision of the entire syllabus, and regular mock tests to assess progress.
Tools & Resources
UGC NET/SET official website, previous year question papers, specialized coaching institutes, online learning platforms, study groups
Career Connection
Directly prepares students for a primary academic career path in India, qualifying graduates for university teaching positions and providing access to research grants.
Professional Development Workshops and Internships- (Semester 3-4)
Seek out opportunities for professional development such as workshops on editing, content creation, journalism, technical writing, or communication skills. If available, pursue short internships with publishing houses, media organizations, NGOs, or educational content developers.
Tools & Resources
Department career cell, industry skill development programs, professional networking events, university internship portals, LinkedIn for professional connections
Career Connection
Provides practical exposure and transferable skills, enhancing employability in industries beyond traditional academia like media, content creation, journalism, and corporate communications.
Advanced Stage
Program Structure and Curriculum
Eligibility:
- No eligibility criteria specified
Duration: 4 semesters (2 years)
Credits: 64 Credits
Assessment: Internal: 30%, External: 70%
Semester-wise Curriculum Table
Semester 1
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL 101 | CHAUCER AND THE BEGINNINGS OF ENGLISH POETRY | Core | 4 | Old and Middle English Literature, Geoffrey Chaucer''''s Poetry, The Canterbury Tales (General Prologue), Medieval English Drama, Early English Poets |
| EL 102 | ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN DRAMA | Core | 4 | Renaissance Drama Characteristics, William Shakespeare''''s Hamlet, William Shakespeare''''s Othello, Elizabethan Comedy (Twelfth Night), Jacobean Tragedies (Webster, Jonson) |
| EL 103 | SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURY POETRY AND PROSE | Core | 4 | Renaissance Poetry (Spenser, Sidney), Metaphysical Poetry (Donne, Marvell), John Milton''''s Paradise Lost, Francis Bacon''''s Essays, King James Bible Prose |
| EL 104 | EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE | Core | 4 | Augustan Age Poetry (Pope, Dryden), Satirical Prose (Swift, Addison, Steele), Rise of the Novel (Defoe, Richardson, Fielding), Sentimental Comedy, Age of Reason |
Semester 2
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL 201 | ROMANTIC LITERATURE | Core | 4 | The Romantic Movement Characteristics, William Wordsworth''''s Poetry, Samuel Taylor Coleridge''''s Imagination, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Romantic Prose (Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt) |
| EL 202 | VICTORIAN LITERATURE | Core | 4 | Victorian Age Social and Literary Context, Alfred, Lord Tennyson''''s Poetry, Robert Browning''''s Dramatic Monologues, Matthew Arnold''''s Criticism, Victorian Novel (Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy), Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood |
| EL 203 | HISTORY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERARY CRITICISM | Core | 4 | Origin and Growth of English Language, Phonological and Morphological Changes, Development of Semantics and Syntax, Classical Literary Criticism (Plato, Aristotle), Neoclassical Criticism (Dryden, Johnson), Romantic Criticism (Wordsworth, Coleridge) |
| EL 204 | AMERICAN LITERATURE | Core | 4 | American Romanticism (Emerson, Thoreau), American Poetry (Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson), American Novel (Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne), Modern American Drama (Eugene O''''Neill), Harlem Renaissance |
Semester 3
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL 301 | TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE AND LITERARY THEORY | Core | 4 | Modernism and Postmodernism, T.S. Eliot, W.B. Yeats, Virginia Woolf, Absurdist Drama (Beckett, Pinter), Literary Theory Introduction, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, Feminism, New Criticism, Deconstruction |
| EL 302 | INDIAN ENGLISH LITERATURE | Core | 4 | Origins and Development of Indian English Literature, R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao, Indian English Poetry (Nissim Ezekiel, A.K. Ramanujan, Kamala Das), Indian English Drama (Girish Karnad, Mahesh Dattani), Contemporary Indian English Novelists, Diasporic Indian Writing |
| EL 303 | NEW LITERATURES IN ENGLISH | Core | 4 | Postcolonial Literature Concepts, African Literature (Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka), Caribbean Literature (V.S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott), Canadian Literature (Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro), Australian Literature, South Asian Diasporic Literature |
| EL 304 (A) | LINGUISTICS AND PHONETICS | Elective Option | 4 | Phonetics and Phonology, Morphology and Word Formation, Syntax and Sentence Structure, Semantics and Meaning, Pragmatics and Context, Language Acquisition |
| EL 304 (B) | DISCOURSE ANALYSIS | Elective Option | 4 | Nature of Discourse, Cohesion and Coherence, Pragmatic Analysis, Conversational Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Stylistics |
Semester 4
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL 401 | GENDER AND CULTURE STUDIES | Core | 4 | Introduction to Gender Studies, Feminist Theories and Literary Criticism, Cultural Studies and Popular Culture, Subaltern Studies, Postcolonial Feminism, Queer Theory |
| EL 402 | RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND ACADEMIC WRITING | Core | 4 | Research Design and Types, Data Collection Methods in Humanities, Quantitative and Qualitative Research, Research Ethics and Plagiarism, Academic Writing Skills, Citation Styles (MLA, APA) |
| EL 403 | ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING (ELT) | Core | 4 | Approaches and Methods in ELT, Teaching Language Skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing), Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary, Materials Development and Evaluation, Assessment in ELT, Communicative Language Teaching |
| EL 404 (A) | TRANSLATION STUDIES | Elective Option | 4 | Theories of Translation, Types of Translation, Cultural Issues in Translation, Machine Translation and CAT Tools, Translation as a Skill and Profession, Concept of Equivalence in Translation |
| EL 404 (B) | COMPARATIVE LITERATURE | Elective Option | 4 | Nature and Scope of Comparative Literature, Influence Studies and Parallelism, Theme and Genre Studies, Interdisciplinary Approaches, Translation and Comparison, World Literature |
