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MA in English at Shree J. M. Patel Institute of Studies and Research in Humanities, Arts and Commerce
Anand, Gujarat
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About the Specialization
What is English at Shree J. M. Patel Institute of Studies and Research in Humanities, Arts and Commerce Anand?
This MA English program at Shree J. M. Patel Institute offers an in-depth exploration of English language and literature, encompassing critical theories, diverse literary traditions, and linguistic studies. Rooted in a strong academic tradition, it prepares students for multifaceted roles in education, research, and communication. The program stands out by integrating classical and contemporary literary forms, relevant to the evolving cultural landscape in India.
Who Should Apply?
This program is ideal for Bachelor''''s graduates in English, humanities, or related fields, seeking advanced literary and linguistic expertise. It caters to aspiring academics, teachers, content writers, editors, and civil service aspirants who value critical thinking and analytical skills. Professionals aiming for career transitions into writing, publishing, or communication roles will also find it beneficial, especially those looking to deepen their understanding of literary contexts.
Why Choose This Course?
Graduates can pursue diverse career paths in India as university lecturers, school teachers, content developers, technical writers, journalists, or editors. Entry-level salaries range from INR 3-5 LPA, growing significantly with experience. The program fosters critical analysis, effective communication, and research skills, crucial for both academic advancement and success in the burgeoning Indian media and education sectors. It also provides a strong foundation for UGC NET/SET examinations.
Student Success Practices
Foundation Stage
Immersive Reading and Critical Annotation- (Semester 1-2)
Develop a habit of reading beyond surface-level comprehension. Annotate texts for literary devices, thematic concerns, and critical arguments. Maintain a reading journal to summarize and critique works.
Tools & Resources
Online literary databases, Critical editions, Open-access academic journals via institutional access, Personal reading journal
Career Connection
Enhances analytical thinking and textual interpretation, crucial for research, teaching, and content development roles in India.
Mastering Academic Writing and Essay Structure- (Semester 1-2)
Practice structuring essays, developing coherent arguments, using evidence effectively, and adhering to academic citation styles, such as MLA. Seek feedback from professors and peers on assignments for continuous improvement.
Tools & Resources
Purdue OWL MLA Guide, Academic writing workshops, Peer review groups, Grammar and style guides
Career Connection
Essential for all academic careers, publishing, content writing, and any professional role requiring clear written communication.
Active Participation in Literary Discussions- (Semester 1-2)
Actively participate in classroom discussions, literary society meetings, and departmental seminars. Prepare questions and arguments based on your reading to foster deeper understanding and articulate your views effectively.
Tools & Resources
College literary club, Departmental seminars, Online literary forums
Career Connection
Develops communication, public speaking, and critical debate skills, vital for teaching, presentations, and leadership roles in India''''s academic and corporate sectors.
Intermediate Stage
Deep Dive into Literary Theories- (Semester 3)
Beyond basic understanding, apply theories like Post-Structuralism, Feminism, and Post-colonialism to analyze various texts. Participate in critical theory reading groups to discuss complex ideas and their practical application.
Tools & Resources
Major critical theory anthologies, Academic journals focused on literary theory, Departmental workshops on specific theoretical schools
Career Connection
Essential for critical analysis in research, teaching, and informed cultural commentary, especially beneficial for M.Phil. and Ph.D. admissions.
Elective Specialization and Project Work- (Semester 3)
Utilize the elective papers, such as Cultural Studies, Linguistics, or Literature and Gender, to develop expertise in a specific sub-field. Undertake a mini-project or extended essay within this area to apply specialized knowledge.
Tools & Resources
Elective course readings, Specialized journals, Faculty guidance for project topics, Digital archives specific to the chosen field
Career Connection
Builds a focused portfolio of skills, useful for niche roles in research, specialized content creation, or further academic pursuit in that area.
Networking with Academics and Peers- (Semester 3)
Attend college and university-level seminars, workshops, and conferences. Engage with guest speakers, faculty members, and senior students to expand your academic network and gain insights into ongoing research.
Tools & Resources
University events calendar, Professional literary associations, LinkedIn profiles of academics
Career Connection
Opens doors for mentorship, research collaborations, job referrals, and staying updated on academic trends within the Indian education landscape.
Advanced Stage
Comprehensive Dissertation/Research Project- (Semester 4)
For the dissertation or project elective, meticulously plan, research, write, and defend an original piece of scholarly work. This involves rigorous literature review, methodology application, and analytical writing.
Tools & Resources
Dedicated research time, Continuous faculty supervision, Access to specialized databases and software for citation management and formatting
Career Connection
This capstone project is vital for demonstrating research capability, crucial for academic positions, and impressive for any role requiring in-depth analysis and presentation.
Interview & Presentation Skills Enhancement- (Semester 4)
Practice mock interviews for teaching positions, research roles, or publishing industry jobs. Develop strong presentation skills for academic seminars and job interviews, focusing on clarity, confidence, and effective communication.
Tools & Resources
Career services center, Faculty mentors, Online resources for interview preparation, Toastmasters-style groups
Career Connection
Directly improves employability for various sectors in India, ensuring students can articulate their knowledge and skills effectively to potential employers.
Professional Portfolio Development- (Semester 4)
Compile your best essays, research papers, project reports, and any relevant creative writing samples. Create an online portfolio or a well-organized physical one to showcase your academic achievements and writing prowess to potential employers or academic institutions.
Tools & Resources
Personal website/blog, LinkedIn profile, Google Scholar profile (if applicable), Well-designed PDF portfolios
Career Connection
Provides tangible proof of skills and accomplishments, significantly boosting chances for placements in teaching, research, content, and publishing roles across India.
Program Structure and Curriculum
Eligibility:
- A candidate who has passed B.A. with English as principal subject or subsidiary subject (with 3 years study) or B.A. (English Medium) from any recognized university.
Duration: 2 years (4 semesters)
Credits: 80 (Each paper is of 4 credits; 5 papers per semester) Credits
Assessment: Internal: 30%, External: 70%
Semester-wise Curriculum Table
Semester 1
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL01CC01 | LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM - I | Core | 4 | Plato and Aristotle''''s Poetics, Sir Philip Sidney''''s An Apology for Poetry, John Dryden''''s An Essay on Dramatic Poesy, William Wordsworth''''s Preface to Lyrical Ballads, Matthew Arnold''''s The Study of Poetry, T.S. Eliot''''s The Function of Criticism |
| EL01CC02 | INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH | Core | 4 | Indian English Poetry (Nissim Ezekiel, Kamala Das, A.K. Ramanujan), Indian English Fiction (R.K. Narayan, Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie), Indian English Drama (Mahesh Dattani, Girish Karnad), Evolution of Indian English Literature, Major themes and forms, Post-independence Indian English writing |
| EL01CC03 | CHAUCER TO THE ELIZABETHANS | Core | 4 | Geoffrey Chaucer''''s The Canterbury Tales (Prologue), Sir Philip Sidney''''s Astrophil and Stella (Sonnets), Edmund Spenser''''s The Faerie Queene (Book I), Christopher Marlowe''''s Doctor Faustus, William Shakespeare''''s Hamlet, Francis Bacon''''s Essays |
| EL01CC04 | AUGUSTAN AGE | Core | 4 | Alexander Pope''''s The Rape of the Lock, John Dryden''''s Mac Flecknoe, Jonathan Swift''''s Gulliver''''s Travels, Essays of Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, Daniel Defoe''''s Robinson Crusoe, Henry Fielding''''s Tom Jones |
| EL01CE01 | RESEARCH METHODOLOGY | Elective | 4 | Fundamentals of Research, Types of Research in Humanities, Research Design and Hypothesis Formulation, Data Collection Methods (Primary and Secondary), Academic Documentation and Citation Styles, Research Report Writing and Presentation |
Semester 2
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL02CC05 | LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM - II | Core | 4 | New Criticism and Formalism, Structuralism and Post-Structuralism, Deconstruction and Reader-Response Theory, Feminist Literary Criticism, Post-Colonial Theory, Marxist and Psychoanalytic Criticism |
| EL02CC06 | THE ROMANTIC AGE | Core | 4 | William Wordsworth''''s Poetry, Samuel Taylor Coleridge''''s Poetry, Lord Byron''''s Works, Percy Bysshe Shelley''''s Odes, John Keats'''' Odes and Sonnets, Jane Austen''''s Pride and Prejudice |
| EL02CC07 | THE VICTORIAN AGE | Core | 4 | Alfred, Lord Tennyson''''s Poetry, Robert Browning''''s Dramatic Monologues, Matthew Arnold''''s Poetry, Charles Dickens'''' Great Expectations, George Eliot''''s Middlemarch, Thomas Hardy''''s Tess of the D''''Urbervilles |
| EL02CC08 | AMERICAN LITERATURE | Core | 4 | Walt Whitman''''s Leaves of Grass, Emily Dickinson''''s Poetry, Nathaniel Hawthorne''''s The Scarlet Letter, Ernest Hemingway''''s The Old Man and the Sea, Toni Morrison''''s Beloved, Eugene O''''Neill''''s Long Day''''s Journey Into Night |
| EL02CE02 | ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING | Elective | 4 | Principles and Objectives of ELT, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Teaching of Language Skills (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking), Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary, Classroom Management and Materials Development, Language Testing and Assessment |
Semester 3
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL03CC09 | MODERNISM AND POST MODERNISM | Core | 4 | W.B. Yeats'''' Poetry, T.S. Eliot''''s The Waste Land, George Bernard Shaw''''s Pygmalion, Samuel Beckett''''s Waiting for Godot, James Joyce''''s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Virginia Woolf''''s Mrs. Dalloway |
| EL03CC10 | NEW LITERATURES IN ENGLISH | Core | 4 | Postcolonial Literary Theory, African Literature (Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka), Canadian Literature (Margaret Atwood), Australian Literature (Patrick White), Caribbean Literature (V.S. Naipaul), Diasporic writing |
| EL03CC11 | LITERARY MOVEMENTS | Core | 4 | The Renaissance and Humanism, Metaphysical Poetry, Restoration Comedy, The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Aestheticism and Decadence, Symbolism and Existentialism |
| EL03CE03 | CULTURAL STUDIES | Elective | 4 | Introduction to Cultural Studies, Culture, Ideology, and Power, Popular Culture and Media, Identity and Representation, Subcultures and Globalization, Methodologies in Cultural Analysis |
| EL03CE04 | LINGUISTICS AND STYLISTICS | Elective | 4 | Nature and Scope of Linguistics, Phonetics and Phonology, Morphology and Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis, Stylistic Analysis of Literary Texts |
| EL03CE05 | LITERATURE AND GENDER | Elective | 4 | Introduction to Gender Studies, Feminist Literary Criticism (First, Second, Third Wave), Representation of Women in Literature, Masculinity Studies, Queer Theory and LGBTQ+ Literatures, Gender and Performance |
Semester 4
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Type | Credits | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL04CC12 | INDIAN CRITICAL TRADITION | Core | 4 | Introduction to Sanskrit Poetics, Rasa Theory (Bharata''''s Natyashastra), Dhvani Theory (Anandavardhana), Alamkara and Riti, Vakrokti (Kuntaka), Aucitya and Guna Dosha |
| EL04CC13 | WORLD LITERATURES IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION | Core | 4 | Latin American Fiction (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), European Existentialism (Franz Kafka, Albert Camus), African Novels (Chinua Achebe), Middle Eastern Literature (Naguib Mahfouz), Asian Short Stories (Ryunosuke Akutagawa), Theories of Translation and Adaptation |
| EL04CC14 | LITERARY JOURNALISM AND ACADEMIC WRITING | Core | 4 | Principles of Literary Journalism, Feature Writing and Column Writing, Book Reviews and Cultural Criticism, Structure of Academic Essays, Research Paper Writing and Formatting, Oral Presentation and Communication Skills |
| EL04CE06 | MODERN DRAMA | Elective | 4 | Ibsen''''s Social Realism, Brecht''''s Epic Theatre, Theatre of the Absurd (Beckett, Pinter), English Kitchen Sink Drama (Osborne), Indian Modern Drama (Tendulkar, Karnad), Contemporary Dramatic Forms |
| EL04CE07 | DISSERTATION / PROJECT WORK | Elective | 4 | Research Proposal Development, Literature Review and Gap Identification, Methodology and Data Analysis, Chapter Writing and Thesis Structuring, Academic Ethics and Plagiarism, Dissertation Defense and Viva-Voce |
| EL04CE08 | PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM | Elective | 4 | Freudian Psychoanalysis (Id, Ego, Superego), Jungian Archetypes and Collective Unconscious, Lacanian Psychoanalytic Theory, Oedipus Complex and Dream Analysis, Application of Psychoanalysis to Literature, Literary Characters and Psychological Depth |
