The new B.A. (Research) English syllabus at Shiv Nadar University seeks to absorb and deploy the pedagogical possibilities that have become part of our continuously evolving discipline as it moves through the twenty-first century. While never compromising on the rigor and knowledge base offered by a modern English program in the best universities, our new syllabus makes some major innovations.
First, it draws on the methodological breakthroughs emerging from philosophy, anthropology, semiotics and the exciting new knowledge systems of the cyber world, to constitute itself as an inherently interdisciplinary program. Second, we have the resources and are committed to training students in workshop like conditions, in both academic and creative writing. Third, the program draws on the exponential expansion of translation to decenter the ‘English’ in English literature and to treat the language as a means of mediating between literatures originating in various parts of the world. Finally, our B.A. program has a strong research component. All senior students are required to write a 10,000-word research paper, carrying the weight of 12 credits and based on a specific set of readings and weekly consultations with a designated supervisor.
At the heart of our new English program is the commitment to reconstitute traditional literary categories in contemporary ways. We take the student through several pathways that include: fictional traditions stretching from the novel to graphic novels and videogames, the literatures of South Asia informed by theories of translation, literary and cultural theory, world poetry, and the development of theatre from classical to contemporary. Moreover, the English program at SNU sees no contradiction between creative and expository writing. Every student is required to do a compulsory course on academic writing but we also have creative writers among us who offer optional creative writing courses with a focus on fiction.
The English department at Shiv Nadar University is designed to give students the intellectual training, knowledge base, and communication skills necessary for a range of professions: the civil services, publishing, journalism, advertising, content writing, and law. Most of all, we look out for undergraduate students with outstanding academic potential to groom for our graduate program which is among the finest in the country.
Learning Outcomes:
The B.A. (Research) programme at SNU is designed to impart to the student a corpus of knowledge as well as a set of skills.
On successful completion of the B.A. degree, the student will have knowledge of the literary history and the literary forms that have flourished in different parts of the world from the early 16th century to present times. The B.A. English programme is also fully committed to train students to write clear, coherent essays based on a complex corpus of material.