BA English Subjects and Syllabus: Semester Wise Curriculum, Core & Electives
BA English subjects consist of core and elective subjects that enable the students to pursue their unique literary interests. The BA English core subjects include, Indian Writing in English, History of English Literature, Shakespeare: Comedies, etc.
The BA English syllabus spans 3 years and is divided into six semesters. The syllabus explores various forms of literary expression, from classic works to contemporary writings. The various BA English elective subjects include Indian Writing in English, The Social History of England, Shakespeare: Comedies and many more.
All of these disciplines in this course provide the necessary knowledge of the social, political, and economic life of the age in which the literary masterpieces were created.
The BA in English course equips students with a profound understanding of the English language and its literature, enhancing their communication and critical thinking skills.
Table of Contents
BA English Subjects - Core & Electives
BA English subjects present a well-rounded exploration of literature, covering classics and contemporary works. BA English core subjects establish a strong foundation in various literary traditions, while electives empower students to specialize in their preferred areas. The core and the elective subjects of the BA English syllabus are discussed below:
BA English First Year Subjects
BA English First year subjects cover History of English Literature, English Poetry, Indian Writing in English, these subjects offer a comprehensive understanding of the literary landscape, including themes such as British Romanticism, women's writing, and postcolonial literature. The BA English first year subjects are listed below:
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Communicative English | Travel and Tourism, English For the Workplace, Confronting Critical Situations, Brave the Challenge, Mass Media, Responding to the World Around You | Core |
| History of English Literature: The Pre-Chaucerian to the Augustan | Pre-Chaucerian Period, Pre-Chaucerian Period, The Age of Chaucer, From Chaucer to Tottel’s Miscellany, The Renaissance-The Age of Shakespeare, Puritan Age-The Age of Milton | Core |
| English Poetry: The Elizabethan to the Romantic | William Shakespear Sonnet, Writings of: John Donne, John Milton and Andrew Marvell, George Herbert And Alexander Pope | Core |
| English Poetry: The Pre-Romantic to the Victorian | Writings of James Thompson, Thomas Gray, Robert Burns, William Blake, William Cowper | Core |
| Indian Writing in English | Amitav Ghosh, Anita Desai, Kamala Das, Nissim Ezekiel, Robin Ngangom, Meena Kandasamy, Mahesh Dattani, Novel, Poems, Drama, Short Stories, Postcolonial writing, Nationalism, Tradition, Modernity, Native Imagery | Elective |
| Professional Communication | Foundations of Professional Communication, Introduction to Communication, Choosing a Communications Channel, Direction of Communication within Organizations | Elective |
BA English Second Year Subjects
The second year BA English subjects explore Communicative English, History of English Language and Phonetics, American Literature and the History of English Literature. The BA English second year subjects and topics covered are detailed in the table below.
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Communicative English (Advanced) | Importance of Learning, Practise of Communication | Core |
| History of English Language and Phonetics | Proto-English, Old English, Scandinavian influence, Middle English, Early Modern English, Modern English, Phonological Changes | Core |
| History of English Literature: Victorian to the Present | Realism and Romanticism, Individualization, Gender Roles in Victorian Literature, Bildungsroman, Literary Modernism, Stream of Consciousness, Fragmentation of Narrative, Responses to World War-I | Core |
| Indian Writing In English: Poetry | Representations of Indian society and Culture, Representations of Indian Society and Culture, Cultural and Social Issues in Contemporary Indian English literature | Core |
| American Literature | Colonial Beginnings, Eighteenth-Century National Optimism, The American Renaissance, The Birth of Modern American Poetry, Modernism, Postmodernism | Core |
| Shakespeare: Comedies | All's Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labour's Lost, Measure for Measure | Elective |
| Environmental Studies | Climate Change, Conservation Biology, Environmental Economics, Environmental Humanities, or Water Resources | Elective |
BA English Third Year Subjects
The third year BA English subjects cover Elements of Literary Criticism, English Poetry: Modern, Shakespeare: Tragedies, The Social History of England, etc.
It also offers choices for students from discipline-specific elective courses. Listed below are the BA English subjects for the third year along with their topics covered:
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Elements of Literary Criticism | The Classical and Neoclassical Criticism, Romantic Criticism, Victorian and Modernist Criticism, Practical and The New Criticism, Psychological & Marxist Criticism | Core |
| Literary Criticism: Introduction | Classical Literary Criticism, Aristotle’s Observation on Tragedy, Aristotle's Opinion About Epic, The Relevance of Sublimity in Aesthetics | Core |
| English Poetry: Modern | Alienation and Exile, The Crisis of Personal Identity and of Cultural Identity, Childhood Memories, Familial Relations and Love | Core |
| European Fiction | Writings of Cervantes, Leo Tolstoy, Franz Kafka, Gunter Grass | Core |
| Shakespeare: Tragedies | Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Julius Caesar | Elective |
| The Social History of England | Tudor England, The Renaissance, The Reformation and The Counter Reformation | Elective |
Semester-Wise BA English Syllabus
The semester-wise BA English syllabus is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of English literature and language. Each semester offers a balanced mix of core courses, discipline-specific electives, and generic electives, covering topics from classical literature to modern writing and literary theory to practical skills like composition and communication
First-Year BA English Syllabus
The BA English first-year syllabus introduces students to the foundational aspects of English literature and language through courses covering classical and contemporary literature. The BA 1st year English syllabus for 1st and 2nd semester is detailed below:
| Semester I | Semester II |
| Language I | Language II |
| Communicative English | Professional Communication |
| English Poetry: The Elizabethan to the Romantic | English Poetry: The Pre-Romantic to the Victorian |
| History of English Literature: The Pre-Chaucerian to the Augustan | Indian Writing in English |
Second Year BA English Syllabus
The second year of the BA English program delves into topics such as American and British literature, analytical reading and writing, and creative writing. B.A. 3rd sem English syllabus and B.A. 4th semester English syllabus are detailed below:
| Semester III | Semester IV |
| Communicative English (Advanced) | History of English Language and Phonetics |
| History of English Literature: Victorian to the Present | Indian Writing In English: Poetry |
| Shakespeare: Comedies | American Literature |
| Environmental Studies | Biography |
Third Year BA English Syllabus
The third year of BA English syllabus explores specialized areas such as women's writing, modern European drama, and postcolonial literature. Students have the option to choose any two discipline specific electives from the options provided by their university.
B.A. 6th and B.A. 5th sem English syllabus is outlined in the table below:
| Semester V | Semester VI |
| Elements of Literary Criticism | Literary Criticism: Introduction |
| English Poetry: Modern | European Fiction |
| Shakespeare: Tragedies | The Social History of England(Elective) |
Practical Topics in BA English Third Year Syllabus
Below listed are a few practical topics covered in BA English 3rd year syllabus:
- Digital Storytelling
- Drama and Performance Studies
- Community Engagement Projects
Also, Check: Courses and Career Options After BA English
BA English Course Structure
The course structure for a BA English includes a mix of core courses, electives, and sometimes additional components like general educational requirements and skill enhancement courses. The course structure may vary across colleges, however, the general outline remains the same. The BA in English course structure includes:
- VI Semesters
- Core and Elective courses
- Workshops
- Seminars
- Guest lecturers
- Projects
BA English Project Topics
Project topics offer a diverse range of possibilities for BA English students to explore and engage with various aspects of literature and literary studies. Listed below are some of the topics that students can refer to:
- Investigate and critique the portrayal of gender in a selection of literature.
- Examine the relationship between literature and society.
- Analyze the challenges of translating literary works from one language to another.
- Assess how specific literary works have influenced socio-political movements.
- Analyze how literature portrays and addresses psychological themes.
- Study the transformation of storytelling through digital media.
BA English Reference Books
BA English books help the students understand the literature and ideas better in complex topics such as evolution of popular literature, social and political context, colonial identities, etc. Aspiring candidates can refer to the year-wise BA English reference books provided in the table below:
BA English Books First Year
For a deeper grasp of English literature, students may refer to the BA in English first-year books listed in the table below:
| Books | Authors | Topics Covered |
| The Pelican Guide to English Literature. | Ed. Boris Ford | Chaucer and the alliterative tradition, The age of Shakespeare, From Donne to Marvell, From Dryden to Johnson |
| The Age of Chaucer English Literature | Paul Poplawski | Medieval English, The Renaissance, The Restoration and eighteenth century, The Romantic period, The Victorian Age |
| Routledge History of Literature in English | Ronald Carter & John Mc Rae | Once Upon a Time, English Literature: What it is, When it began, English poetry, English Drama, The English Novel, Comedy and the English Character |
| Popular Fiction and Social Change | Christopher Pawling | Exploration of Popular Genres, Cultural Impact of Popular Literature, Evolution of Popular Fiction, etc. |
BA English Books Second Year
The BA English second year literature books assist students to evolve in their social and political contexts, which are outlined below.
| Books | Authors | Topics Covered |
| Orientalism | Edward Said | Colonial and Postcolonial Identities, Representation of the "Other", Power Dynamics in Postcolonial Societies, etc. |
| The Literature of the Indian Diaspora: TheorisingThe Diasporic Imaginary | Vijay Mishra | Diasporic Literature and Identity, Cultural Hybridity and Syncretism, Postcolonial Perspectives in Indian Writing, etc. |
| Romantic Prose and Poetry | Harold Bloom and Lionel Trilling | Nature and Romanticism, Imagination and Creativity, Social and Political Contexts in Romantic Poetry, etc. |
BA English Books Third Year
The third year books as per the BA English syllabus are mentioned below:
| Books | Authors | Topics Covered |
| Routledge History of Literature in English | Ronald Carter & John Mc Rae. | Long poems, French Influence and English Affirmations, From Anonymity to Individualism, Language and Dialect |
| Shakespeare for Beginners | Brandon Toropov | Cover Page, Titlepage, Who Is Shakespeare?, The Plays, The Poems, Bibliography, Cast of Characters |
| The Bloomsbury Guide to English Literature | Wynne Davies M | Medieval English Literature, Reading Renaissance Poetry, Renaissance Prose, Renaissance Drama, The Augustan Age in Perspective |
| A Textbook of English Phonics | T.Balasubramaniam | List of Phonetic Symbols, Language Linguistics and Communication, Phonetics: The Articulation of Speech Sound, Classification of Speech Sounds |
| A Galaxy of English Essayists From Bacon to Beerbohm | Ed.M.G.Nayar.Macmillar | “Of Great Place” -Bacon, “Sir Roger at The Theatre” -Addison, “The Trumpet Club” -Steele, "Poor Relations” -Lamp, “The Fight” -Hazlitt |
Also, Check: Best English Grammar Books
Top BA English Colleges
Top Arts Entrance Exams
BA English Fee Structure
FAQs on BA English Syllabus and Subjects
Q: What is the syllabus of BA English 1st year?
A: The 1st-year BA English syllabus typically covers History of English Literature, English Poetry, Indian Writing in English, English Poetry and Professional Communication, among other subjects.
Q: What is the qualification for BA English?
A: The candidate should have passed their 10+2 examinations with English as a mandatory subject to pursue BA English course.
Q: What is the structure of the BA English syllabus?
A: BA English syllabus is divided into six semesters consisting of core subjects, elective subjects and project work during the final semester.
Q: What is taught in literary theory subject in BA English course?
A: Elements of Literary Criticism covers topics like The Classical and Neoclassical Criticism, Romantic Criticism, Victorian and Modernist Criticism, etc.
Q: Is BA English in demand?
A: A BA in English can open doors to various careers in writing, teaching, editing, and more. While demand varies, strong communication skills are always valued in the job market.
Q: Is creative writing included in BA English course?
A: Yes, creative writing as a practical component is included in BA English course.
