Overview
Nowadays graduate education in English is developing dramatically. This
is influenced by the last decade's remarkable ferment in literary and
cultural studies. ISU is keeping pace with theoretical and practical
developments in both areas and puts particular efforts into developing
an innovative range of offerings at the MA level. The program offers
students the opportunity to enhance their skills of reading, writing,
research, and teaching with courses that encompass a wide range of
contemporary English and cultural studies.
Program Educational Objectives (PEO)
- PEO 1 To give students a solid foundation for building critical and cultural awareness.
- PEO 2 To open unfamiliar worlds of thoughts and ideas and exciting new ways of thinking before them
- PEO 3 To emphasize research and the application of various critical approaches to literature, composition, and cultural studies.
- PEO 4 To develop a strong sense of the students’ civic responsibilities so that they will be motivated to perform these for the cause of social development, with moral values.
PEO to Mission Statement Mapping
| Mission Statement | PEO 1 | PEO 2 | PEO 3 | PEO 5 |
| M1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| M2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| M3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| M4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Program Outcomes (PO)
An important role of English departments across the world has been to create interpretations of the texts of various historical periods, including the present. Accordingly, the courses of the MA in English Literature and Cultural Studies at ISU are designed aiming at the certain learning outcomes. Upon completion of the program, the students will be able to:
- PLO 1 Interpret texts as part of a complex web of historical conditions and relationships.
- PLO 2 Produce papers on major literary texts alongside nonfiction, functional texts, and public documents.
- PLO 3 Effectively teach and critically appreciate comparative texts that highlight differences across literature and culture as well as the texts of the Western canon.
- PLO 4 Evaluate film, television, and other storytelling media alongside conventional texts; and PLO5 Build careers in the field of literary and cultural studies and beyond it.
Mapping of POs to PEOs
| PEO | PLO 1 | PLO 2 | PLO 3 | PLO 4 | PLO 5 |
| PEO 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| PEO 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| PEO 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| PEO 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Program Objectives
The program aims to give students a solid foundation for building
critical and cultural awareness and open unfamiliar worlds and exciting
new ways of thinking before them. The Master of Arts in English
Literature and Cultural Studies, therefore, emphasizes research and the
application of various critical approaches to literature, composition,
and cultural studies.
Areas of Concentration
The program deals with the courses on major concentrations ranging from
the literary and cultural studies arena developed in different decades.
- South Asian Diaspora and Its Literature
- Latin American Literature in Translation
- Postmodernism in Literature
- Postcolonial Literature
- Studies in American Literature
- Film and Literature
- Literary Stylistics
- Creative Writing
Program Learning Outcomes
An important role of English departments across the world has been to create interpretations of the texts of various historical periods, including the present. Accordingly, the courses of the MA in English Literature and Cultural Studies at ISU are designed aiming at certain learning outcomes
- interpret texts as part of a complex web of historical conditions and relationships.
- produce papers on major literary texts alongside nonfiction, functional texts, and public documents
- effectively teach and critically appreciate comparative texts that highlight differences across literature and culture as well as the texts of the Western canon
- evaluate film, television, and other storytelling media alongside conventional texts
Career Opportunities
The program is intended to expose students to varied facets of English
literature and Cultural Studies. This is specifically designed to create
diverse professionals including well-trained and well-equipped English
language creative professionals and teachers who are increasingly
demanded both locally and globally. Many students can also use the
degree for professional enhancement, or doctoral study. Apart from
these, the graduates can choose their jobs in Bangladesh civil and
military services, banks, NGOs, and various corporate levels.
Admission Requirements
- Successful completion of at least a Bachelor’s degree in English from a reputed university with a minimum CGPA of 2.50.
Course Structure
| Course Category | No. of Courses | Credit per Course | Total Credits |
| Core Courses | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Major Concentrations | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| Elective Courses | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Seminar and Viva Voce | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Dissertation | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 13 | 38 |
Degree Requirements
The requirements to complete the MA in English Literature and Cultural
Studies will depend on the successful completion of eleven courses along
with seminar presentation(s), viva voce, and dissertation worth 38
credits that are intended to make the students skilled in essential and
related areas of English literature and cultural studies.
Financial Information
| Particulars | Unit Cost (in Tk.) | Total (in Tk.) | Mode of Payment |
| Admission Fee + Form Fee | 10500 | 10500 | Once |
| Tuition Fee (per credit) | 1600 | 60800 | Semester-wise |
| Registration Fee | 5000 | 10000 | Semester-wise |
| Library Fee | 1000 | 1000 | Once |
| Lab. Fee | 500 | 1000 | Semester-wise |
| Student Activities Fee | 1000 | 1000 | Once |
| Total | 84300 | ||
List of Courses
| Core Courses | ||
Course Code |
Course Title | Credit |
| MAE 5101 | Contemporary Literary Theory and Criticism | 3 |
| MAE 5102 | Cultural Studies | 3 |
| MAE 5103 | World Literature and Translation | 3 |
| MAE 5104 | Research Methods in English Studies | 3 |
| Major Concentrations | ||
| MAE 6101 | South Asian Diaspora and Its Literature | 3 |
MAE 6102 |
Latin American Literature in Translation | 3 |
| MAE 6103 | Postmodernism in Literature | 3 |
| MAE 6104 | Postcolonial Literature | 3 |
| MAE 6105 | Studies in American Literature | 3 |
| MAE 6106 | Film and Literature | 3 |
| MAE 6110 | Literary Stylistics | 3 |
| MAE 6111 | Creative Writing | 3 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| MAE 6107 | Media and Literature/ Media and Representation Studies | 3 |
| MAE 6108 | Popular Culture in Literature | 3 |
| MAE 6109 | Literature and Gender Studies | 3 |
| MAE 6112 | Eco-criticism, Environmental Justice and Literature | 3 |
| Seminar and Dissertation | ||
| MAE 6200 | Seminar on Recent Trends in Literary Research and Viva Voce | 2 |
| MAE 6300 | Dissertation | 3 |
