Syllabus for
Bachelor of Arts (Media, Public Affairs)
Academic Year  (2023)

The Department of English and Cultural Studies, in consonance with its mission statement, is committed to promoting an intellectual climate through artistic creation, critical mediation and innovative ideation. The department encourages students to engage critically with literary aesthetics, historic and socio-cultural debates and develop a unique perspective in liberal arts.  Located at Delhi-NCR, the Department of English & Cultural Studies offers courses in core areas of literary and cultural studies along with hands-on modules in multimedia production. Our dual focus on literary studies and communication enable our students to pursue diverse careers in academia and industry. The department also has a range of extra-curricular activities through department association and clubs which enable a well-rounded development of our students. The Value-Added Courses offered by the department are designed to enhance the potential for employability of our graduates.

Vision

Towards a critical reading of the Self, the Society and the Imagined.

 Mission

 The Department of English aspires to promote an intellectual climate through artistic creation, critical mediation and innovative ideation in a culture of reciprocal transformation. 

 The three-year BA in Media and Public Affairs at CHRIST (Deemed to be University) Delhi NCR is a first of its kind programme in India, modelled after similar academic initiatives in premiere universities across the globe, while incorporating the guidelines of National Education Policy 2020.

 The programme covers theoretical perspectives in Communication, Journalism in all formats – print, electronic and online, Advertising and Public Relations. It also explores the theory and practice of Public Policy, key themes in Political Science and Economics, and governance in the digital era. Bachelor of Arts in Media and Public Affairs, an industry-integrated course will equip the students to acquire the knowledge and skills required to build a successful career in media industry and policy research. 

Programme Outcome/Programme Learning Goals/Programme Learning Outcome:

PO2: Acquire advanced media skills - creative writing, news reporting and editing, photography, television and radio production, and social media analytics so that they could become successful media practitioners.

PO3: Critically analyze various development issues along with their causes and propose evidence-based and research-driven policy prescriptions.

PO4: Become public policy practitioners and researchers, assisting governments and development agencies to resolve the pressing problems of humanity like poverty, ill-health, environmental degradation, illiteracy, skill deficit, and so on.

PO5: Transform themselves into better human beings and independent, responsible citizens who possess civic awareness, media literacy, and social skills to live dignified lives.

Programme Educational Objective:

PEO2: To equip students with advanced media skills ranging from creative writing to digital storytelling techniques, so that they may become skillful and competent journalists and communication professionals.

PEO3: To enable students to critically analyze the issues of (under)development and come up with evidence-based public policy solutions through critical and impactful research

PEO4: To equip students to become reflective practitioners in public affairs through careers in government/public service, development organizations, social enterprises, think tanks, and other agencies of social change

The assessment methods developed by the course instructor include three internal assessments and an end-semester examination. Some papers also provide flexibility in the structure and the mode of administering these assessments. Continuous internal assessment will have centralized exam (mid- semester), written assignments, oral presentations, performances. End Semester Exams will have centralised exams, portfolio submission, Dissertations, performances.

The success of organizations are predominantly determined by the effectiveness of it people resources. To succeed in this global competition, it is imperative for the organizations to build hig performing teams. The core of building high performing teams is to understand team dynamics and build collaboration within teams, between teams and work as a team of teams. The course will enable the students to understand the nuances of team dynamics, experience the power of synergy working as a team and collaborate effectively for the benefit of personal, organizational and societal growth.

The course aims: 

●        To facilitate better understanding of group and phases of group development

●        To provide a deeper understanding of team dynamics and qualities of being a good team player

●        Resolve team conflicts and build synergy

●        Build trust, offer constructive feedback, coach and mentor others

To inculcate the spirit of working as a team

Human Resource is considered as a valuable resource in every organization. The world class companies compete among themselves to attract the best talent across the globe.  They view talent as competitive differentiator and one where the acquisition, engagement, development and retention of talent is considered as a strategic priority of business.  This course exposes the students to methods and practices to acquire, engage and develop talent, focus on development of strategic leaders within an organization and also deals with how talent and knowledge can be managed effectively for the development of the organization

Entrepreneurship is not just about start-ups: it is a topic that is rapidly growing in importance in government policy and in the behaviour of established firms. The course provides students with an understanding of the role and personality of the entrepreneur, and a range of skills aimed at successful planning of entrepreneurial ventures. Material covered includes fostering creativity and open-mindedness, knowledge acquisition and management, innovation systems, screening and evaluating new venture concepts, market evaluation and developing a marketing plan, legal Issues Including intellectual property, preparation of venture budgets, and raising finance. The major piece of assessment is the writing of a comprehensive business plan for a new venture.

• To expose learners to a variety of texts to interact with
• To help learners classify ideologies and be able to express the same
• To expose learners to visual texts and its reading formulas
• To help learners develop a taste to appreciate works of literature through the organization of language
• To help develop critical thinking
• To help learners appreciate literature and the language nuances that enhances its literary values

• To help learners understand the relationship between the world around them and the text/literature
• To help learners negotiate with content and infer meaning contextually
• To help learners understand logical sequencing of content and process information

·         To help improve their communication skills for larger academic purposes and vocational purposes

·         To enable learners to learn the contextual use of words and the generic meaning

·         To enable learners to listen to audio content and infer contextual meaning

·         To enable learners to be able to speak for various purposes and occasions using context specific language and expressions

·         To enable learners to develop the ability to write for various purposes using suitable and precise language.

This is an introductory course to understanding the emergence and development of crime fiction as a literary genre. Once considered as popular literature insignificant to the canon, crime fiction exists as a genre that is relevant to the current times, especially to understand the society in which we live in today. This course will engage discussions on the concepts of crime and justice, and enable students to identify how crime impacts individuals and communities. Certain discourses will include socio-cultural understanding of crime and punishment, role of detectives and police officers and their interactions with civilians, and how gender, race, class, religion play a role in these narratives. Through this course, students will critically analyse textual works in the form of short stories, chapters, essays, novels, along with visual sources such as documentaries, films, television and web series and animated works.

Course Objectives

The objective of this course is to:

●      Sensitise students to the real-world scenario of conflict and violence and its consequence thereof.

●      Introduce crime fiction and its sub-genres

●      Study the impact of crime on literature and society.

●      Explore different forms of crime fiction from across the globe.

●      Identify works of crime fiction that are yet unexplored such as regional works with linguistic variabilities.

The present decline in environmental quality calls for a stricter enforcement of laws relating to protection of environment. The objective of this course is to give an insight into various legislations that has been enacted in our country for protection of environment and also to create awareness among the citizens of the country about the duties cast on them under various legislations in relation to protection of environment.

Course Objectives:

• To impart an in-depth knowledge of environmental legislations to students from diverse backgrounds.
• To interpret, analyse and make a critique of the legislations and Case laws relating to environment
• To provide a brief understanding of various developments that has taken place at international level to check various environmental harms.

This course, thus, has been specifically designed for the non-law people. It aims to address the linkages between the corporate and the human rights in the form of CSR. It critically analyses one significant question – whether the issues of human rights should be addressed by the corporate sector mandatorily or voluntarily, in different social contexts? The strengths and weaknesses of the CSR initiatives in India and other countries are analysed. Also, the international commitments, with special reference to the role of United Nations are seen.

Course Objectives: Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR, as it is popularly referred to, is a combination of ethical, philanthropic, legal and economic responsibilities of a corporate organization towards the social transformation by addressing the social issues in collaboration with Government and NGOs. The corporate entities are more into profit making business and in this race, they often forget that their activities are causing harm to and not protecting the environment as well as human rights of the people.

Throughout this Bridge Course for the BA in Media and Public Affairs program, students will be exposed to a comprehensive curriculum encompassing diverse learning content. They will explore various facets of media and communication, including media history, communication techniques, news and media production, and the interplay between media and public policy. Students will also gain insights into political science, economics, and societal dynamics, fostering a well-rounded understanding of public affairs.

The Bridge Course for the BA in Media and Public Affairs program aims to provide students from diverse academic backgrounds with a foundational understanding of media and its impact on public affairs. Throughout this course, students will explore media history, communication techniques, news and media production, and the interplay between media and public policy. They will develop critical thinking skills and an awareness of ethical considerations in media practices.

This course – Introduction to Media and Communication – is designed to help students to critically survey, examine and analyze the communication and media landscape. It will introduce the students to basic concepts in communication and the media processes, origin and history of media, selected theories and models of communication, and paradigms of media effects. The course also explores some pertinent themes - media and society, democracy, and public sphere along with the recent trends and media related issues in the modern political economy.

This course explores the intricate relationship between media and social movements, examining how media platforms and technologies have shaped the formation, mobilization, and impact of contemporary social movements. Through an interdisciplinary lens, students will analyze the role of media in fostering collective action, amplifying marginalized voices, and challenging power structures. They will critically examine various forms of media, including traditional news outlets, social media platforms, and alternative media, and investigate their influence on activism, protest, and social change. Drawing on case studies from around the world, students will gain insights into the complexities of media representation, framing, and manipulation, as well as strategies employed by social movements to harness media for their causes. By the end of the course, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the dynamic interplay between media and social movements in the contemporary global context.

This course - Writing for Newspapers - is designed to teach basic writing skills for newspapers. It primarily covers news writing techniques for print. The course also introduces students to other aspects of writing for media like - feature stories, press releases, and reviews (books, films etc.). Students will enhance their writing skills as they take advanced courses of Reporting and Editing, Radio and Television Production and Digital Storytelling Techniques in the coming semesters.

This course – Design and Layout – will help students to acquire graphic design and layout skills, a key requisite for a successful career in media.  The course is designed to meet the requirement of those students who wants to master in multiple aspects of graphic design. The first part of the course introduces the students to computer and software fundamentals as well as tools and techniques in digital illustration. The second part details image editing and layout techniques including working with colours, typography, and various design elements.

The course on introduction to political theory will introduce students to the concepts of politics, theories and traditions. Enhance understanding of the relevance of core concepts such as liberty, equality, justice, rights and duties in the context of modern governance, and contemporary ideological debates emerging from abstract political concepts to articulation and actualization of these concepts in practice. 

Popularly known as ‘Father of the Nation,’ Mahatma Gandhi was the leading figure of

India’s freedom movement. It was his mass-based mobilization and campaign marked by the

method of non-violence and Satyagraha which changed the course of the movement. His

guiding method and principles continue to fascinate and inspire many both in India and

around the world. Gandhi elevated pacifism to an empowering political force, which inspired

world leaders like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Walesa, etc. His views – although

developed in the context of a struggle in South Africa and India many years ago – Gandhi's

ideology has influenced myriad spheres of human experience: politics, economics, education,

nation-building etc. The course seeks to introduce to the students the ideas and thought of

Gandhi and why the interest on him has only increased.

Course Objectives

 The course is designed to acquaint the students with the life and works of Mahatma

Gandhi and also to make them understand how M.K. Gandhi transformed from a

lawyer to a Mahatma?

 To introduce the political thought of Mahatma Gandhi and his non-violent protest.

 The significance and Relevance of Gandhian values in the contemporary world.

This course has been conceptualized in order to introduce the students to the study of international relations. It introduces students to major theoretical approaches to understand international politics and diplomacy.

 To introduce the students to:

●       The nature, scope and importance of International Relations/Politics

●       The basic concepts of International Relations such as Sovereignty, Security, balance of Power etc.

●       The contemporary global issues

This course will develop an understanding of how advertising affects the human mind by giving unique and valuable insight from the industry. The course will help in studying the relationship between advertising and human mind and also apply this learning to advertising strategy, positioning, brand, and marketing communications that prepare students for the competitive world of advertising and marketing.

Course objectives

This course aims to

• Introduce psychological perspectives of advertisements in real life situations. 
• Orient students towards the various functions and roles of cognitive, affective and behavioral responses in the field of advertisement.
• Help students to identify and apply the various theories and principles of advertisement psychology in the field of marketing.

This course is designed to introduce students to urban transformations mediated through digital technology. The paper specifically explores the urban transformations in the economic and cultural sphere. In the economic sphere, the paper addresses the changing forms of work and labour, thereby the political economy of the digital technology mediated urban transformations will be explored. In the cultural sphere, the paper will introduce students to the changing nature of social relations induced by the technological advancements in cities. 

The course aims at imparting knowledge on Marketing Management from the perspective of Marketing Communications.Great marketing strategies can be powerful. Every year companies spend approximately $200 billion promoting their products and services – and that’s just in the United States alone! Explore how marketing campaigns, ads, and commercials are brought to life which will lead the exploration of various aspects of Advertising and sales promotion techniques which includes its objectives, classification, creative aspect and functions. This course introduces students to the concepts and processes of marketing and takes them deeper into the world of marketing.

Course Objectives: This course intends

●        Describe the history of the advertising industry and its relation to today’s marketplace.
●        List the roles and responsibilities of various advertising, marketing, and promotions professionals.
       Develop students’ understanding and skill in development of communication strategy of a firm, particularly with advertising and sales promotions.

Course Description

This course examines the investment and financial issues arising from personal wealth management activities. The course commences with an introduction to the financial planning industry and the regulatory framework. It then covers various topics required for constructing a comprehensive financial plan, including identifying client financial status and goals, asset allocation, securities trading, managed funds, superannuation, estate planning, and social security. This course focuses on understanding the nature, usage, and regulations of the advice of various financial products and legal instruments for developing personal wealth management plans.

This Course aims to help learners build Online business strategies through Digital Marketing. The course provides conceptual knowledge on basics of marketing, fundamentals of Digital Marketing, subject related jargons and application of marketing in an online platform; it also enables an understanding of optimization of a website through SEO; and attraction traffic through Google AdWords campaigns as well as social media campaigns. The course ensures to provide working knowledge of tools such as Google AdSense; Google Ad creation; Blog creation, embed Google Analytics in a webpage or in a blog to understand the performance of the online business, its ads, its traffic and to plan online business strategies.

This course is designed to expose the students to the basic principles of microeconomic theory. The emphasis will be on thinking like an economist and the course will illustrate how microeconomic concepts can be applied to analyse real-life situations.

Course Objectives

The course has been conceptualised in order to help students:

• to understand how decisions related to allocation of scarce resources and trade-offs are made.
• to analyse the market for goods & services and output-price determination.
• to understand the role of government policies regulating market outcome.
• to demonstrate understanding of how rational consumers make their choice to optimize utility.
• to analyse the dynamics of factors of the production market.

This course emphasizes both the theoretical and the practical aspects of statistical analysis, focusing on techniques for estimating statistical models of various kinds. The goal is to help you develop a solid theoretical background in statistics, and the ability to implement the techniques and critique empirical studies in social sciences.

• To expose learners to a variety of texts to interact with
• To help learners classify ideologies and be able to express the same
• To expose learners to visual texts and its reading formulas
• To help learners develop a taste to appreciate works of literature through the organization of language
• To help develop critical thinking
• To help learners appreciate literature and the language nuances that enhances its literary values

• To help learners understand the relationship between the world around them and the text/literature
• To help learners negotiate with content and infer meaning contextually
• To help learners understand logical sequencing of content and process information

·         To help improve their communication skills for larger academic purposes and vocational purposes

·         To enable learners to learn the contextual use of words and the generic meaning

·         To enable learners to listen to audio content and infer contextual meaning

·         To enable learners to be able to speak for various purposes and occasions using context specific language and expressions

·         To enable learners to develop the ability to write for various purposes using suitable and precise language.

IPR have assumed increased significance in global trade. Over the last two decades IPR protection has expanded in an unprecedented pace resulting in economic growth. Understating IPR legal regime is vital for protecting innovation and creation. This course aims at providing basic working knowledge in the area of intellectual property and examines, analyzes and studies the remarkable subject of International Intellectual Property Law and how to enforce trademarks, patents and copyrights beyond national boundaries. Special emphasis will be placed on international standards for intellectual property and its implementation, application and practices in national jurisdictions. In addition the course covers the differences and similarities between the diverse national intellectual property systems.

This course - Reporting and Editing - is designed to teach basic reporting, writing, and editing skills required in any news organization. Knowledge and skills that students acquire from the Skill Enhancement Course – Writing for Media – in the previous semester will enhance the scope of this course. The course covers topics like ethical and professional standards in reporting, functioning of newsrooms, techniques of newsgathering and writing, beat reporting, and editing techniques.

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of the intricate relationship between media and political structures in the context of India. Students will delve into the dynamic interplay between media institutions, government bodies, and political actors, analyzing the impact on democracy, governance, and public opinion formation. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the course examines the historical, social, and cultural factors that have shaped India's media landscape and political structures. Case studies, critical analysis, and discussions will enable students to develop a nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics that shape the intersection of media and politics in the Indian context.

Course Description

This hands-on course introduces students to the fundamentals of digital media production, providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to create compelling content in various digital formats. Through practical exercises and projects, students will learn the essentials of pre-production, production, and post-production processes in the digital media landscape. They will explore techniques for capturing and editing audio and video, designing graphics, and creating engaging multimedia content. The course will also examine the influence of digital media on society, including its impact on culture, communication, and storytelling. By the end of the course, students will be proficient in producing professional-quality digital media projects and will have a critical understanding of the broader implications of digital media production.

Course Objectives:
1. Design impactful stories using effective structures, engaging visuals, and multimedia elements, tailored to specific platforms and audiences.
2. Get hands-on experience with audio/video recording and editing software, graphic design principles, and popular digital media platforms to produce effective storytelling projects.
3. Evaluate digital storytelling projects, identify effective techniques, and analyze the broader impact of digital media on communication and society.
4. Utilize various storytelling methods, collaborate effectively in teams, and communicate creative vision through presentations and project critiques.
5. Apply digital media skills to various platforms and emerging technologies, adapting your approach to diverse audiences and storytelling goals.

Understanding close relationships is among the central goals of social psychology. Close relationships range from family ties to friendships to romantic and sexual relationships. Our main purpose will be on learning about the life cycle of adult intimate (i.e., romantic) relationships, ranging from stages of initial attraction and relationship initiation to growth and maintenance of the relationship, and in some cases, dissolution. Although other close relationships such as close friendships, family, and work relationships will also be addressed and integrated into the course, they will be of secondary importance. Class meetings will consist mainly of facilitated discussions and student-led presentations on topics such as the biological bases of attraction and love, commitment and interdependence, relationship cognition, attachment, communication, sexuality, relational interaction patterns, relationship satisfaction, and the social context of relationships (e.g., the influence of others) conflict, relationship dissolution, and relationship maintenance.

CO1: Understand the major concepts and models of interpersonal relationships.

CO2: Evaluate the different types of relationships and their impact on one's life.

CO3: Use strategies to enhance everyday life challenges and sustain effective relationships