CHRIST (Deemed to University), Bangalore

DEPARTMENT OF LIBERAL ARTS

School of Sciences

Syllabus for
BA (Liberal Arts/Honours/Honours with Research)
Academic Year  (2023)

 
  

    
Introduction to Program:

Brief description about the Programme: 

The Liberal Arts Program refers to the concept of globalization in all its forms – including political, biological, digital, cultural, economic, and most importantly – historical. This will be an interdisciplinary exploration of a set of global issues through a very comprehensive lens and will delve into people, commodities, ideas, heritage and even diseases moving around the world - with a focus shifting to integrate mathematical, logical, analytical and creative skills in higher education. The Liberal Arts Program is meant to foster innovative problem solving by providing students with a variety of methods and analytic tools.

 

We at the department of Liberal Arts, firmly believe that new ideas come from ‘thinking outside the box’ and developing new perspectives that combine diverse ways of knowing the world. And with our enabling environment, empowered leadership and governance structure, we are breaking away from the pattern of conventional and rigid program and creating student-centric, flexible learning systems, and allow students to explore and curate their own visions and aspirations – incorporating creative expressions like music, theatre, art and sports into the curriculum as well.

A BA Liberal Arts (Honors/Honors with Research) will provide one with a passport to enter a highly rewarding career in fields including international relations, international business, foreign diplomacy, non-profit organizations, and more. Our majors’ program should be designed to offer a selection of stimulating coursework that prioritizes class discussion, featuring dedicated and experienced faculty, and prepares students for an inspiring career. It should shape one as an informed citizen who can make a difference in our increasingly globalised world. The Liberal Arts Degree is designed in a way that at the end of 3/4 years, the student can tailor their own specialization according to their own unique interests, from among the ‘Interdisciplinary Thematic Tracks’ mentioned below.

The Thematic Tracks are:

 

  1. Environment: Science, Society and Policy

  2.   

Programme Outcome/Programme Learning Goals/Programme Learning Outcome:

PO1: Demonstrate competency, knowledge, and linkage between two or more disciplines Tracks: Environment|Sustainability; Gender|Minority; Urban Studies; Industry Innovation and Infrastructure; Peace and Conflict Studies; Communication Studies; Healthcare and Wellness

PO2: To apply critical thinking and problem solving abilities using evidence-based reasoning to make rationalized and informed decisions Tracks : Foundational Course- Critical Thinking, Environment and Sustainability, Innovation and Infrastructure.

PO3: Apply logical reasoning to multiple narratives and demonstrate understanding to ethical concerns, and historical consciousness. Tracks: Environment and Sustainability, Gender and Minority, Peace and Conflict, Communication Studies.

PO4: Develop understanding of ideas and concepts on pluralism and cultural legacies by critiquing the dynamics of power to appreciate the lived social experiences in the areas of environment, sustainability, politics and history. Tracks:Peace and Conflict Studies,Gender and minority studies,Environment and Sustainability, Health care and wellness, Communication

PO5: Develop collaborative, leadership, team- and network- building skills to be applied towards understanding, engaging and valuing diverse perspectives Tracks: Communication Studies; Gender and minority studies; Peace and Conflict Studies; Infrastructure and Innovation

PO6: Employ effective written communication and disseminate knowledge acquired to both academic and non-academic communities the value of an individual voice, opinion, their education, and their cultural experiences through multiple mediums. Tracks: Communication Studies,Gender and minority studies,Peace and Conflict Studies ,Environment studies

PO7: Demonstrate individual and social responsibility (civic responsibility, engagement, and ethical reasoning), a propensity for life-long learning, employment, and prepare for global citizenship Tracks: All of them

PO8: Apply an interdisciplinary understanding of the knowledge gained from different disciplines in varying historical, socio-political and cultural contexts; environmental processes; and sustainability aspects through the display of critical skills in both theory and practice. Tracks: Environment and Sustainability; Urban studies; Industry innovation; Healthcare and Wellness

PO9: Apply appropriate research methods to generate effective multidisciplinary research Track: Foundational Research Methodology Course

PO10: Critically analyze and evaluate discourses of identity, citizenship, environmental ethics, nation-state and surveillance through an interdisciplinary approach. Tracks: Industry and Innovation, Urban studies, Environment and Sustainability

Programme Specific Outcome:

PSO1: NA

Programme Educational Objective:

PE01: NA
Assesment Pattern

Faculty members who are offering courses to BA Liberal Arts Programs may choose their assessments from the following list:

  1. In-class writing exercises: Teachers can provide students with ‘texts’ or contexts and ask them to read them closely and examine their language, rhetoric, style and narrative conventions. Teachers can require students to complete this task manually or without external resources to minimise the use of chatbots.

Skills to be tested: linguistic skills, analysis, synthesis, and critical thinking.

  1. Presentations and debates: Teachers can guide students to prepare presentations on topics relevant to their courses. 

Skills to be tested: Public speaking, argumentation, linguistic skills, analytical skills, critical thinking, teamwork and interpersonal skills, research, creative skills, summarising, paraphrasing, leadership skills, cultural and social sensitivity, and verbal and non-verbal skills.

  1. Content-creation and dissemination: Creative writing, blogging, Vlogging, other web or social media content, photo essays, graphic narratives, video essays, documentaries, exhibitions, and archive creations.

Skills to be tested: Creativity, linguistic skills, analytical skills, technical skills, critical thinking, teamwork and interpersonal skills, cultural and social sensitivity, research, writing for specific purposes and media, editing, proofreading, design skills, networking, professional ethics, and academic integrity. 

  1. Role play and performances: Acting, scripting, storytelling, folk narrations, dance, forms of theatre such as mono act, street plays, mime etc., Reels, sketch comedies, Open mic, and performance poetry.

Skills to be tested: Creativity, linguistic skills, analytical skills, technical skills, critical thinking, leadership, teamwork, cultural and social sensitivity, and performative skills.

  1. Written submissions: Critical essays, research essays, research papers, portfolios, reports, annotations, annotated bibliographies, precis writing, opinion pieces, and reviews. 

Skills to be tested: Research skills, Creativity, linguistic skills, analytical skills, technical skills, cultural and social sensitivity, professional ethics, academic integrity, and critical thinking.

  1. Workshops/Seminars/Conferences/Symposia: Faculty-guided and student-led events, paper presentations, and poster presentations.

Skills to be tested: Research skills, Creativity, linguistic skills, analytical skills, technical skills, cultural and social sensitivity, critical thinking, leadership, professional ethics, academic integrity, teamwork, and networking skills.

  1. Internship/apprenticeship: Service learning, community engagement, and discipline based professional development. 

Skills to be tested: leadership, professional ethics, academic integrity, cultural and social sensitivity, teamwork, and networking skills.

  1. Research Projects: Dissertations, capstone projects, translation, mini-projects, short research papers, creative writing, field-based research, curating and archiving, language documentation, problem-oriented project work, surveys, ethnographic research.

 

Skills to be tested: Research skills, Creativity, linguistic skills, analytical skills, technical skills,  leadership, professional ethics, academic integrity, cultural and social sensitivity, teamwork, and networking skills.

Examination And Assesments

TEACHING PEDAGOGIES/METHODS:

●      Lectures which will complement readings, with focus on individual aspects of special interest.

●      High onus being kept on offering multiple and alternative interpretations, and exposing students to key issues of scholarly debate.

●      Documentaries, films, objects and docu-dramas will be viewed, providing visual material with commentary, enriching and deepening readings and lectures.

●      There will also be intensive focus on Group work/projects, small group discussion, and mock problem-solving exercises, and case study analysis.

●      Low-stakes writing assignments and presentations, student seminars and workshops will be a regular feature in various courses.

●      Internships and participation in Live projects will be another component of the Program.