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MPhil Programme

MPhil Programme

1. Structure of the MPhil programme

a. The MPhil programme is made up of coursework and a dissertation. The coursework has to be completed in the first two semesters before the dissertation can be written and submitted (third and fourth semesters). Altogether a student earns a total of 26 credits. These are distributed as follows:

Coursework 14 credits (over two semesters) + Dissertation 12 credits
Total of 26 credits for MPhil

b. The MPhil programme provides three ways of earning course credits. Students who have done their MA in History from JNU follow Combination A while students who have not done their MA in JNU are generally advised to follow either Combination B or C. Additionally, two 2 credit courses, on Reading Sources and Reading Texts can be offered in the Monsoon and Winter Semesters respectively, in case five or more students wish to offer these.

Combination A: MA in History from JNU

Monsoon Semester
1. Historiography 2 Credits
2. One Seminar paper 4 Credits
3. Language 2 Credits
Total 8 Credits

 

Winter Semester
1. One Seminar Paper 4 Credits
2. Language 2 Credits
Total 6 Credits

 

Combination B: MA in History not from JNU

Monsoon Semester
1. 2 Lecture Courses (2 Credits X 2 Courses) 4 Credits
2. Historical Methods 2 Credits
3. Language 2 Credits
Total 8 Credits

 

Winter Semester
1. Seminar Paper 4 Credits
2. Language 2 Credits
Total 6 Credits

Combination C: MA in History not from JNU

Monsoon Semester
1. Seminar Paper 4 Credits
2. Historical Methods 2 Credits
3. Language 2 Credits
Total 8 Credits

 

Winter Semester
1. Seminar Paper 4 Credits
2. Language 2 Credits
Total 6 Credits

2. Academic requirements

a. Each student will be allotted an advisor/supervisor by the faculty by mid-August. The 2 credit Historiography course for the students who have done MA History from JNU is done usually with the advisor/supervisor. It involves writing an essay on a historiographic theme. This paper will be presented to the faculty, fully written out, in the third week of November.

b. Tutorials
Non-JNU History M.As who do Combination B have to do two lecture courses from the MA basket of courses that are available. They will write two assignments, participate in tutorial discussions and appear for an end semester examination. The second assignment will be longer than the first (see below). The grades for the tutorials (i.e. assignment + discussion) constitute 50 percent of the credit of the course, the End Semester Exam constituting the other 50 %. Attendance in tutorial discussions is compulsory as discussion carries weightage in assessment. (However, there is no discussion for tutorials written for Historical Method.)

A tutorial is an essay that seeks to present ideas in the writer's own words. If passages (or even sentences) from a book (or from any other source), are simply copied out then it is termed plagiarism, considered to be the, equivalent of stealing, and will earn the student and "F" (Failed) grade.

The first assignment must be concisely written in around 2000 words; the second essay is expected to be 3000 words long.

Tutorial essays must follow a schedule announced at the beginning of each semester. Tutorial essays are to be submitted in the Centre's office, before 5 pm on the due date. Please ensure that the submission is recorded in the office register. Grades are deducted for delays in submission. Tutorial scripts are not returned to students. Please keep a copy.

c. Seminar papers

Seminar meetings held with the Seminar Instructor throughout the semester are compulsory. Discussions in the course of the semester and written scripts at the end of the semester are both taken into account for assessing grades. Seminar papers are to be submitted at the office by the due date.

A Seminar paper may have a word limit of approximately 8000 words. Students are encouraged to undertake original research using primary sources for the same in Seminar papers.

Passages (or even sentences) from a book (or from any other source), that are simply copied for a Seminar paper are termed plagiarism, considered to be the, equivalent of stealing, and will earn the student an "F" (Failed) grade.

The MPhil dissertation should not be less than 30000 words.

The MPhil submission certificate is available here.

Students may refer to the Style Sheet.

3. Other Important rules and regulations

a. Registration of courses is the sole responsibility of a student. No student will be entitled to any grade in a course unless s/he has formally registered for it on the scheduled date.

b. Late registration will be allowed up to the date notified by the Dean of the School for every semester.

c. A student should inform the Chair of the Centre through the teacher in charge of the course in case of absence from a sessional/end semester exam. The application for the same should be submitted immediately before or after the concerned exam. If the absence is on medical grounds, a medical certificate must be attached to the application. In exceptional cases, as assessed by the chair and the faculty committee, on alternative examination may be arranged in genuinely deserving cases.

d. A student may apply for a zero semester on legitimate medical grounds. The following is the procedure to apply for a zero semester.

• Report to the JNU Medical Officer immediately after falling ill.
• Inform the Chairperson of the Centre about your illness and inability to participate in the programme.
• If you happen to be outside Delhi when you fall sick, you must inform the Centre Office and submit medical documents from recognized Government hospitals.
• Application for a zero semester must be made on a form available at the office of the Centre

e. The repetition of a course towards improvement of grades is not permissible. Students must note that they are required to clear every single course for which they register every consecutive semester, or they will have to leave the MPhil programme. Courses cannot be repeated in the following semester.

f. Revaluation of a course is permissible within three weeks of the declaration of results for that semester.

g. The coursework shall be completed within the first two consecutive semesters, and the whole MPhil programme (including dissertation) within four consecutive semesters (unless a student has been granted a zero, and hence a fifth, semester). A student has the option of submitting the dissertation in the third semester provided the supervisor is satisfied with the work.

h. The M.Phil degree will be awarded only to those who have a minimum CGPA of 5.5 in the general category and 5.0 in the reserved category.

i. The promotion to PhD status for continuing students in the MPhil/PhD programme is not automatic. They can be registered only for a provisional PhD until their MPhil viva-voce examination is conducted, and their CGPA is thereafter calculated. Only those students who have a minimum CGPA of 6.0 (General Category) and 5.5 (Reserved Categories) in the whole MPhil programme will be allowed to continue in the PhD programme.

j. Students who have a CGPA of A minus or more in their course work can apply through the Chairperson with the recommendation of the supervisor to the Dean for the Direct Phd programme after two semesters of MPhil. The application has to be approved by the CASR.

4. Calendar

i. With regard to students doing Lecture/Course Work, the same calendar is applicable, as the MA Programme

ii. Seminar papers should be submitted by the first week of December and the first week of May for the Monsoon and Winter Semesters respectively.

iii. Historiography presentations will take place in the third week of November or the fourth week of April for the Monsoon and Winter Semesters respectively.

iv. Synopsis presentation for fourth semester students will take place in the fourth week of February. The synopsis should include as complete an idea of the chapterisation of the dissertation, a brief survey of the historiography and sources, and a detailed discussion of one chapter.

v. Full draft of the dissertation should be submitted to the Supervisor before the end of the Winter Semester (12th May).

5. Online Progress Report:

Students in the third and fourth semesters are expected to fill in the online progress report form before the end of each semester (5th Dec and 12th May). Please submit either a hard or a soft copy to your respective supervisors.

 

 

 

 

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.