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MA in History

MA in History

Students entering the Centre are offered a flexible programme while specialising in (1) Ancient History or (2) Medieval History or (3) Modern History. Along with courses in their specialisation, students are required to offer a set of four common courses designed to survey (a) historiography and historical methods and (b) broad patterns of socio-economic and political formations and structural changes covering the Ancient, Medieval and Modern periods. In addition, students are required to offer at least two courses on histories of countries other than India (or non-Indian history).

Apart from these compulsory courses, students may choose courses in areas other than that of their specialization by exercising options which include (1) other periods of Indian history, and (2) courses in other Centres (with permission of the Faculty) in disciplines relevant to the student's area of interest and specialization. Students are strongly advised to do a language course relevant to their area of specialisation.

All courses offered to the students of the MA programme are lecture courses, except for two seminar courses in the fourth and final semester. Fifty per cent of the evaluation in every lecture course depends on a student's performance in examination or tutorials during a semester, and fifty percent on performance in the end-semester examination. The programme expects a good deal of independent writing by students as part of the curriculum.

Choosing your Specialisation

Candidates applying for MA (History) programme are allowed to exercise only one option, that is, Ancient or Medieval or Modern. The candidates must make their specific choice of specialization with care; it is not possible to change from one stream to another. The option so exercised must be clearly mentioned in the appropriate column in the Application Form as well as on the top of the answer-book supplied to the candidates in the Examination Hall. Candidates may please note that the answer-books carrying more than one option will be considered invalid. No application for a second MA at the Centre for Historical Studies will be entertained from those who have completed an MA from the same Centre even if the period of specialization is different.

Entrance Exam

The CHS has changed the pattern of its MA entrance examination since 2011. The question paper worth a total of 100 marks is divided into three sections. Students are required to answer questions from all sections. Section 1 will carry 30 marks. It has one comprehension passage in English and candidates are required to answer six questions based on the given passage. Section 2 carries 20 marks. It has 5 questions covering broad areas of the social sciences and other topical issues of current concern. Candidates are required to answer 1 question from this section. Section 3 carries 50 marks. It has 12 questions covering specific periods/areas of history and candidates are required to attempt 2 questions from this section.

Candidates who qualify are requested to register at the earliest so that they can take full advantage of the tutorial system. Students are also requested to attend the Orientation Meeting with the Faculty. This will introduce them to the structure of courses, the system of evaluation and the rules and norms of the Centre. The date of this meeting will be put up on the notice board of the Centre by the first week of August.

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.