From Shakespeare to Social Media - The Evolution of BA English Honours
The Bachelor of Arts in English Honours, often called BA English Hons, has always been an important part of humanities education. Back in the past, the course had its main focus on classical literature and deep thinking and also a strong emphasis on famous writers like William Shakespeare, John Milton, and Charles Dickens.
Yet, over time, it has undergone a complete transformation. In the present era, students do not only read Shakespeare, but also read tweets, memes, graphic novels and narratives presented through digital media. This change indicates how closely literature, culture, and technology are now related.
Let us take this journey through time to see how the BA English Hons Programme has evolved, starting from its traditional beginnings to its new importance in the digital age.
The Classical Foundations - Literature as Legacy
Early in its existence, the BA English Honours degree had placed a lot of stress on British Literature. The curriculum was predominantly occupied by the 'Greats' such as Shakespeare, Chaucer, Wordsworth, Keats and T.S Eliot. These texts were not literary artifacts alone but they were signifiers of intellectual and cultural capital.
Why Shakespeare?
Shakespeare embodies literary art in the fullest sense, for his plays provide insights into the nature of human psychology, the character of politics, the nature of love, and the tragedy of human life. Attention to Shakespeare provided the students with not only the specifics of language and narrative structure, but also laid out many of the morals and philosophies of Renaissance England.
Courses in the early 20th century included:
- Literary analysis and interpretation
- Language precision
- Aesthetic appreciation
- Historical and philosophical context
The Post-Colonial Shift: Voices from the Margins
The mid-twentieth century period of educational decolonization had a substantial change in ideological thinking. As literary programs everywhere began to reconsider the Eurocentric basis of their syllabi, postcolonial theory emerged and students learned a rich and diverse curriculum.
By addressing literature from India and the Global South, writers such as R.K. Narayan, Chinua Achebe, and Salman Rushdie were featured on syllabi emphasizing topics such as colonization, identity, hybridity and language politics.