Ahmedabad University’s School of Arts and Sciences has launched an online programme ‘Literature for Life’. This course will introduce students to diverse perspectives and tools that are helpful in reading literary texts with a view towards learning significant life lessons to fulfill a broad spectrum of individual, professional, and societal goals.
As part of this course, students will go through a close and critical reading of a set of texts (novels, short stories and plays) drawn from Indian and international authors. Covering a range of genres – fable, romance, historical fiction, family saga, war and social conflict – the course will challenge students to read and analyse narrative fiction to enrich their understanding of:
- Self and significant relationships;
- Role within organisations; and
- Value system that guides ethical choices.
Adopting the perspective of “Transformative Reading”, the course encourages students to study character, plot and context to draw parallels with their lived realities, perceptions, and social attitudes, helped by a range of social and organisational theories. Salient themes drawn from the texts, such as ‘conflict’, ‘empathy’, ‘leadership’, ‘decision-making’, ‘responsibility’, ‘courage’, and ‘attitude towards the “other”’ will be addressed through rigorous analysis and debate.
On completion of the course, the students would be able to
- Interpret literary texts in terms of both personal relevance and conceptual perspectives.
- Identify key learning with regard to personal and professional decision-making, organisational expectations, and terms of engagement with society.
- Derive reflections for personal transformation based on the course readings.
- Articulate in written format insights drawn on each of the above aspects.
Focussing on interactivity, pedagogy for this online course includes lectures, class discussions, audiovisuals, role enactment, group work, etc. Literature for Life will be taught by Professor Kunal Basu, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, School of Arts & Sciences at Ahmedabad University.
