MAEG is the programme code for IGNOU's Master of Arts (English), offered by the School of Humanities in open and distance learning mode. It gives learners a base in language and a wide exposure to literature, with room to specialise in an area of interest.
MAEG at a glance
Programme overview
IGNOU says the programme aims to give learners a sound base in language and exposure to a wide range of literature, so they build linguistic competence and confidence in critical and analytical abilities. The 80-credit programme is described as aligned with NEP 2020 and moves from the British canon to American, Indian English and other new literatures.
Eligibility
All graduates are eligible, even without English at the undergraduate level, and there is no admission test. IGNOU advises graduates with no earlier training in English to go through its undergraduate English courses, which helps in understanding the Master's level courses.
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Programme structure
The programme has 10 courses of 8 credits each. MEG-05 Literary Criticism and Theory is compulsory, and the rest are chosen from the lists below.
Year 1: MEG-05 plus any four courses (40 credits)
| Code | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MEG-05 | Literary Criticism and Theory (compulsory) | 8 |
| MEG-01 | British Poetry | 8 |
| MEG-02 | British Drama | 8 |
| MEG-03 | British Novel | 8 |
| MEG-06 | American Literature | 8 |
| MEG-07 | Indian English Literature | 8 |
| MEG-08 | New Literatures in English | 8 |
| MEG-09 | Australian Literature | 8 |
| MEG-12 | A Survey Course in 20th Century Canadian Literature | 8 |
Year 2: any five courses (40 credits)
| Code | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MEG-04 | Aspects of Language | 8 |
| MEG-10 | English Studies in India | 8 |
| MEG-11 | American Novel | 8 |
| MEG-13 | Writings from the Margins | 8 |
| MEG-14 | Contemporary Indian Literature in English Translation | 8 |
| MEG-15 | Comparative Literature: Theory and Practice | 8 |
| MEG-16 | Indian Folk Literature | 8 |
| MEG-17 | American Drama | 8 |
| MEG-18 | American Poetry | 8 |
| MEG-19 | Australian Novel | 8 |
| MEG-20 | Creative Writing in English | 8 |
Check before you register: IGNOU's programme page and programme guide differ slightly in how they group courses by year, and available electives can change. Confirm your course choices with your Regional Centre or the latest programme guide.
Course outlines (from the programme guide)
The guide lists blocks for each course. These are the main ones.
MEG-05 Literary Criticism and Theory (compulsory)
- Classical criticism: Plato and Aristotle
- Romantic criticism: Wordsworth, Coleridge and Shelley's A Defence of Poetry
- New Criticism: Richards, Eliot, Leavis, Ransom, Brooks, Wimsatt
- Marxist and feminist theories
- Deconstruction
- Contemporary theory: Freud, Lacan, Said, Spivak, Bhabha
MEG-01 British Poetry
- Chaucer and Spenser
- Metaphysical poets: Donne, Herbert and Marvell; Milton
- Neoclassical poets: Dryden and Pope
- Romantic poets: Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley and Keats
- Victorian, modernist and postmodernist poets, including Yeats, Eliot, Larkin and Plath
MEG-02 British Drama
- Marlowe: Doctor Faustus
- Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet
- Jonson, Synge, Shaw and T.S. Eliot
- Osborne: Look Back in Anger
- Beckett: Waiting for Godot
MEG-03 British Novel
- Fielding: Tom Jones; Austen: Pride and Prejudice
- Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights; Dickens: Great Expectations
- George Eliot: Middlemarch
- Conrad, Joyce, Forster and Muriel Spark
MEG-06 American Literature and MEG-07 Indian English Literature
- American: Puritans and Enlightenment contexts, Hawthorne, Twain, Whitman, Dickinson, O'Neill, Miller and Toni Morrison
- Indian English: Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao, Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie and Mahesh Dattani, plus prose, short stories and poetry
Fee structure
The programme guide mentions a programme fee of Rs. 16,000, described as Rs. 8,000 per year. At admission, Rs. 300 registration fee and Rs. 400 university development fee apply, which makes the year 1 payment Rs. 8,700. Year 2 is Rs. 8,000. The guide's own figures are not fully consistent and the university can revise fees, so confirm the amount on the IGNOU admission portal.
Study support and exams
- Study material is sent by post. Novels, plays and collections of poems or essays usually have to be bought separately.
- Counselling sessions are normally held at study centres on weekends and holidays, supported by audio-video programmes and teleconferencing.
- Term-End Examinations are held in June and December. The guide does not give an assignment/exam weightage, so check your assignment booklet for the evaluation scheme.
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Frequently asked questions
What is MAEG at IGNOU?
MAEG is the programme code for the Master of Arts (English) offered by the School of Humanities, IGNOU, in ODL mode. It covers British, American, Indian English and other literatures, along with language and literary theory.
What is the eligibility for IGNOU MAEG?
A bachelor's degree in any subject. There is no admission test. Graduates with no previous training in English are advised to go through IGNOU's undergraduate English courses first.
What is the duration of MAEG?
The programme guide gives a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 5 years.
How many credits is MAEG?
80 credits: ten courses of 8 credits each, five in each year.
Which course is compulsory in MAEG?
MEG-05 Literary Criticism and Theory is compulsory. In year 1 you add any four of the listed electives, and in year 2 you choose any five.
What is the MAEG fee?
The programme guide mentions Rs. 16,000 in total, with Rs. 8,700 payable at admission for year 1 (including Rs. 300 registration and Rs. 400 development fee) and Rs. 8,000 for year 2. The figures in the guide are not fully consistent, so confirm on the IGNOU admission portal.
When are MAEG exams held?
Term-End Examinations are held in June and December. Admission is offered in the July and January sessions.
📚 Need Notes for MAEG – MA (English)?
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Official resources
This is an independent educational support website and is not the official website of IGNOU. Students should verify important academic information through official IGNOU sources.
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