Greetings!!

Welcome to the webpage of the Department of History.

The UG programme offers students a grounding in the discipline that will comprehensively enable any diligent student to exciting career options in history and future research. The department focuses on endowing the students with critical thinking abilities while also making them competent in skills of articulation, creative expression, and leadership with historical consciousness. The skills and historical consciousness acquired give students unique capabilities, making them distinct in the careers they choose. The curriculum at the department is commensurate to that of world-class universities, and experts from across the globe and the nation, including those from Columbia University, JNU, University of California and Ambedkar University, have been involved in structuring the courses and fine-tuning it to suit any student who aims at mastering the subject while also making them job ready. We also believe in exposing students to both academic debates and issues of contemporary national and international relevance and those of social justice so that they are shaped into socially sensible global citizens who can unpack the power (and the problematics) of the past to resolve the problems of the present and formulate policies for the future.

The department offers three programmes: a UG (undergraduate) programme in History, a Minor programme in History and a PhD programme in History. The four-year UG degree programme is designed in line with the New Education Policy (2020) to encourage and develop different passions and abilities in students. The four-year programme with multiple exit options is tailor-made to suit the aspirations of those students who plan to study abroad for PG programmes in History or other social sciences. The students can either choose a three-year programme with a Major in History or a four-year programme with a B.A. Hons. History with Research. The unique advantage for SRM University-AP graduates is that the students are also given an opportunity to submit a BA thesis in the fourth year which is a prerequisite to apply to premier universities in Europe and America.

The faculty members at the department specialise in Ancient, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary Indian History and Global History. All of them are dedicated to the pursuit of research while also being committed teachers. The courses offered by the department not only employ innovative teaching methodologies but are shaped by an inherently interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary pedagogy.

Studies at the department proceed through seminars, tutorials, presentations and taught lectures where student participation is not only encouraged but also plays an integral role in terms of assessment. Hands-on training for the students through active and experiential learning, including field trips and workshops, facilitates the students to unravel the marvels of history themselves while honing their skills and developing a historical consciousness to become future historians, administrators, policymakers, media persons, and community researchers and workers, among others. Internships at history institutes, museums, archives, NGOs, government agencies, think tanks, or archaeological excavations during the second or third year are both encouraged and expected.

We, as a department, believe in inclusive practices and are committed to the idea of student diversity. Students from different parts of India and from diverse backgrounds who have good academic records are strongly encouraged to apply and avail the benefits of the scholarships offered by the university.

In sum, if you are keenly interested in diving into the past to understand its complexities or envision yourself as a future policymaker or as a socially committed administrator and researcher, the History Department at SRM AP will be the ideal place to explore the past, the present and yourselves.

All the best!

Dr Aqsa Agha
Head of the Department
Department of History
Easwari School of Liberal Arts
SRM University-AP