Liberal Arts makes a comeback

CHENNAI: In Tamil Nadu, humanities has always been eclipsed by science. The liberal education, which seeks to provide students with more than mere professional qualifications, failed to charm students, who would opt for the 'profitable' sciences and engineering. This academic season, however, many colleges in the city witnessed an upsurge in the number of applications for English literature.
This phenomenon has been attributed to a growing demand for English graduates by IT firms who seek content writers and technical writers. The course also opens up a wide range of opportunities in media.
Though English is slowly gaining popularity, commerce and computer science courses still continue to dominate.
In Madras Christian College, where English has been one of the more popular courses, Principal Alexander Jesudasan said, "This year, the number of applications has crossed 1,000. Two years ago, it was around 300. Due to the multi-potential aspects of English literature graduates, the course has been seeing good demand. Many graduates get into civil services as it requires good language skill,s while others find avenues in media organisations, editing firms or have become RJs. Even corporate sectors have taken English graduates," he said. MCC has also started a genre-based course in English literature, the only kind being offered under Madras University.
New College principal Zahid Hussain said the pendulum is swinging towards arts. "More tha 200 applications have been received for just 50 seats, much higher than previous years. When it comes to placements, arts students are faring better than other streams. Companies don't want just a 95% scorer but one who communicates well. Perhaps, this is what is driving the demand for English," he said.
Other colleges like Valliammal College for Women and SIET College, too, said there has been a demand for BA English literature. Shehnaz Ahmed, principal SIET College, said applications for English literature have seen a 40% rise this year.
Another trend that was observed this academic season has been the revival of physics and chemistry courses. Ahmed said the rise could be because physics or chemistry graduatess with a master's or PhD get job opportunities similar to engineers without having to shell out huge amount of money. SIET College has received around 300 applications for physics and chemistry for which the college offers only 50 seats each.
Colleges also said huge funds granted by the UGC to equip colleges with labs has enhanced the practical aspect of learning that has improved the standards of these courses as well. This could have led to the increased demand through word of mouth.
This interest in pure science is not just restricted to Chennai; it has been observed in other districts of the state too. Scope for research across varied fields and industry employment are reasons attributed to the revival. Valliammal College authorities said physics and chemistry departments were closed due to lack of intake but may soon make a comeback with students demanding these courses.