The Department of Cultural Studies offers an MPhil (Research/Coursework) in Cultural Studies. The Graduate Programme aims to balance theoretical issues and debates in Cultural Studies with conceptual and analytical aspects of both visual and material culture. It provides students with an opportunity to examine the concept of culture in its many facets through time by employing critical tools to formulate new and revealing readings of Pakistani society.

Through a combination of taught courses and research, the Graduate Programme offers students a broad and rigorous education in the study of culture, understanding the past and its integration into contemporary cultural forms. Students will be introduced to the exploration of the Pakistani cultural realm as a critical channel to address questions of identity politics, globalization, development, arts, heritage and media.

To create scholars and practitioners in the field of Cultural Studies with a focus on visual and material culture, heritage and arts. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the contemporary cultural realm by critically examining intellectual moments and debates around identity, gender politics, globalization, and be able to:

+ Develop a body of scholarship and research in the discipline of Cultural Studies in Pakistan
+ Theorize the forces that shape the lived reality of 21st century Pakistan
+ Sensitize institutions and professionals in the domains of art, culture, public service, media and academia 
+ Provide deep and multilayered understanding of the various facets of culture supplemented by research and analytical skills

The Graduate Programme in Cultural Studies is designed for students whose interests cut across traditional modes of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences and who seek to understand the meanings of the past and contemporary culture. Course requirements are designed to build competence in interdisciplinary Cultural Studies theory and practice. 

+ Applicants with minimum 16 years of education or equivalent qualification in the relevant fields with minimum 60% marks from HEC required institutes are eligible to apply
+ Candidates must pass NCA’s own aptitude test on par with GAT

The Graduate Programme in Cultural Studies is ideally suited for individuals with a proven interest in investigating, analyzing and writing about various forms of material and visual culture in contemporary and historical context.

CANDIDATES FOR ADMISSION MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
Completion of 16 years of education or 4 year education (124 credit hours) after HSSC/ F.A./F.Sc/Grade 12 or equivalent will be required for admission in the MPhil (Resarch/ Coursework).

+ Submission of relevant published or unpublished written work, or research in other media
+ Submission of personal statement and research proposal showing aspirations and future goals of the candidate
+ Evidence of excellence in theoretical courses during their previous studies
+ Candidates must pass NCA’s own aptitude test which is on par with GAT
+ Appearance for an interview before the admissions committee

The Cultural Studies Graduate programme offers two pathways: MPhil through Coursework and MPhil through Research. Semester 1 and 2 are the same for both. At the end of second semester students may decide which pathway they would like to opt for. In order to quality for MPhil through Research, however, students must have a minimum combined GPA of 3.0 for semesters 1 and 2 and their research proposal for this pathway will be subject to approval by the Graduate and Research Management Board. 

MPHIL COURSEWORK STREAM 

+ Total Number of Credits 30
+ Taught Subjects (Credits) 30
+ Total Number of Semesters 03
+ Semester Duration  18 weeks
+ Classwork  16 weeks
+ Testing and Evaluation 02 weeks
+ Course Load/Semester 6-12 credits

MPHIL RESEARCH STREAM

+ Total Number of Credits 30
+ Taught Subjects (Credits) 24
+ Final Thesis  06
+ Total Number of Semesters 03
+ Semester Duration  18 weeks
+ Classwork  16 weeks
+ Testing and Evaluation 02 weeks
+ Course Load/Semester 6-12 credits

1st Semester

2nd Semester

SEMESTER 3 (MPHIL COURSEWORK)

SEMESTER 3 (MPHIL RESEARCH)

CULTURAL STUDIES I, II,III
These courses bring together some of the foundational elements of cultural theory and Cultural Studies with the aim of acquainting students with an interdisciplinary perspective that views culture as an unfinished project, where engaging with culture is a critical practice with a democratising intent.

GLOBAL IDEAS AND THEORIES I & II
This course exposess students to salient texts and ideas that have laid the foundation for the critical discourse of culture and society. Students learn to grasp the theoretical underpinnings of the modern mind by placing influential ideas and systems of thought in cultural and historical contexts.

SOUTH ASIAN MATERIAL CULTURE
The course provides a critical understanding of material culture in South Asia. The students will explore the complexities and dilemmas of materiality inrelation to new understandings of material as culture. Personal collections, archives, language (text) and places will be explored as case studies. Various art forms and sites will be examined in light of their cultural, political and socioeconomic context, as well as stylistic development and the emergence of new ideas.

SOUTH ASIAN VISUAL CULTURE
The course provides a critical insight to South Asian visual culture. The course acts as a comprehensive guide for the students of visual culture in South Asia as a colonal and post colonal region. Various sites will be examined in light of their cultural, political and socio-economic context, as well as stylistic developments and emergence of new ideas.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND WRITING
The course intends to provide students with tools and techniques to carry out a variety of data collection, analyses and interpretation that be employed in the field of Social Sciences/Humanities. This will help students to work through the development of their own research. 

ACADEMIC WRITING & PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Students will be introduced to the fundamental aspects of academic writing. This course teaches students to apply the tools of academic writing to express complex ideas and to study different writing approaches to academia. Students will also be familiarized with the requirements of various forms of professional communication.

GRADUATE SEMINAR
This seminar provides students with the opportunity to engage with a diverse range of research practices through interaction with professionals working  in the field of art and culture. In addition to these engagements, students will also be expected to produce their own research proposals.

INTERTEXTUAL CULTURAL ENGAGEMENTS
This course is designed to explore the dynamic and multifaceted connections between cultures and texts, both literary and non-literary, across different historical periods and geographical regions. It delves into the idea of intertextuality while analysing how texts, art and media draw inspiration, references and meaning from each other in diverse cultural contexts.

THESIS WRITING
Students undertake independent research and writing on a topic of their choice under the supervision of a member of faculty.

DEGREE REQUIREMENT
+ All MPhil students need to complete 3 semesters
+ Those qualifying for independent research must submit their final thesis at the end of their third semester

DR. WASIM JURGEN FREMBGEN
Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Near and Middle Eastern
Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich

DR. ANNA SUVOROVA
Professor of Indo-Islamic Culture, Columbia University, Department of Asian Literature

DR. DINA BANGDEL
Director, Art History
VCU Qatar, and Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

RICHARD ENGELHARDT
Honorary UNESCO Chair Holder
MA/PhD, Anthropology and Archaeology, Harvard University, USA

PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER PINNEY
Professor of Anthropology and Visual Culture, UCL, UK

AWAIS MEHMOOD
MPhil in Philosophy, GC University, Lahore