Is a BA degree worth it in 2022?

BA i.e. Bachelor of Arts, offers a number of opportunities to explore during graduation for students with a background in any of the ones available in 12th standard. But this course is specifically more helpful for humanities hailing students. Spanning three years, this course consists of multiple subject alternatives. It comprises primarily theoretical and a bit of practical understanding based on the specialisation of the subject matters. Here, we will have a look at what are those specific subjects available within the umbrella course of the degree, the yearly syllabus of most of them, and the best books for the respective subjects.

BA Subjects

As mentioned above, a BA degree is a theoretical course predominantly barring a few moderately practical-oriented subjects. Therefore, BA consists of subjects like Economics, English, Geography, History, Hindi, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Language-Specific. 

Let us look at the syllabus of the popular subjects for the Bachelor of Arts.

Syllabus of the Top 5 Popular Courses - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years

Economics 

Economics course covers the subjects related to the social science aspects along with elementary mathematics. It is one of the few courses in BA that consists of subject matter that requires solving and analytical aptitude, among other theoretical understanding.

Following are the syllabi of this three-year course you will come across, depending upon the course structure set by the respective institutes:

Econometrics	Language Subjects
Mathematical Methods of Economics	Foreign Economics Theory
Development Theory	Macro & Micro Economics - Intermediate
History of Economics	Development of Economics in India
Economic Statistics	Economics of the Society
Economic Theory	Financial Economics
Economic Development of India	Financial Systems
Financial Markets	Methods of Economics
Micro and Macro Economics	Elective Subjects

English

For the students who have a knack of reading and have always devoured literature, BA English is one of the best options out there. Following are the literary perspectives and narratives that will be covered in this three-year course:

Introduction to Literary Studies	Twentieth-century Literature
European Classical Literature	Indian Classical Literature
Literature and Caste	Postcolonial Literature
Forms of Popular Fiction	Women’s writing
Modern European Drama	Communication Skill in English
Romantic Poetry	Anglo-American Writing from 1930
Elegy & Satire	Twentieth-Century Indian Writing
English Grammar and Literary Terms	Victorian Poetry

Geography

BA Geography is another course that consists of multiple subject matters that require practical assessment and understanding. Apart from the theoretical knowledge concerning the physical aspects of earth and human geography, the study of maps will demand basic mathematical and analytical skills. Below are the subjects covered over the course of three years.

Fundamentals of Remote Sensing and GIS	Spatial Analysis
Demography and Population Policy	Spatial Economic Systems
Environmental Impact Assessment	Environment and Ecology
Natural Resource Management	Geography of Landscape
Computer-Aided Mapping	Agricultural Geography
Regional Development	Social Geography of India
Political Geography	Contemporary Human Geography
Advanced Physical Geography	Cultural Geography
Hydrology and Water Resource Management	Urban Settlement System
Thematic Atlas	Statistical Techniques

Hindi

From the glorious history of the language and its classical literature to contemporary literature, the course of  BA Hindi has got it all covered. The syllabus in detail for each semester is as follows:

History of Hindi Language	Popular Literature in Hindi
History of Hindi Script	Hindi for Official Purposes
Hindi Cinema	History of Hindi Literature
Hindi on the World stage	Translation in Hindi
Hindi Language and Society	Hindi Language Teaching
Hindi Prose and Essay	Hindi Plays
Hindi Novel and its development	Literary Criticism

History

Covering the predominantly temporal subjects, BA History course covers the three phases of Indian and global historical development, viz. the ancient, the medieval, and the modern. 

One will traverse the following historical trajectories if pursuing the degree in History:

History of India from Earliest Time to 350 B.C.	History of India: State Formation of early Empire System
History of North East India with special reference to Assam 1228-1826	History of North East India 1824-1947
Indian Historiography	Indian Nationalism up to 1948
History of Europe from 1780-1871	History of India 1948-1964
Historiography	History of India 1818-1885
Gender History of India	History of India 1707-1818
History of Europe 1871-1945	History of India 1556-1707 AD
History of Environment	History of East Asia Since 1839: Japan
History of East Asia Since 1839 China	History of India from 650 AD to 1556 AD

Philosophy

Under the umbrella of BA Philosophy, the diverse subjects assess the basis and explanation of the philosophical ideas and notions that have dominated over the course of history and in contemporary times.

Therefore the diverse and flexible range of subjects that are covered in this syllabus are as follows:

Indian Logic and Epistemology	Philosophy of Language, Epistemology, and Metaphysics (Western)
Ethics (Indian and Western)	Vedtasra – Sadananda (Entire Text)
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: David Hume	Philosophy of Religion
Problems of philosophy	Applied Philosophy
Greek & Medieval Philosophy	Socio-Political Philosophy

Political Science

If the ongoing politics in your country and the relations between nations interest you along with the plethora of political concepts and debates, then BA in Political Science is the perfect course for you. 

You will deal with the following subjects in the course over the six semesters:

Constitutional Government and Democracy in India	Understanding Political Theory
Political Processes in India	Political Theory Concepts & Debates
Global Politics	International Relations
Public Administration	Comparative Government
Public Policy	Classical Political Thought
Indian Political Thought	Modern Political Philosophy
Colonialism and Nationalism	Citizenship in the Globalising World
Human Rights	Feminism: Theory and Practice

Psychology

The cognitive and psychoanalytic subjects are what the course of BA Psychology deals with. It is one of the most challenging yet interesting amongst the diverse options available within the realm of courses. 

Following are the subjects that are covered in this course:

Foundations of Psychology	Industrial and Organisational Psychology
Statistical Methods for Psychological Research	Abnormal Psychology
Physiological Psychology	Child and Adolescent Development
Psychological Research	Counselling Psychology
Emergence and Growth of Psychology	Human Resource Management
Social Psychology	Psychology of Health and Well-Being

Sociology

Society is a concept constructed and developed in the discourses of modernity. And the course in Sociology deals with all the dimensions associated with the social sciences of human behaviour in society, social relationships, the culture associated with everyday life, etc. 

One will come across the following subjects in Sociology:

Basic Concepts in Sociology	Society, Culture, and Social Change
Inter-Actionalism	Foundations of Social Thought
Population Planning and Control	Social Issues and Problems
Social Institutions	Processes of Social Change in India
Population Composition in India	Statistical Analysis and Use of Computer in Social Research
Research and Methods in Social Research	Social Stratification
Population Theories	Social Group and Processes
Evolution of Indian Society	Indian Social Institutions

Best Books For BA

Being an extensively vast area of study covering a huge diversity of subjects available within its purview, it has also git a massive collection of best books to refer. Below are the better alternatives of the good books for the popular subject specialisations that one can refer:

SUBJECT SPECIALISATION	GOOD BOOKS
Economics	Principles of Economics - N. Gregory Mankiw Principles Of Economics: Principles of Economics (Pearson Series in Economics) - Karl E. Case,‎ Ray C. Fair, and Sharon M. Oster Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis - Prof Knut Sydsaeter and Prof Peter Hammond Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics - Chiang,‎ Wainwright People's History of India - Irfan Habib
Geography	Hassan, Md. Izhar: Population Geography Gautam, A.: Human Geography Hussain, H: Bio-geography Smith, R.L.: Ecology of Man-An Ecosystem Chandna, R.C.: Environmental Geography Singh, R.L.: Fundamentals of Practical Geography Singh, G.: Map Wok & Practical Geography
History	An Advanced History of India - Majumdar, Ray Environmental Protection Act: An Agenda for Implementation - Upendra Baxi Compendium on Environmental Pollutions Laws,1985 - S.K. Shukla Public Administration Theory and Practice - Sharma, M.P
Political Science	Indian Polity - M. Laxmikant Political Concepts & Debates - OP Gauba Political Theory - Andrew Heywood Public Administration - BL Fadia The Globalization of World Politics - John Baylis, Steve Smith Principles of Comparative Politics - Matt Golder, Sona Nadenichek Golder, and William Roberts Clark Understanding Public Policy - Thomas R. dye
Psychology	The Psychology Book - Catherine Colin A Degree in a Book: Psychology - Alan Porter Essential Enneagram - Price and Daniels The APA Dictionary of Psychology - Gary Vandenbos Abnormal Psychology - Barlow and Durand