The MA in Writing and Criticism at Somaiya Vidyavihar University is India’s first-of-its-kind program, offering a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to both, art criticism and creative writing.

The course bridges the gap between traditional academic practices and contemporary modes of textual reflection on art, with a focus on developing critical, innovative, and experimental writing practices. The Course presides over the extraordinary encounter between the image and the word. How do we make sense of an experience that is performative or audio-visual, and how do we communicate this response in a manner that is cogent and critical?

Beginning with propositions that address modes and practices of writing, the Course will look at the different histories of textually reflecting on art. How does a journalistic mode differ from the academic mode and how does utterance change scope and form in different interpretative fields?

What would be special about this course would be the exploration it would encourage of writing cultures that are Indian and South Asian as well as Euro-American. The Course will include a multi-lingual framework that will also draw from and invest in a crucial act that makes cultures approachable and legible – translation.

The participants will be guided to develop critical writing practices across genres and will be familiarized with histories of art criticism across regional contexts. The Course will be equally theoretical and practical, and different forms of new writing modes, across platforms, will also be explored, along with the traditional long form modes.

This unique program nurtures Indian, South Asian and Euro-American writing cultures, creating an inclusive, multilingual framework enriched by Artificial Intelligence interventions. Participants will explore new writing modes across platforms, traditional long-form writing, and experimental textual installations that traverse diverse linguistic worlds.