Free Literature Courses & Certifications

Shakespeare remains the most staged, filmed, studied, and translated author amidst world literature. Stages, books, and other media from various cultures have localised, domesticated, and adapted this icon in several languages. To shed a holistic light on this writer, the Central University of Kerala has curated the Shakespeare Across Cultures programme, explaining how the world’s varying languages and cultures have influenced him and how he’s influenced them.

India’s numerous Shakespeare experts teach the Shakespeare Across Cultures certification syllabus, which deals with analysing Shakespeare through language discourses, geopolitics, identities, gender, race, how he’s negotiated on pages, screens, stages, classroom discourses, outlining his adaptations, etc. The training also touches upon vital concepts such as how Shakespeare’s adaptations evoke diverse cultures' responses, how they transfigured him in their cultural and literary terrain, and many more.

 A four-credit, elective programme for 15 weeks, the Shakespeare Across Cultures course by Swayam belongs to the ‘Humanities and Social Sciences’ purview. It’s intended for English literature postgraduates, featuring internal assessments and an external proctored test. Clearing these, the candidates can also obtain the curriculum certificate. 

Swayam’s Introduction to World Literature online course introduces its candidates to the vast world of writings, produced in various languages, cultural contexts, and nations. While the program doesn’t claim to cover all time periods and every single one of their literary traditions, it does aim to familiarise learners with the English Language’s representative texts, available today. This short, 12-week training belongs to the English Studies’ and ‘Humanities and Social Sciences’ categories, set at the postgraduate level. 

An elective program, the Introduction to World Literature certification syllabus covers numerous vital learnings. These include classics such as Don Quixote, Beowulf, Indian literature from the likes of Tagore, Kamala Das, short stories, American literature like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker’s Everyday Use, critical theory, women writers, contemporary authors, and more. What’s more, IIT Madras’s renowned educator, Professor Merin Simi Raj, teaches this in-depth curriculum. 

Furthermore, the Introduction to World Literature program also furnishes course-end certificates to interested learners who sit for Swayam’s proctored exams. Upon clearing all the certification criteria and clearing the assessment, students can earn themselves an e-verifiable certificate to display their acquired knowledge in this subject.

Literary criticism is the analysis, study and interpretation of a literary text or school of thought. It is a medium for the critic to explain and defend her judgement and evaluation of a text and provide the readers with some relevant biographical and historical information. This enriches the reader’s understanding of a literary work and helps them appreciate it more. Literary Criticism (From Plato to Leavis) by Swayam is an attempt to provide students with an understanding of the subject by analysing some significant texts.

The Literary Criticism online course is an AICTE approved Faculty Development Programme (FDP). The training is designed by the accomplished faculty of IIT Madras. The course curriculum will take you on a journey through different literary works that have been studied and analysed for decades for their brilliance and relevance.

In addition, the Literary Criticism certification by Swayam includes a digital certificate verified by NPTEL at the end of the course for those who qualify for the certification exam. Candidates can verify their certification online.  The programme belongs to the English literature studies domain.

The Literature, Culture, and Media certification by Swayam is a part of the NPTEL scheme that provides free learning programmes for interested individuals. This course's curriculum aims to introduce participants to the intersections of literature, culture, and media through an interdisciplinary framework. Literature, culture, and media are responsible for generating new ideas and perspectives in the consumers and play a massive role in determining identities.

The Literature, Culture, and Media certification syllabus will touch upon and highlight some of the new forms of media that have reinvented and transformed the literary forms. Theoretical approaches and literary criticisms such as Marxism, Feminism, and Deconstruction will further explain some of the literary phenomenon and cultural aspects of popular culture.

Additionally, the Literature, Culture, and Media certification course by Swayam is suitable for all individuals interested in learning about the subject. No prior knowledge is required for enrollment. Further, the 12-week learning course falls under the Humanities and Social Science category.

The ‘American Literature & Culture’ online course is developed for the students to discuss and study American literature and the important social and cultural movements in American studies. The students of this course will get introduced to the eminent poets and writers of American literature. The online National Program on Technology Enhanced Learning(NPTEL) training program is provided by Swayam, a free online education portal initiated by the Government of India. 

This online training is scheduled for a period of twelve weeks in this elective program for the postgraduate level students of the fields of humanities and social sciences, and English Studies.

The course instructor for this online program is Prof. Aysha Iqbal Viswamohan faculty of film studies, drama, and popular culture at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The learners during the course of study in this program will develop a comprehensive understanding of the literary significance of American literature. 

The ‘American Literature & Culture’ certification course helps students get an E-certificate that can be downloaded and credit points at the end of this All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) approved course.

Literature and Life Certification are designed and structured in such a way that it helps learners make sense of their own lives through the prism of literature and get a better understanding of the relation of literature to life.

A selection of essays, poems, plays, and short stories from British, American, and Indian literature will be examined in Literature and Life Classes in order to understand and appreciate the complex but fragile human relationships at various levels, including the individual, family, society, business, politics, etc.

All students get a Literature and Life Certification from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) under the Swayam Initiative by the Government of India. 

Elements of Literature and Creative Communication Certification is ideal for those who are interested in tasting the nectar of literature. Because literature is directly related to life and keeping that broad vision in mind makes students aware of the finer sensibilities of human existence.

Elements of Literature and Creative Communication Classes intend to teach the students by introducing them to literature, which represents profound and beautiful expressions of mankind, we hope to help them better comprehend and enjoy life. It includes carefully chosen readings of drama, fiction, and poetry. 

All students get an Elements of Literature and Creative Communication Certification from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) under the Swayam Initiative by the Government of India. 

The National Education Policy 2020's goal is reflected in the design of the Indian Poetics Certification. The experience that is sparked in the aesthete is the subject of Indian literary works, and various Indian schools of philosophy have examined this experience from various angles.

Sanskrit, Tamil, and modern Indian poetry's individual components, as well as their historical significance, are covered in Indian Poetics Classes consisting of its concept and definition. 

The Indian Poetics Certification Syllabus covers the three arts, poetry, music and architecture which were believed to present the absolute, ultimate truth conceived by the Indian philosophical thoughts.

All students get an Indian Poetics Certification by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), Ahmedabad under the Swayam Initiative

The analysis of the play, The Merchant of Venice written by the greatest literary genius of all time, William Shakespeare, is the heart of this course on Global Shakespeares: Recreating the merchant of Venice. This introductory course, Global Shakespeares: Recreating the merchant of Venice programme on literature is offered by edX, an online education provider in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which is also, under the guidance of the instructor from the same MIT institution. Global Shakespeares: Recreating the merchant of Venice certification course provides the learner with a well comprehensive curriculum that teaches the play to provide occasions for thoughtful communication for personal, historical, creative, and cultural boundaries.

This short Global Shakespeares: Recreating the merchant of Venice program on Shakespeare plays mainly focuses on an in-depth study of the play to implement the learning outcomes on our own creative ways towards the end during which important concepts like language, gender relations, theatricality, religious and ethnic prejudice, the historical context of the play, and an overall idea about the Shakespearean theatres and works. 

The Literature and Coping Skills certification course will be helping the students to explore the power in the field of literary experience. In the program, the students will be analyzing the strong coping resilience and strategies that matter the most in the present times. Over the course of eight long weeks, the Literature and Coping Skills certification syllabus will be covering details on - the psychology of fear and excitement. . The online certification course module focuses on a wide array of human emotions namely - joy, pain, fear, happiness, anxiety and others.
The online certification program on Literature and Coping Skills by Swayam will be helping the applicants to overcome their- fatal strikes of fear, trauma, depression,  anxiety and heartbreak. 

The session will be guiding the students to discover the beauty of life and overcome depression and anxiety through self-love and care. The program will be dealing with a range of human experiences that are universally accepted.

Indian Poetry in English Certification highlights the fundamentals and significance of poetry, which has historically served as a therapeutic medium to help humanity cope with life's stresses. India has such a rich history of literary expression, and those with the patience to listen have always been drawn to its lyrical voices.

Indian Poetry in English Classes aims to delve into the oceanic aesthetic of Indian poetry and spread its waves among poetry enthusiasts. The course was created with the learners' desire to comprehend in mind the journey of Indian English poetry, and how it began and continues to make its presence felt, struggling at times and overcoming hurdles while yet succeeding, in mind.

All students get an Indian Poetry in English Certification from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) under the Swayam Initiative by the Government of India. 

Learning how to manage various large-scale complex health survey databases for in-depth analysis is made possible by Exploring Survey Data on Health Care Certification. The most recent statistical programs, such as SPSS and STATA, will be used to explain these ideas and this is the primary objective of this certification. 

Exploring Survey Data in Health Care Classes will be practically oriented and it covers everything from recognizing health-related variables to gathering, tabulating, and analyzing data.

All students get an Exploring Survey Data on Health Care Certification by the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) under the Swayam Initiative by the Government of India. 

The ChinaX Book Club: Five Authors, Five Books, Five Views of China course has been meticulously designed to cover primarily all the dynamics of contemporary China with extensive usage of tools like discussion, close reading & analysis. The 5-week self-paced ChinaX Book Club: Five Authors course has been designed to cover all the aspects of cultural & historical transformations of China and even all the levels of engagement, whether them being actual or imaginary engagements. 

ChinaX Book Club: Five Authors, Five Books, Five Views of China certification course by thoroughly using the mentioned tools, explores life in China, and various issues that directly or indirectly concern the Chinese people. By ChinaX Book Club: Five Authors course, candidates get to ponder freely over the power of literature & also its limitations to help imagine China anew. ChinaX Book Club: Five Authors, Five Books, Five Views of China course features numerous interviews of published & highly successful authors, who through their books, try to provide first-hand experience to the candidates regarding the Chinese culture & traditions. 

With the knowledge of close reading & analysis, candidates get to develop their personalised approach to culture, modern literature & historical scenarios. There are 2 tracks offered that may be chosen by the candidates while enrolling for this programme. One is the audit mode which provides limited access, and on the other hand, there is the verified mode which has unlimited course access.

How were Shakespeare's plays printed and performed four centuries ago? Why does his work still inspire us? How has Shakespeare's image changed over time? Well, the Shakespeare: Print and Performance course by FutureLearn was developed to answer these questions and more.  The programme is a four-week study into the glorious works of Shakespeare, and how it was adopted in the print and theatre medium.

The course is curated by King's College London in partnership with the British Library and Shakespeare's globe. It is designed to help you explore how Shakespeare's works continue to manifest themselves in contemporary storytelling and drama. Moreover, Shakespeare: Print and Performance online course also includes input from renowned curators, academics, publishers, theatre directors, musicians, and actors. Each of them provides their personal opinion about the global icon's early modern world works.

You will also get access to some exclusive, priceless manuscripts, made available to you by the British Library. Throughout the course, you will be engaging in scholarly discussion with the diverse learning community and will be able to draw from everyone's experiences. By opting for the “upgrade” access option of the FutureLearn Shakespeare: Print and Performance programme, you can also get a course completion certificate.

The Postcolonial Literature online programme is a free elective course offered by Swayam in partnership with IIT Kanpur. The course is aimed towards postgraduate English literature students from any college or university. The robust course syllabus involves various crucial literary texts that emerged in the 1980s by significant writers such as Raja Rao, Chinua Achebe, Joseph Conrad, Jhumpa Lahiri and some literary critics.

Furthermore, the Postcolonial Literature certification falls under the English studies and Humanities and Social Sciences categories. The elective course will run for four weeks and help you navigate some complex concepts and theories that are a part of postcolonial literature. Also, the programme is curated by IIT Kanpur and is delivered by its department of English Literature.

At the end of the Postcolonial Literature certification course, you will have a thorough understanding of postcolonial studies and the rich texts that left their literary imprints on the history of world literature.