Department of English

The Department of English, one of the Oldest Departments of the University, was established on 1st December, 1986, and since inception the Department has been the hub of teaching and research activity, attracting a cross-section of students and research scholars from all over the country. It has established itself as a stronghold of Comparative Literature, teaching Comparative Literary Theory and fostering Comparative Literary studies between Indian Languages and English. In recent years, Cultural and Translation Studies too have come to be a thrust area, inspiring inter-disciplinary and intra-disciplinary insights among faculty and students alike. Reading Literature(s) in English alongside literary narratives in Indian languages has certainly provided our students with deeper insights, as evidenced by the innumerable scholarly dissertations which have been submitted as part of the students’ course work.  An ecologically sensitive critical thinking and teaching has also emerged alongside,  and the Department is one of the earliest in the country to proffer multicultural studies in this area---and with the founding and establishment of the Association for the study of Literature and Environment-ASLE India (the Indian counterpart of the International forum of that name) in 2006, this has fostered a renewed direction to academics and Scholars alike.

At the Postgraduate level, the Department of English offers courses in poetry, drama, prose and fiction of canonical British literature and American literature, thus offering good training for UGC-NET aspirants, and all those keen to acquaint themselves with these classics. A strong theoretical foundation is laid with two Literary Theory courses spread over two semesters. The Department offers courses in ELT and Research Methodology which are application-oriented. A basic course devised as Language through literatureoffers students an orientation to the formal study of English language and literary appreciation. A high-point of our M.A. Programme is the research project that encourages individual initiative and self-study on the part of the students.  Emerging areas of study such as, Media Studies Postcolonial literatures and EcocriticalTheoretical Studies along with an array of specialized electives make for an M.A. programme that is a mix of the conventional and the new.

A new MA Programme in English Language Teaching has also been recently proposed in order to cater to the demands of the Englishlanguage with due recognition of its importance in the Indian Education System. This is designed to hone and enhance the skills and to harness the knowledge available in this language.

The faculty members of the Department of English also engage Functional English classes for the fast-mushrooming integrated courses in various other allied disciplines. This is done with diligence and commitment with a view to foster efficiency and skill in the use of the language