Established in the year 2007, the Department of English is one of the first University Teaching Departments (UTDs) of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya created to offer qualitative and affordable programmes in English Studies. Driven by Indian grammarian and philosopher Bhartrhari’s (570AD) statement that (we take cognizance of the world through words), the department of English endeavors to evolve and strengthen the aesthetic, literary and linguistic understanding of life through literature and language. The key objective is to enable the enrolled students and scholars to become critical thinkers, proficient users of English language rooted in native culture and literary traditions. Therefore the academic programmes offered by the department are designed and administered, keeping in mind the juxtaposition of tradition and modernity represented in literary narratives. The Department puts in sincere efforts for inculcating in its students the competence which is communicative, linguistic, inter-cultural and literary in nature vis-à-vis evolving trends, methodologies and approaches in English literature and language.
Being a research driven Department, qualitative, socially relevant, academically challenging and culturally appropriate research with determined outcome is promoted by the Department of English. The focal areas of research in the Department are British Poetry, Indian Poetics , Comparative Literature, ELT, Stylistics, Pragmatics, Cognitive Semantics, Semiotics, Metaphor , Translation Studies & Indian Literature in Translation, Translation Studies, Marginal Writings, Comparative Literature, Oral Literature & Cognitive Semantics, Drama, Women Studies, Folk Literature, Indian Writings in English, Diaspora Writings, Performance Studies, Contemporary World Theatre, Cultural Studies, Critical & Literary Theories, Indian Writing in English and Fiction.
The Department is equipped with decent infrastructure and digital technology facilitating effective teaching learning ambience. The students are provided with rich stock of books, magazines, newspapers and journals in the Department’s library, reading room and networked computer facility. Besides academic rigor, the students are given adequate opportunity to participate in literary debates and discussions, presentations, sports, cultural activities and educational excursions & tours, conferences and workshops. As a special facility the students are given add on opportunity to learn and earn certificates in German, French and Russian languages. In order to improve communication skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing, the students are made to attend special classes in the university’s Language Laboratory, which is one of the best in the region. The Department trains, assists and guides its students for securing placements in areas like teaching, public relations, call centers, technical writing, journalism, interpretation etc.
The Department had an opportunity to collaborate with British Council and Cambridge University Press in the past. We are in the process of entering into academic collaboration with some of the prestigious institutions and organizations in near future. In order to further strengthen our capacity as a research oriented department, we are planning to start the Research Journal with an editorial board comprising of eminent global scholars. The department is working on introducing new programmes in ELT, Translation and Creative Writing.
Needless to mention that the aforesaid achievements and proposed endeavors reflect the fact that the Department of English has one of the best, academically qualified, committed and visionary faculty members. We draw inspiration and energy from the following words extracted from British poet and theologian John Henry Newman’s book The Idea of a University (1852):
“University training must aim at raising the intellectual tone of society, at cultivating the public mind, at purifying the national taste, at facilitating the exercise of political power and refining the intercourse of private life”.