ENGLISH

The Department of English, Aliah University is still in its formative stage. Carrying the legacy of Aliah Madrasah, a 200 yrs. old educational institution that stressed on the need of teaching English to the Indian populace, this department is interestingly poised between the tradition of teaching British and American literature and an exciting future where the discipline has broadened its scope to include literatures of the world. The interests of the newly recruited faculty members reflect this rich diversity and range over Australian literature, Critical and Cultural theory, Dalit literature, Film Studies, Applied Linguistics, Shakespeare Scholarship, etc.  Class room teaching bears the impress of the tradition of close textual analysis supported with interpretations within a theoretical framework at the post-graduate level. This is often supplemented by audio-visual means. Apart from formal lectures, there are tutorial classes and study groups which allow more personalised and productive interaction between the students and the faculty. Departmental Assessment of students is done through continual evaluation, End Semester examinations, terms papers and dissertations. The students of the department also partake of a vibrant cultural life on campus. The Department has organised seminars, workshops, special lectures in wide ranging topics that include Travel Writing, Cultural Studies, Renaissance Studies and Recent Trends in Indian Writing in English. The Department runs Fabulinus: A Literary and Cultural Society which includes Drama Club, Film Club, Debate Club, Literary Club, Quiz Club and Book Reading Club. These clubs conduct activities on every Thursday.

The Department aims at carrying out research in both traditional and emerging areas of English Studies. In addition to core English Literature and American Literature components, it encourages work in New Literatures in English, including Australian, African and Canadian literature, Translation, Cultural Studies, Language Studies and Pedagogy. Another important thrust area of the Department is the study of the literature of the Muslim world, with special emphasis on the works of the authors from the subcontinent. The impact of Europe upon India, both in the earliest period of contact and under colonialism is another area on which the department encourages research.  The Department plans to create a digital archive of the early works of Muslim authors, especially those from the eastern part of India, during the colonial contact focusing on the question of negotiating the western modernity.  The faculty members have published research articles in reputed journals and in the form of books, monographs, edited volumes on a wide variety of subjects.