Department of English & Cultural Studies

About Department of English & Cultural Studies

The Department of English and Cultural Studies is one of the premier centres of Language and Literature in the country. It offers disciplines ranging from Indian Writing to Media Studies, from Contemporary Critical Theory to Postcolonial Literatures, and from Literary Movements to Academic Writing. It has a well-equipped Language Lab with multi-media audio-visual systems and computers. In addition, there is a rich library that stocks the latest books and journals with special emphasis on Cultural Studies. Apart from imparting instruction at the Masters, the Department is also running MPhil and PhD degrees focusing on thrust areas of Popular Culture, Gender, Race, Media and Television studies as reflected in literature across the world. The Department also caters to the needs of language-teaching of various other social science and science departments of the University.

The Department organizes curricular and extra-curricular activities for the students, including Quiz Contests, Seminars, Declamation Contests, Group Discussions and annual play productions. We bring out a bi-annual refereed research journal, Dialog, which has a distinguished Advisory Board comprising of national and international academics. The faculty of the Department is actively engaged in research pursuits and each member has authored several books and research papers. The faculty includes several highly visible academics who have travelled extensively both nationally and internationally for academic research as well as for attending conferences and seminars. At the same time, they contribute towards various administrative needs of the university and to the running of the home institution.

The Department enrols about 250 students every year for the Master's degree. There is a Literary Society called 'The Three Hundred' that organizes literary events from time to time. Yearly seminars and conferences are held under the aegis of the Special Assistance Programme (SAP) grant which the Department receives from the UGC. Visiting Scholars, English Proficiency Courses for International and Indian Students, Workshops and Film Festivals add to the rigorous academic environment. Alumni meets, Blood Donation Camps, Tree Plantation and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Cleanliness Drives, Student Excursions are regular initiatives of the Department. In addition, we house a heritage Mulk Raj Anand Auditorium - a venue for the students to showcase their performative skills.