English Society Report 07-08

The English Society Report 2007-08
The English Society of DDUC believes in taking knowledge beyond classrooms. The objective of the society is to explore various dimensions of the English Language Literature course and discover its applicability in the outside world. The society organizes events which enhances and enriches the vistas of the students in associated arts like Theatre, Cinema, Paintings and Sculpture.

The Society runs a Film Club and regularly screens world classics to sensitise students towards the nuances of Cinema. Discussions based on the screening motivate students not only to appreciate Cinema as an art form but also discuss issues and themes highlighted in the films, from various perspectives.

The Society encourages students to write and enact scenes from texts in their course and promotes their skills in public performance. Over the last three years the outgoing final year students have not only rewritten a classical text to suit the contemporary milieu but have also used components of theatre innovatively to present book reviews at the Commonwealth Regional Prizes Forum at the British Council, New Delhi.

Joint paper presentations for all the three years of English (Hons.) is organised regularly to train students in skills of public speaking. A joint effort of this nature not only promotes camaraderie among all the students but they quickly learn from each other to improve their.

Besides oraganising seminars,debates and lectures by eminent guest speakers, the Society frequently visits libraries and institutions like The Sahitya Akademi, The British Council, Jawaharlal Nehru University etc.

Some of the activities that were undertaken by the Society in academic year 2007-8 are:


 * A Visit to Radio Mirchi Station to expose students to career options in the mass media,
 * an audio visual presentation on early Greek and Roman civilization by a Film and Literature expert from Delhi University,
 * a day long workshop by a JNU professor on MODERNISM, an interactive workshop on Health issues by an eminent super specialist,
 * and a Eco-tourism trip to Teri Deragreen, Mukteshwar, Nainital.
 * As part of this trip the students enjoyed adventurous activities like trekking, rappelling and river crossing apart from watching the film An Inconvenient Truth by Nobel prize winner Al Gore which sensitized them about the dangers of global warming.
 * The Society also took the initiative of raising funds for FRIENDS ORGANISATION – an NGO by putting up stalls selling homemade food items on the eve of Valentine’s Day and gave the concept of ‘Love’ a whole new meaning.

Department of English, DDUC
The Department of English, DDUC launched its B.A.(H) English course in the academic year 2005 -2006.It has successfully completed three years of its existence and has won laurels for itself both within and outside the college. The Department has approximately 65 students on its roll and has an intake of 30 students including the students in reserved categories. In the last three years the students were selected on the basis of an entrance exam, but this year the admission will be purely on the basis of marks scored in the CBSE.

The University results for all the three batches have been among the best in the University, with a large number of first and high second divisions and a high pass percentage. The students of the final year batch have excellently performed over the last two years and are looking forward their third year results.

The Department believes in high energy quotient and a complete dedication to the course both on the part of the teacher and the student .The USP of the course in this college is the various innovative pedagogical techniques used to deliver lectures and make the course user friendly and goal oriented .Since this is the newest department of English, in University of Delhi it has the characteristic youthful vigour and enthusiasm The department lays a lot of emphasis on regular lecture classes, individual class presentation and a continuous evaluation of the student. Guest Faculty from JNU and DU are invite regularly to value add to the class lectures.Film screenings, field trips and joint seminars are held regularly to expand the vistas of knowledge.(refer to English Society report).

The Dept over and above its teaching schedules offers three customised Add On Courses which are a value addition to the main honours course in English. These courses are:-

1. Effective Communication and Personality development Through Theatre (Since 2007)

The course was innovatively designed to instill confidence, integrity, excellence and artistic sensitivity into each of its students -- traits that are essential for success in any field. It sought to hone skills such as: Communication, Leadership, Creativity, Teamwork and Interpersonal relationship, Self-management and self-awareness .A positive change in attitude, rising level of confidence and energy, coupled with ability to manage both time and stress were noticed in the students immediately after the course.

Along with conceptual inputs, the course was also coordinated by Dr. Pramesh Ratnakar and conducted by Mr. Ajay Manchanda, an eminent theatre personality.

2. The English Language Teaching Course. (Begins June 2008) 3. A  Course in Copywriting. (Begins Oct. 2008).

Permanent Faculty Members:-

1.Dr.Pramesh Ratnakar. Phd.in 19th Century American Literature, Areas Of Interest: ELT

2.Dr. Anubha Mukherji Sen (Teacher In Charge) Phd. in Novel and Cinema, Areas of Interest: Film Studies, Gender Studies.

3.Dr.Jayini Adhyapak. Phd.in Theories Of Representation, Areas of Interest: Translation.