Department of English

Department of English

Established in 1921, the Department of English, Patna University is located on the first floor in the north-western flank of Darbhanga House, once a Royal Palace. This alluring vista is indeed a source of inspiration and wonder for the students of literature. The Department imparts post-graduate teaching, enables research in wide ranging areas of specialization and encompasses English and global literatures in English, Linguistics, and Language Teaching, Contemporary Critical Theory, Translations Studies, Post-colonial and Women’s Writings, Gandhian and Dalit Literature, Linguistics and Communication Skills. The Department of English celebrates creative writing and embraces everything from fresh composition to the most advanced research. The aim of the Department is to strike a balance between creativity and critical enquiry. The focus is on communication of ideas, analysis of texts, writing skills, and development of new perspectives through theoretically informed interpretations. These facilitate deep understanding and stimulation of imagination to bring about ‘change’. The Department invests in ‘thinking’, ‘questioning’ and ‘exploring’ what is beyond. The faculty of the Department of English consists of celebrated researchers, educators, scholars, and writers who foster an atmosphere of lively intellectual exchange and support the students in the best possible way. All faculties take part in the Department’s ongoing conversations about the content of courses, strategies for effective course design and teaching. In addition to this, the Department has capable staff members to support academic, cultural and co-curricular programmes. The Department has a distinguished tradition of excellence dedicated to scholarship. It has produced a number of NET/JRF scholars, academics, civil servants, diplomats, and corporate heads apart from a number of writers, authors, poets, and most importantly better human beings, for the aim of literature is to produce ‘a lesson in feeling’. Recent researches undertaken in the Department are in the areas of Peace and Conflict Studies, Dalit Narratives, Post-colonial complexities, Film and Literature interface, Significance of the Humanities in Society, Memory and History, Metanarratives and Local Knowledge, Identity and Diversities and Language Studies among others. Members of the faculty publish in international and national journals and in publications with high impact value and write books or have contributed to chapters in books. Several faculty have delivered keynote, plenary or presidential addresses at important seminars across the country. The Department has held a week-long National Workshop in Translation Studies in collaboration with IGNOU and a number of extramural lectures have been delivered by eminent scholars such as Prof. Harish Trivedi, Prof. Hetukar Jha, Prof Asghar Wazahat Dr Debaditya Bhattacharya and others. There have been frequent visits by the personnel of the American Library, U.S. High Commission and British Council. Eminent writers such as Amitava Kumar and Siddharth Chowdhury have graced the Department and addressed the students and faculty. A UGC sponsored National Seminar on ‘Children’s Literature’ has been organized by the Department in collaboration with Patna Women’s College. The Department of English, PU, provides the students an opportunity that enables them to bring the best out of their capabilities through interactive classroom teaching, student-faculty interaction to facilitate “Each One Teach One”, presentations covering diverse topics promoting both group as well as individual work. The Department hosts a number of literary as well as cultural festivals every year which promote events such as poetry reading, short-story reading, play reading, debate, elocution, musical events, poster designing, rangoli making, essay writing, drama, dance etc., Film festivals are organised on a regular basis along with educational trips. All these help in overall development of students and foster the growth of individuals who wish to combine creativity with life-skills and critical knowledge.

First Head: Professor J C Hill

Present Head: Dr N. K. Pandey