The Department of English, as one of the founding departments of the University, has been functioning since 1984. The Department emphasizes through its curriculum and other activities, its firm belief in quality enhancement, academic excellence, social concern and character formation. Ensuring a smooth and easy transition for the higher secondary students into the University programmes is the prime focus of the Department. The Department conducts diagnostic tests in English at the start of the year to identify the English proficiency of the learners and to offer the right kind of course to them.
Focus is provided on the necessary general and technical communication skills required to engineering graduates, who aim to be placed in high profile IT and Core companies in India and abroad. The Department has been robustly involving in the curricular design, which has always been relevant and student-centred. These improvements have augmented well-defined English language proficiency of students through planned classroom practices. Intending to improve employability and entrepreneurship, it believes in instilling good value system in students with strong human values and discerning social awareness.
The Department also designs and offers Basic English Courses to various disciplines including science and commerce. Through the Four-year Integrated B.A. B.Ed. (English) programme offered by the School of Education, we impart an appreciation of aesthetics in Literature by creating aparticipative, literary ambience for the students.
Creating a knowledge community with excellent communicative competence and discerning social awareness with strong human values is envisaged by the various Departmental activities. It is continuously moving ahead towards its vision, mission and objectives to inculcate these skills in the students which would motivate them to become effective communicators.
CLUB ACTIVITIES
- THE ATHENAEUM trains the students in public speaking and debating.
- 'NONESUCH READERS' CLUB develops the reading and speaking skills.
- ENGLISH STAFF STUDY CIRCLE to discuss academic / research topics.
NATIONAL LEVEL COURSE DEVELOPMENT
The Faculty members of the Department of English have developed the following MHRD funded courses for NPTEL and for the Pedagogy Project. Now they have engaged in development of language related MOOC courses.
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Sl No
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Agency
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Course Name
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Developer
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1
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NPTEL
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Technical English
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Dr. G.P. Ragini
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2
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Pedagogy Project
(Main Phase)
IIT Kharagpur
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English for Communication
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Dr. G. Venkatraman
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MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT: COURSE BOOKS
The Department of English has published 6 Course Books in English for the various programmes of SASTRA
- Strategies in Communication – I SemB.Tech. – SASTRA Publication, 2010
- Technical Communication – II SemB.Tech. – SASTRA Publication, 2011
- English for Communication - I& II Year B.A. Astrology Course, 2009
- English for Practicing Artists I – I BFA in Bharathanatyam, April 2010
- English for Practicing Artists II – II BFA in Bharathanatyam, July 2011
- English for Vedic Pandits – For Advanced Diploma in Vedic Studies, Oct. 2013
PROGRAMMES ORGANISED
STTP/FDP
- AICTE Sponsored two-week Staff Induction Training Programme on “Pedagogy and Communication Skills – 17.03.2003 to 28.03.2003.
- A five-day FDP on “Instructional Technology” by Dr. S. Krishnamoorthy, former Principal TTTI, Chandigarh, February 1- 5, 2010.
- FDP on “Competency Updation in Classroom Communication” – December 19,20, 2011.
- ISTE-STTP on “Technical Communication for Scientist and Engineers” conducted by IIT Mumbai, through SASTRA Remote Centre, November 30 to December 5, 2015.
- Faculty Development Programme, “Teaching / Learning English” From 16th to 20th December 2015.
- Workshop on ‘Teaching Learning in English,’ organized for the Faculty of English (Main Campus & SRC), December 16-20, 2016, Coordinated by Dr. B. Illango, Former Vice Chancellor, Bharathiyar University.
- Oxford University Press Sponsored Faculty Development Programme on “Constructivist Approach to Teaching of English Language and Literature” – September 28 & 29, 2019.
- Oxford University Presssponsored one-day workshop on ‘Translating Classroom Teaching into Textbook Pedagogy’ on March 14, 2020. Dr. C. Balaji, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, IIT, Madras was the Chief Resource Person. 40 faculty members from various institutions and SASTRA attended.
Youth Festival
- Hosted the South Zone Inter University Youth Festival at SASTRA during Aug. 21-25, 2010, in association with Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi. Obtained a fund of Rs. 8.8 lakh from Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. of India for this event.
- A one-day Youth Festival on Swami Vivekananda was organized on September 24, 2011, to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Knowledge Leadership Forum (KLF) Lectures
- Knowledge Leadership Forum (KLF) Lecture on ‘Intercultural Communication’ by Prof. T. Balasubramanian, PhD (Edinburgh) on July 25, 2014.
- Knowledge Leadership Forum Lecture on, “Towards and Integrated World-view: Revisiting Indian Theories of Culture and Literature,” by Prof.Sudhir Kumar, Professor of English, Punjab University, Chandigarh on December 23, 2019.
