The Department of English endeavors to cultivate and nurture the interpretative acumen and expressive prowess of its students within an intellectually stimulating and nurturing environment. With an unwavering commitment to fostering critical and analytical abilities, the department offers a comprehensive curriculum that embraces an interdisciplinary approach. By delving into multifaceted themes such as the construction of identity, race relations, gender stereotypes, and the intricate dynamics of language, the courses prompt students to engage with complex socio-cultural issues.
The department’s curriculum is thoughtfully designed to explore a rich tapestry of literature and diverse cultures. Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) model, which champions the merits of interdisciplinarity, the department extends its offerings to include Value Added Courses, General Electives, Skill Enhancement Courses, and Discipline-Centered Electives. By embracing this holistic approach, students gain a profound understanding of the needs and demands of the modern world.
Equipped with a comprehensive education, students from the department possess the requisite knowledge and skills to excel in various domains. They emerge as experts and practitioners in fields such as research, journalism, marketing, and content creation. Many graduates with an English Honours degree continue their educational journey, pursuing Master’s and Ph.D. programs at esteemed institutions like the University of Edinburgh, University of Toronto, University of Nottingham, South Asian University, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, and other renowned universities worldwide.
The career prospects for graduates are diverse and far-reaching, owing to the department’s strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. Alumni have secured positions in prestigious organizations, assuming roles such as Brand Service Managers, Content Managers, Copywriters, Digital Marketers, Editors, Journalists, Management Trainees, Political Consultants, Software Analysts, Geopolitical Risk Analysts, and a myriad of other professional capacities. Noteworthy companies where graduates have made their mark include I-PAC, D.E. Shaw, Deloitte, Teach for India, BlackRock, BCN, Accenture, AT Kearney, JSW, Firstcry, BCG, The Quint, Rupa Publications, and numerous others, underscoring the breadth of opportunities available to them.
Sessions and Talks:
On 26th May, 2022, the English Literary Association invited Dr. Rukshana Shroff (former faculty, English Department, LSR) to take an online session titled ‘Everything Shakespeare’ where she spoke about Shakespeare’s works, especially Twelfth Night.
On 3rd September, 2022, the English Literary Association invited Ria Chopra (alumna, English Department, LSR, former consultant, now content writer) to take a session titled ‘Cracking Consultancy’ wherein she spoke about the field of consultancy, what it entails, its career prospects etc.
On 9th September, 2022, Department of English, LSR hosted its first offline session after coming back on campus post the pandemic. Tenzin Tsundue (Tibetan writer and activist) was invited as the guest speaker for a session titled ‘Exile and Writing’.
On 29th September, 2022, Jabberwock organized a session by Dr. Karuna Rajeev (faculty, English Department, LSR) on ‘Basics and Breaking Myths of Academic Writing’.
On 7th October, 2022, the English Literary Association invited Swati Daftuar (alumna, English Department, LSR and Editor at HarperCollins India) to take an online session where she talked about the fields of publishing, editing and writing and the career prospects in the same.
On 28th October, 2022, Taabeer organized a discussion with Anureet Watta (award winning independent filmmaker) in a session titled ‘To Tell a Tale:Queer Voices Capturing Queer Stories’.
On 9th November, 2022, Eshan Sharma (founder, Karwaan Heritage) was invited by Taabeer to take a session on ‘History in the Age of Amnesia’.
On 17th March, 2023, the English Literary Association invited Murali Ranganathan (translator and historian) to take a session wherein he spoke about his latest translation- ‘The First World War Adventures of Nariman Karkaria’.
On 6th April, 2023, the English Literary Association invited Vrinda (alumna, English Department, LSR) and Sayan from Aaina (organization which engages in critical discussion in educational spaces to make learning more inclusive and meaningful) to take a workshop titled ‘Reading and Reimagining the Classroom’.
On 20th April, 2023, Taabeer organized a panel discussion with Dr. Seema Kazi and Dr. Surinder Jotka titled ‘Silences: Patriarchy Beyond the Metropolis’.
The Department of English has been proactive in its efforts to engage students actively in plethora of activities ranging from speaker sessions, research methodology workshop and publishing department journal to name a few. These were conducted to motivate students to participate, explore and learn about contemporary topics by active engagement and interaction with experts in concerned areas providing a creative environment to enhance their knowledge.
Litmus’24, the Annual International Academic Conference of the Department of English was organised on the theme ‘Graphé: Art and Literature as sites of Encounter’ in April. The theme explored the intersection of literature and other prominent forms of art (namely music, theater, painting, fashion, and cinema, among others) through the means of discussions, speaker sessions and competitions – scaling on a national as well as on an international level. ‘Behind the Curtain’- a panel discussion by Prof. Deepika Tandon and Mr. Amitesh Grover, ‘Sketching Issues’ a discussion on Cartoons and Politics by Prof. Christel Devadawson and ‘Judging a Book by its Covers: Voyeurism and Literary Encounters in Old Delhi’s Sunday Book Market’ where Dr Kanupriya Dhingra discussed the role of incidental visual encounters and nostalgia in choosing a book by its colorful cover were the events of Day 1 of Litmus’24. ‘Fables Unveiled’ by Dr Senganglu Thaimei where she spoke about the Naga women writers and their usage of folk narrative as resources and ‘Empire, Emperor and Self Image’ by Ms. Parvati Sharma were the sessions of Day 2 followed by ‘A Quiz of One’s Own’ on art and literature in collaboration with the Quiz society.
Speaker sessions, international workshops, and competitions were organised across the year. The sessions like ‘Centrality of theatre in our lives’ by Prof. Keval Arora, ‘18th Century British Literature’ by Dr. Shirshendhu Chakrabarti, ‘19th Century European Realism’ by Prof. Sambudha Sen and ‘South Asian Drama in English: Exploring and Emerging Genre’ by Professor Mitali P. Wong are the major highlights of the year where students learned about various topics through discussions. Research Methodology Workshop by faculty member Dr. Karuna Rajeev, ‘How to get published as a first-time author’ by Ms. Mehak Goyal (author), a workshop with EHESS, Paris on ‘Embracing Urban Friendship as a Catalyst for Social Change’ by Mr. Hugo Dumas and a session with author Saharu N.K. are some of the remarkable sessions which helped students to learn different things.
The department had organised competitions such as ‘Improv Competition -Can Thou Act’ and a discussion forum on the topic of ‘The Youth’s Vision of a Viksit Bharat.’ A panel discussion on ‘Out Damned Spot’, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth by faculty member Dr. Shernaz Cama and Shri Sudip Chakraborty (Kathak Artist) was organised followed by a wonderful performance by the artist. The department’s art and discussion club, Taabeer conducted multiple book discussions on topics such as I, Lalla written by Lal Ded and selected stories of Sadat Hasan Manto, movie screenings, and a heritage walk to Ghalib ki Haveli.
Jabberwock is the Academic Journal and Magazine of the Department of English. The online and creative wing of Jabberwock published 4 monthly issues and four columns by the magazine’s writers and the department student body. Jabberwock Editors introduced the Litmus Issue, an annual newsletter, for the first time. The Academic Journal invited papers and creative pieces for general submissions on the theme ‘Imagination’. Jabberwock also organised a Human Library and a photo walk named ‘The Art of Noticing’.
| Name | Areas of interest |
| Dr. Madhu Grover Associate Professor madhugrover@lsr.edu.in | Colonial Studies, 18th century Studies, 19th century novel Publications and other works click here |
| Dr. Arti Minocha Associate Professor artiminocha@lsr.edu.in | Modern British Literature, Modern Indian Theatre, Black American Literature Publications and other works click here |
| Dr. Maya Joshi Associate Professor mayajoshi@lsr.edu.in | The Novel, Literary Theory, Indian Literature, Postcolonial Studies Publications and other works click here |
| Dr. Shernaz Cama Associate Professor shcama@lsr.edu.in | 18th Century Literature, Minority and Cultural Studies, Zoroastrianism Publications and other works click here |
| Ms. Mitali Mishra (on Sabbatical Leave) Associate Professor mitalimishra@lsr.edu.in | Gender Studies, Indian Literature, Literary Theory, Modern Drama Publications and other works click here |
| Dr. Arunima Ray Assistant Professor arunima.r.ar@gmail.com | Postcolonial Literature, Indian Writing in English, Dalit Literature Publications and other works click here |
| Ms. Maitreyee Mandal Assistant Professor maitreyeemandal@lsr.edu.in | Gender studies, Queer Studies, Women’s Writing Publications and other works click here |
| Ms. Janet Lalawmpuii Assistant Professor fly.janet@gmail.com | Romantic Poetry, Contemporary Public/Popular Culture, Gender Studies |
| Mr. Ngangom Maheshkanta Singh (On study leave) Assistant Professor maheshkt@lsr.edu.in | Children’s Literature, Culture Studies, Folklore Publications and other works click here |
| Dr. Karuna Rajeev Assistant Professor karunarajeev@gmail.com | 19thCentury Studies, 19th Century Russian Literature, Literary Theory Publications and other works click here |
| Dr. Wafa Hamid Assistant Professor wafa.hamid@lsr.edu.in | Comparative literatures at the intersections of language, translation and trauma studies; cultural studies and collective memorialization; gender & queer studies; literary theory among others Publications and other works click here |
| Mr. Jonathan Koshy Varghese (On study leave) jonathankvarghese@lsr.edu.in | 19th Century American Novel, American Modernism, Modern American Drama Publications and other works click here |
| Ms. Taniya Sachdeva (On leave) Assistant Professor taniyasachdeva@gmail.com | Renaissance Drama, Queer Studies, American Drama Publications and other works click here |
| Ms. Rachita Mittal Assistant Professor (Teacher-in-charge) rachita.jnu@gmail.com | British Romantic Literature, Indian Writings in Translation, Culture Studies |
| Ms. Himanshi Saini Assistant Professor himanshi1491@gmail.com | Modern Indian English Fiction, Popular Fiction, Graphic Narratives Publications and other works click here |
| Ankita K. Dubey Assistant Professor ankitadubey.jnu@gmail.com | South Asian Fiction, African- American Literature, Translation Studies, Native Canadian Literature, Indian Writing in English, Comparative Literature Publications and other works click here |
| Dr. Swatie Assistant Professor purplerain734@gmail.com | American Literature, Violence and Trauma Studies, Literary Theory, Fiction post-1945 Publications and other works click here |
| Ms Sheetal Yadav Assistant Professor sheetal.yadav222@gmail.com | Post-Independence Hindi public sphere, Popular Literature, visual cultures, consumerism, minor genres |
President –Pragya Sharma
Secretary-Pragati Sharma
Treasurer- Awani McCarty
