Gujarat University, Ahmedabad

Department of English

Department of English
 

Department of English

The Department of English of Gujarat University was started in 1963 in the present building of the School of Languages. In those days this used to be the School of Gujarati (Gujarati Bhasha Sahitya Bhavan) Dr. R.S. Singh, who later joined Kurukshetra University and rose to Professor-Headship and Registrar (Academic) ship, was the founder Lecturer-Head of the Department. He joined the Department in June 1963. After a few months Professor K.R. Chandrashekharan (Oxon) joined the Department as the Professor-Head in November 1963. Thus after thirteen years of University's inception the English Department came into being.

For four initial years the Department ran on the strength of just one lecturer and one professor. PG teaching in those days was done only during the week-ends - two days a week. As the School expanded and other Departments came into being the teaching pattern changed. With the help of Visiting Faculty from the affiliated colleges, six days a week teaching was introduced in all the Departments. Full-fledged M.A., Ph.D. Programs in English were introduced.

Under Professor Chandrashekaran’s insightful leadership the department expanded, Dr. B. Singh joining the department in 1967, Dr. D.N. Mehta in 1970 and Dr. Amina Amin in 1977. The department with such distinguished faculty with varied interest developed into a major Centre for English Studies in Gujarat, teaching P.G. as well as catering to the needs of the affiliating PG Centres. In 1970, Prof. Chandrashekaran also took over as the Director of the School when Shri Umashankar Joshi, the renowned Gujarati poet and the then Director was appointed as the VC of Gujarat University.

Prof. Chandrashekaran retired in June 1977 handing over the charge of the Department to Dr. Digish Mehta (a Reader at that time). In Sept. 1977 Professor R.A. Malagi was appointed as the Professor-Head.

Keeping the twin objectives of the Department in view, viz. the Language Teaching and Literature Appreciation and Research, in 1981 under Prof. Malagi's leadership the Department introduced M.Phil. Program. In 1985 the present Language Laboratory, situated on the second floor of the USL building, was installed under the supervision of P.K. Thaker, Reader Language Lab. A decade that followed this was a decade of serious research guidance and full-swing ELT activities. In-Service-Teachers' -Training Programs for the affiliated lecturers, ELT Workshops and ELLT Courses became a regular feature during that period. More than fifteen such Programs must have been given during that decade.

Though basically a PG Department, the diverse specialization of the faculty, as shown below, provided the affiliated PG/UG teachers with much needed guidance and support. Each of the faculty had, besides teaching, numerous papers presented at National/International Conferences and Seminars and significant book-length studies.

Department of English
Gujarat University,
Navrangpura,
Ahmedabad – 380 009.
Gujarat,
India

 

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