Science Fiction and Fantasy: A Lacanian Gaze
Date: 01 March 2023
The Department of English organized an expert lecture titled “Science Fiction and Fantasy: A Lacanian Gaze”, on the 1st of March 2023. The resource person invited to deliver the lecture was Dr. Abhishek Chatterjee, Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, RV University. The lecture was hosted in the A3 Auditorium in Admin Block at 12 PM. The resource person talked about intersectional Science Fiction writings and their adaptation into film texts, the importance of Jacques Lacan, and the application of psychoanalysis in Science fiction.

The lecture was attended by the students of the Fourth Sem BA English Literature, Fourth Sem BA Psychology English, Sixth Sem BA JPENG B, Sixth Sem BA English Honours, and MA English. The lecture was also attended by a few students from Christ University. At the end of the talk, the floor was open for questions and conversations, the conversations were participatory.

Expert Lecture on Romanticism, Imaginism and Modernism
Date: 14 February 2023
Department of English organised an expert lecture on “Romanticism, Imaginism and Modernism” on 14th February 2023 in M3 Audi, Main block. The resource person for the lecture was Dr. Atiqa Kelsy Assistant Professor, Department. of English, Department of English, St.Xavier’s College, Jaipur. As her lecture aimed at the elements and art of the Romantic and Modern eras. Dr. Atiqa explained the characteristics of the Romantic era and Modern era with many paintings and art which helped the students to understand the concept of romanticism, modernism, and imagine in detail. She also explained the way of understanding the concept through paintings and architecture.

Students from IV JOEN and English Literature attended the session. The students showed great passion in their participation and were excited to gain more knowledge regarding the subjects.

National Lecture Series: “Culinary Explorations: Food and the Literary Imaginations”
Date: 25 February 2023
The third lecture of the National Lecture Series, a collaboration between English Departments of six institutes i.e. Patna Women’s College (Autonomous), Patna, Bihar, General Shivdev Singh Diwan Gurbachan Singh Khalsa College (Autonomous), Patiala, Punjab, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, Karnataka, St. Aloysius’ College (Autonomous), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, St. Xavier’s College, Jaipur, Rajasthan and Sophia Girls’ College (Autonomous), Ajmer, Rajasthan across India, was held on 25th February 2023 online vi zoom platform 1 PM. The resource person for the lecture was Dr. Sneha Suresh Assistant Professor, Department. of English, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, Karnataka her lecture aimed at acquainting students to provide a fundamental understanding of the study of food and a comprehensive knowledge of the scope of culinary studies

The event coordinator, Dr. Mary Raymer, Assistant. Professor, Dept. of English, Kristu Jayanti College along with the Student Coordinators, Mr. Shombit Das and Ms. Soha Anwar of VI BA English (Hons.) which was attended by the students of II BA English Lit., IV BA English Lit. and II Sem BA PYEN along with students and faculty members of the National Lecture Series member institutions. At the end of the lecture, the students were asked to take a 10-minute quiz upon the successful completion of which, students would be granted with a certificate. The students showed great enthusiasm in their participation in this Collaborative venture and were excited to gain more knowledge regarding various subjects over the series of lectures. The session was anchored by Ms. Githika and vote of thanks by Ms . Yadhu

Expert Lecture on Immigrant Writing: Literary Scape and Research Scope
Date: 25 February 2023
On the 25th of February 2023, the Department of English organized an expert lecture on 'Immigrant Writing: Literary Scape and Research Scope', for students of M.A English Literature, III BA English Literature, III BA JP English, and III BA JPS English. The subject expert for the session was Dr. M. Anjum khan, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Avinashilingam Institute for Home science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Her lecture introduced the students to the field of immigrant literature and focused on the future of immigrant writing. The problems faced by the immigrants and the difference between the immigrants and migrants were explained. The scope of immigrant studies, books related to immigrant writings, scholarships, courses, and universities available for immigrant studies were listed by Dr. Anjum Khan. This program was well coordinated by Dr. Preetha M., Assistant Professor, Department of English, and Dr. Giftsy Dorcas E., Assistant Professor, Department of English.

Expert Lecture on Art of Film Editing
Date: 23/09/2022
An expert lecture titled “Art of Film Editing” was organized by the Department of English on 23rd September 2022, under the guidance of Dr. Arsha Subbi and Dr. Giftsy Dorcas E. The resource person for the day was Prof. Aby Agustine, Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru.

The whole lecture was an interactive one with all the audio and visual support. Prof. Aby primarily focused on different techniques commonly used in the field of editing. He explained the advantages and recent trends of the same with examples. Important terms used in the field of film editing were also discussed. Students actively participated in the lecture by asking questions and responding to the questions asked by the resource person. The lecture came to a close with an interactive session.

Expert series on Employment Enhancement
Date: 16/09/2022
An expert lecture titled “Envison: Expert series on Employment Enhancement” was organized by the Department of English on 16th September 2022 for BA English Hons nd MA English students under the guidance of Fr. Joshy Mathew, Dr Giftsy Dorcas E, Prof. Arsha Subbi and other faculties of various departments.

The resource person for the day was Dr. Gopakumar AV, Dean, Faculty of Humanities. Dr. Gopakumar presently works as Dean Faculty of Humanties, Kristu Jayanti College and also heads the Journalism Department. He has around twenty years of teaching experience spanning Kristu Jayanti College, Manipal Unversity and Sikkim Manipal University. He got into the media world as a magazine correspondent and later as magazine editor of an International Health magazine ‘Inetrnaturalhealth’. Through ‘Indriyum’, a web solution company based in Kerala, he got into new media and there he worked as content editor. His doctoral research is in film studies and he had published numerous research articles in national and international journals about films, new media and advertising.

The whole lecture was an interactive one with all the relevant details and insights on the film industry. Dr. Gopakumar primarily focused on preparing the students for creating awareness and opportunity in the film industry. Sir explained how good visualizing skills come into writing through his example of the movie ‘Chaarulatha’. Furthermore, he explained how a job of a filmmaker is to execute what is there and how they visualize it.

The lecture came to a close with an interactive session. The session had more than 100 participants.

Expert Lecture on Film Grammar
Date: 06/09/2022
On 6th September, 2022 the department of English organized an expert lecture on film grammar. The resource person for the session was Mr Aby Agustine, Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies, Kristu Jayanti College. The curriculum of BA English Honours Programme and MA English Literature has integrated film studies course. This expert lecture on film grammar helped students understand the nuances of film language, mis-en-scene, and other technical aspects. The session dealt in-depth with frames, angles, shots, sequencing and montage. This will help students in better film analysis.

The Art of Socratic Questioning in the Language Classroom
Date: 06/09/2022
The Department of English organized an International Lecture Series on “The Art of Socratic Questioning in the Language Classroom” led by the resource person Ms. Tatjana Jovchesky, Academic Coordinator at the Schola English School, Macedonia. This event took place on 6th September, 2022.

Ms. Tatjana Jovchesky began the session with a few thought provoking sessions piquing the interest and questioning the mind-sets of the audience members. She enumerated that the art of questioning is the foundation of learning and teaching. Questioning facilitates recalling, deepens understanding, develops imagination, enhances problem-solving, fulfils curiosity and boosts creativity she expounded. Ms. Tatjana Jovchesky also explained the importance of Critical Thinking and the practice of it elaborating on other sub skills. Critical thinking is a widely accepted educational goal and Observational skills are the starting point for critical thinking, and once a context has been identified, analytical skills become essential. Communication and Problem-solving all follow as natural corollaries if one consciously practices them she said. Ms. Tatjana Jovcheska also talked about the importance of questions in the classroom to activate students’ creativity and encourage interaction. She also elaborated on techniques to use in the classroom to make it a meaningful experience for the learners. Her lecture was an extremely informative one and received wide and varied responses from the audience. The Q and A session, which had many participants, was also an extremely informative session as the resource person answered their questions adroitly using personal anecdotes and varied experiences to convey her points and ideas.

Guest Lecture on Decluttering the Discourse of Truth
Date: 7/04/2022
The Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, organised a Guest Lecture on 'Decluttering the Discourse of Truth' as a learning enrichment activity on April 07, 2022. The resource person of the programme was Mr. J. S Anantha Krishnan, writer, translator, painter, and research scholar. He is the recipient of the Prime Minister's YUVA Mentoring Young Authors Project Award and scholarship. His lecture provided an insight into the various approaches to unravelling truth emanated through discourses. He spoke about the portrayal and reflection of truth by analysing discourses down the ages and also marvelled at the capabilities of the diverse art forms such as painting in propagating truth. His speech also instigated an inquisitiveness among the participants to observe and wisely make decisions on utilizing social media platforms as it serves as a vital medium in society. After the lecture, a discussion was initiated wherein the students shared their pertinent queries and observations.

International Lecture Series on 'From Postcolonialism to Decoloniality: Exploring Diatopical Hermeneutics'
Date: 08 October 2021

The Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, Bengaluru, organised an International Lecture Series on 'From Postcolonialism to Decoloniality: Exploring Diatopical Hermeneutics' on 08 October 2021.Fr. Dr. Augustine George, Principal, Kristu Jayanti College gave the introductory remark to the lecture. Prof. Mashrur Shahid Hossain, Professor, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, deliberated on the trajectory from postcolonialism to decoloniality and elaborated the notion of transnational or transcultural reading of diatopical hermeneutics.

Expert lecture on “Society, Theatre and Classroom
Department of English UG organised an Expert lecture on the title “Society, Theatre and Classroom: A virtual interactive session with Mahesh Dattani” on 18th August 2021. The resource person was Mahesh Dattani, celebrated playwright, director, actor, writer, and the first playwright in English to be conferred the Sahitya Akademi Award. The virtual platform brought together research scholars, students and faculties from different corners of India. 1600 participants registered for the Expert lecture.

The session began with a silent prayer. Dr Lillykutty Abraham introduced the guest of the day. Mahesh Dattani started the session by explaining the various aspects of theatre and acting. He passionately spoke about the theatre experience, characters and inspirations of his writings and performance. He appreciated the participants for their responses and interest on theatre art and writings. There were 300 + questions from the participants, the questions were clubbed and answered by the resource person. The session helped the participants to understand the author’s concept of characters and the aspects of theatre in a simpler manner. The session ended on a very successful and transformational note.

Dr Lillykutty Abraham, the chief coordinator of the event was the moderator of the session. Prof. Sumathi N proposed the vote of thanks.

Overall, the session was a pleasant experience of learning the aspects of theatre, writing and performance.

Society, Theatre and Classroom: Mahesh Dattani in Conversation with Jayantians
Date: 17th March 2021
Time: 10.15 am – 11.15am
Topic: “Society, Theatre and Classroom: Mahesh Dattani in Conversation with Jayantians”
Name and Details of the Resource Person: Mahesh Dattani
Celebrated playwright, director, actor, writer, and the first playwright in English to be conferred the Sahitya Akademi Award. His play Final Solutions is taught in the 6th semester of BA English combination classes.
Number of Participants: 450

The session began with a silent prayer. Mr. Jerrin Jose, the coordinator, English department, UG welcomed the resource person and the participants. Dr. Lillykutty Abraham introduced the guest of the day.

Mahesh Dattani invited the students to interact with him. The participants were eager and enthusiastic to meet such a famous personality. There were many questions and he responded tracing his experiences with socio political issues. He described how he was passionately dedicated to the social issuesrelated caste, gender, belief systems, religion and minorities. Dattani appreciated the youth especially the students of our college for engaging in creative exchange of ideas. He left a lasting impression by his spontaneous and encouraging responses as well as his simple personality.

Dr. Lillykutty Abraham, the chief coordinator of the event was the moderator of the session. Ms. Anna Felix, VI BA JPENG A proposed the vote of thanks. Atira Premsingh,VI BA JPsEng was the MC of the session.

Overall, the session was a pleasant experience of learning by interacting with a famous author and playwright.

Shakespeare on Stage, Shakespeare on Page
An expert lecture on Shakespearean drama titled “Shakespeare on stage, Shakespeare on Page” was organized by the Department of English on the 11thDecember 2020 at 3.30pm. The event began with prayer and a brief introduction about the resource person, Prof. Josy Joseph (Associate Professor, SB College, Changanassery). The lecture contained detailed discussion on Shakespeare’s performance script, characters and the influence of his plays. The innovation in Shakespeare’s plots through linguistic vitality, poetic drama and cognitive power despite the lack of originality in his plays was discussed along with a general idea on the structure and outline of theatre during the Elizabethan Era. Through the lecture, students were made aware of the limitations of the time period including lighting, lack of female involvement and the entertainment aspects of the play. Several scenes were read out and analyzed to commemorate characters, actors and the background of the plays through pictures and paintings. The event concluded with a brief interactive session and vote of thanks.

Online Expert Lecture on Literary Popular Culture
The Department of English organized an online Expert Lecture on Literary Popular Culture for all the BA students on 28 the November 2020, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The resource person was Dr. Girish D. Pawar, Assistant Professor in the Department of English of the University of Hyderabad. His lecture was entitled “Is There a Text in ‘Popular’ Culture?” 384 students participated in the event. Dr. Girish Pawar began his lecture with an introduction to the study of popular culture and how it emerged by questioning the dominance of “high culture” in the academia. He spoke about different types of popular culture and how they were discussed and analyzed. He described how it is difficult to define or explain “popular culture” because of the reason that it is not confined only to a particular set of characteristics. He went on to argue that the characteristic features of different popular cultural productions are very vibrant and vivid from one type to the other, even when they may share similarities. He illustrated this by explaining how each book in the famous Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, through detailed analysis, can be said to belong to different genres. The lecture was followed by a Question & Answer session during which the students interacted enthusiastically with the resource person.

Expert lecture on “Macrocosm to Microcosm: An Exploration of Micro Narratives
Date: 29th September
Time: 3.00-4.30
Topic: “Macrocosm to Microcosm: An Exploration of Micro Narratives”
Name and Details of the Resource Person:
Dr.Kavita Shastri Associate Professor and Head, Department of English and Media Studies, Vijaya College, Jayanagar, Bengaluru. Number of Participants: 137

The Lecture began with a silent prayer. Dr. Lillykutty Abraham, one of the coordinators of the Expert Lecture, welcomed the resource person and the participants. Prof. Akhila Variyar introduced the speaker of the day.

The lecture traced a brief history of micro narratives and explored its present scope, with examples and illustrations from literature, cave painting, twitter feeds and social media post. The speaker highlighted the relevance of micro narratives, as they are tools for self-expression of the manifold voices from all walks of society. She applauded the social media platforms for providing the space for such creative expressions.

Prof. Jimin S Mathew, the co-coordinator, chaired the Q & A session. The participants interacted enthusiastically and their doubts were clarified. The session augmented the understanding on the topic and ended with suggestions for further explorations.

Prof. Jerrin Jose, Coordinator of English Department, proposed the vote of thanks. Overall the session was a pleasant experience of learning by interacting with people seated in different parts of the world.

Trajectory of Missing Narratives in History
Date: 24/01/2017
Name and Details of the Resource Person: Ms. Pushpa Achanta, Writer, Journalist, Blogger and Trainer and author of “Ripples; The Right to Water and Sanitation for Whom?”

The Department of English organized a Guest Lecture by Ms. Pushpa Achanta, a writer, journalist, blogger and trainer with more than 7 years of experience in creating awareness and authoring articles on human rights, achievements and challenges of gender minorities, marginalized women, Dalits, unorganized workers, children, indigenous people and urban and rural poor. faculty coordinators from the Department of English (P.G.) Ms. Susan Sanny and Ms. Sharmin K. Thampi, and faculty coordinators from the Department of English (U.G.), Prof. Stephen and Dr. Amitha Santiago, were present for the lecture.

Ms. Pushpa Achanta started out with an introduction to the topic “Missing Narratives in History”. She talked about areas in literature that are not part mainstream literature and literary studies. She gave references to unique individuals like Ada Augusta who were responsible for Charles Babbage’s contribution to the development of the computer. Instances like the absence of representation of minorities, in terms of religion, caste and gender, where only one set of community gains prominence, while the rest remains ignored, were discussed and debated. The interactive session constituted a discussion on the reasons behind why there has always been an ignorance or gap in mainstream literature and literary studies regarding the representation of certain themes, realities, people and communities. Ms. Achanta concluded her lecture by stating that the essence of writing, expressions and sharing of stories constitute not just as an outlet but also help and expose to the readers real-life catastrophes that individuals, especially those belonging to peripheral communities, go through every day.

Drama - Then and Now
Date: 23/09/2015
Name and Details of the Resource Person: Shri. Manoj Mathew Joseph, Eminent personality in the field of literature and media relation.

On the 23rd of September, the students of MA English Literature and MA Journalism, were graced by the presence of Mr. Manoj Matthew Joseph, an eminent personality in the fields of literature and media relations.

He delivered a lecture titled “Drama – Then and Now”, through which he tried to cover the changes and evolution of drama or theatre from the early period to the current scenario, and relating various examples from literature and media. The major areas of focus were: Milieu, Theme and Setting and the changes from then to now.