Schools
SCHOOL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION
SCHOOL OF ENGLISH LITERARY STUDIES
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
SCHOOL OF INTER-DISCIPLINARY STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MIDDLE-EAST AND AFRICAN STUDIES
The English and Foreign Languages University (EFL University) has been created by the Indian Parliament with a view to building upon the achievements of the former CIEFL, and to significantly expand its activities on the national and global stage.
While the CIEFL, a Deemed University, was primarily a teacher-training Institute, the mandate of the EFL University, according to the Act, is to advance and disseminate “instructional, research and extension facilities in the teaching of English and Foreign Languages and Literatures in India” as well as “to take appropriate measures for inter-disciplinary studies and research in Literary and Cultural Studies, and to develop critical inter-cultural understanding of civilizations.”
The task before The English and Foreign Languages University will, thus, be to play a leading role in creating socially and economically relevant knowledge related to communication in the broad sense, and share this expertise for the good of the Indian people as well as other people in the developing world. The university, in other words, is committed to the principles of inclusive and cosmopolitan growth.
The English and Foreign Languages University will endeavour to achieve the objects set out for it by the Parliament of India and laid down in “The English and Foreign Languages University Act, 2006” through a diverse range of Schools and Departments that are given below.
SCHOOL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION
There shall be a school of English Language Education in order that the objective of providing instructional research and extension facility in teaching of English Language Education is met adequately. This school will also undertake the task of developing materials and creating text-books and aids for different levels and purposes of English Language Teaching.Training the teachers, preparing future teachers of English, as well as engaging with theoretical issues in educational linguistics will also be the mandate of this school. The teaching and research will be carried out at all the levels leading to under-graduate, post-graduate, M.Phil. and Ph.D. Degrees. The School will consist of the following departments:
1. Department of English as Second Language (ESL) Studies
2. Department of Materials Development, Testing and Evaluation
3. Department of Training, Development and Education
This School will carry out teaching, research and theoretical work in the frontier areas of the discipline of English Language and Linguistics. Undertaking research work at par with international standards in different aspects of all related subjects, which could facilitate the emergence of The English and Foreign Languages University as one of the outstanding universities of English language studies and linguistics, will be one of the important tasks before the departments of this School. The School will consist of following Departments:
1. Department of Phonetics and Spoken English
2. Department of Linguistics and Contemporary English
3. Department of Computational Linguistics
The teaching will be undertaken by the Departments of the School at both under-graduate and post-graduate levels. However, the main endeavour of the School will be focused on research work to be carried out at the M.Phil and Ph.D levels. The School will engage itself in organising conferences/ seminars/ symposia/ workshops, and research projects to be undertaken individually and jointly with other organizations and individuals.
SCHOOL OF ENGLISH LITERARY STUDIES
The field of English Literary Studies is extremely diverse and multifarious. It will be imperative for the EFL University, being the only one of its kind in the country, to carry out in-depth studies in different aspects of literary studies. Accordingly, there shall be a school of English Literary Studies at The English and Foreign Languages University that will consist of the following departments:
1. Department of English Literature
2. Department of English Literature of Common Wealth Countries
3. Department of American and Caribbean Literatures
4. Department of Literary Theory and Criticism
In the vision statement of the university, approved by the Executive Council in its first meeting, it is stated that “our University will endeavour to place English and other languages in the service of those people who have until now remained deprived of adequate language skills and benefits that flow from the knowledge of English and Foreign languages.” Accordingly, it is of utmost significance that different aspects of the English Language and Literature and Foreign Languages and Literatures are also taught through the distance mode. To achieve this objective, it is imperative to have a School of Distance Education of EFL University which will consist of the following departments:1. Department of English Language Teaching, Linguistics and Phonetics
2. Department of Literatures in English
3. Department of Distance Education in Foreign Languages and Literatures
The School will carry out the teaching work at both undergraduate and P.G. levels. Research work will form an important component of the academic activities of the School. The degrees in any subject conferred on the distant mode learners will be at par with degrees conferred on face-to-face mode students.SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
The field of communication has evolved into a mighty phenomenon in modern times. It is getting diversified with every passing day. Language, obviously, is its dominant medium.Accordingly, there shall be a School of Communication Studies that will consist of the following departments:1. Department of Media and Communication
2. Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
3. Department of Film Studies and Visual Communication
The School will be engaged in the study of theoretical as well as practical aspects of the relevant subjects of the Departments of the School. The teaching in the departments of the School may be carried out at both the under-graduate and post-graduate levels. The research will be carried out at M.Phil and Ph.D levels. The departments will also be engaged in practical production projects.SCHOOL OF INTER-DISCIPLINARY STUDIES
The world has become inter-linked in a multitude of ways. Indeed, in modern times, one cannot straightaway proceed to a narrow specialization. It is impossible to study anything in isolation from a host of interrelated subjects.
That is, probably why one of the objects of EFL University, as laid down in the Act of the University, is “to take appropriate measures for inter-disciplinary studies and research in literary and culture studies”Accordingly, there will be a School of Inter-Disciplinary Studies at the University that will be engaged mainly in research work through M.Phil., Ph.D. programmes and special research projects.
The departments of the School may not be required to enage themselves in under-graduate and post-graduate teaching. They will conduct special courses for sister departments on specific requests and through mutual discussions at under-graduate and post-graduate levels.
However, Department of Cultural Studies that has been conducting M.A. level course may continue to do so in future as well. The M.A. Degree that would be given through this department will be titled as M.A. English (Cultural Studies). The School will consist of the following of departments:
1. Department of Arts, Aesthetics and Comparative Philosophy
2. Department of Comparative Literature
3. Department of Culture Studies
4. Department of Social Exclusion Studies
5. Department of Hindi and India Studies (Modern Indian Languages and Literatures, History, Culture, Grammar and Poetics)
6. Department of Translation Studies
The degrees of the school will be termed M.A./ M.Phil. or Ph.D. in a comparative subject related to English or foreign languages.
SCHOOL OF MIDDLE-EAST AND AFRICAN STUDIES
The importance of the areas under reference to India cannot be overestimated. The EFL University, having a mandate of studying the language, literatures and cultures of different countries and geo-political specificities of the world, should have a School of Middle-East and African Studies consisting of the departments given below:1. Department of Arabic Language and Linguistics
2. Department of Arabic Literature
The Departments of the School shall engage themselves in under-graduate, post-graduate and research studies leading to degrees and diplomas at various levels. EFL University has a mandate to conduct teaching and research in all the major foreign languages of the world. It is essential that there is at least one university in the country, which will fulfil the mandate of teaching the languages, literatures and cultures of our Asian neighbours. It is with this task in view that EFL University will undertake teaching and research in the field of languages like Japanese, Chinese, Korean and others. There will therefore be a school of Asian Studies consisting of the following departments:1. Department of the Chinese, Japanese and Korean Studies
2. Department of Persian Studies
3. Department of the Turkish Studies
Languages and literatures of the Germanic linguistic family will form a significant component under the umbrella term of foreign language studies of EFL University. The School of Germanic Studies will consist of following departments:1. Department of German Language and Linguistics
2. Department of German Literature
3. Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
4. Department of Austrian and Swiss German Literatures The languages, literatures and cultures of Romance group of languages occupy a place of eminence in the cultural world as a whole. Out of Romance family, the French Language and Literature has already been covered under another School. Accordingly, different aspects of Hispanic Studies, Italian Studies and Portuguese Studies will fall into the ambit of the School of Romance Studies, which will consist of the following departments:1. Department of French Studies
2. Department of Francophone Studies
3. Department of Hispanic Studies
4. Department of Portuguese Studies
5. Department of Italian Studies The Russian language and literature are of great significance in the framework of EFL University. Indeed, the role and significance of Russian literature, literary scholars and theoreticians in the world of literary scholarship has been extremely significant. Accordingly, it will be in the fitness of things that there is a School of Russian Studies consisting of the following departments:1. Department of Russian Language and Linguistics
2. Department of Russian Literature