Creative Writing Workshop by Ms. Samyukta Rao
Date:28 February 2024
On 28th February, the Department of English hosted a stimulating creative writing workshop facilitated by Ms. Samyukta Rao, a renowned artist and art educator. The session proved to be both enjoyable and insightful, we were left with a sense of creativity and community. The workshop commenced with an engaging activity where the I MA English literature students were paired up and tasked with writing about an object found in their partner's bag. This exercise unlocked their creative potential. The workshop proved to be an enriching experience for all involved. Participants left with newfound inspiration and a deeper appreciation for the power of creativity in both writing and performance. Ms. Samyukta's guidance and expertise were truly commendable and inspired the students to unleash their creativity.

Workshop on Creative Writing
Date:03 February 2024
On February 3, 2024, the Department of English at Kristu Jayanti College hosted a workshop on creative writing, focusing on the art of crafting short stories. Dr. Indira Chandrasekhar, a distinguished scientist and fiction writer, led the session at the Conclave Hall in the Admin Bloc from 9:00 am to 11:50 am.Dr. Chandrasekhar kicked off the workshop by highlighting the significance of creative writing, illustrating its ability to translate ideas into written narratives. She exemplified this with a reading of a short story, guiding participants through the process of storytelling.Participants were divided into seven groups and tasked with proposing themes for short stories. Under Dr. Chandrasekhar's mentorship, each group developed a storyline, receiving personalized feedback on their compositions.The interactive session proved invaluable, providing students with practical experience and insights into the craft of storytelling. Dr. Chandrasekhar's guidance fostered a dynamic learning environment, with participants actively engaging and seeking clarification.

Workshop on Profile Witing and Bionotes
Date:16 october 2023
The Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, organised a workshop on “Profile Writing and Bionotes” as part of the Employability Enhancement Programme on 16 October 2023. The resource person for the session was Dr. Romila Chitturi, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, UNICORN Magazine and Professor of Practice, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru. The resource person enlightened the students on the need for Profile Writing and how to make use of Bionotes. Dr. Chitturi elaborated on the differences between a Profile and a Bionotes. She gave key insights on the contents of profiles and bionotes with the help of samples. The workshop that was held in M3, Main Block and was attended by the MA English Literature students.

Faculty Enrichment Programme- A Three-Day National Workshop on Research Methodology
Date:06 to 08 September 2023
Department of English organised a Faculty Enrichment Programme- A Three Day National Workshop on Research Methodology for all faculties and academic pursuits on 06th to 08th September 2023 via ZOOM. The resource persons for the sessions were Dr. Rekha Pande, Head of the Centre for Women’s Studies, Professor of History, University of Hyderabad, Professor Emeritus, Henry Martin Institute, International Centre for Research, Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation, Hyderabad, Dr., Joseph Dorairaj, Professor of English, School of English & Foreign Languages, Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University), Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu, and Dr. Vijay Solomon, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Madras Christian College, (Autonomous), Chennai. Rev. Fr. Augustine George, Principal, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, delivered the Inaugural Address and enlightened the participants on the significance of publishing in Indexed Journals in the field of research. The first session began with Dr. Rekha Pande’s talk on “All about Research,” where she pointed out the position of our country in the field of research and talked about the process of increasing the standards to the international level. She elucidated the differences between quantitative and qualitative research and emphasised methods, methodology and epistemology. In the second session (7 Sept 2023), Dr. Joseph Dorairaj spoke on “Research Ethics” and pointed out that academic integrity refers to sound, acceptable and ethical teaching, research and assessment practices. He warned about the consequences of falsifying and tempering with data, plagiarism and self-plagiarism, stealing data from colleagues, sabotaging peer research activity, selectively quoting and misquoting to suit arguments, research misconduct in India, and using the data collected for research without the participant’s knowledge. In the third session (8 Sept 2023), Dr. Vijay Solomon spoke on “From Confusion to Clarity: Journal Selection Tips and Tricks.” He threw light on how to find original journals and fake journals. He differentiated between print, online, open-access and hybrid journals. He elucidated how to calculate a journal’s Cite Score, Impact Factor and Cite Score. He also gave a PowerPoint presentation on identifying the cloned journals.

Workshop on Literary Theory: From Wine Barrels to World Wide Web
Date:06 September 2023
Department of English organised a workshop on Literary Theory: From Wine Barrels to World Wide Web for the III semester MA English Language and Literature students on 6 September 2023 from 10.00 am to 01:00 pm at Conclave hall, first floor of Admin Block, Kristu Jayanti College. The resource person for the session was Mr. J S Ananthakrishnan, Senior Research Fellow, Department of English, SSUS Kalady, Kerala. The speaker commenced the session with an overview of literary criticism and theory and the way it’s allied not only with literature but with human life. The resource person indicated the need to explore, integrate, and inculcate a theoretical approach to literature and life. The session elaborated on the classical critical models and shared a roadmap of the succeeding theoretical models of structuralism, feminism, Marxism, and LGBTQ+ to name a few. The speaker explained the connection between each of the theoretical models and highlighted the significance of socio, political, and historical forces in generating, shaping, and controlling a particular theoretical model of analysis. The session was highly informative and the usage of AI tools in academic writing was pointed out in the address. The session was interactive with the audience taking an active part in understanding the process to be undertaken. A detailed explanation was given by the speaker to all the queries made by the participants.

Decoupage Workshop
Date: August 18, 2023
The Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College organized a decoupage workshop, led by Ms. Rajani.S on 18th of August 2023. Ma’am, engaged the students by highlighting the importance of precision and patience while doing any work. The resource person made the session very interactive. All the students of second year MA English Literature gathered in training hall, Admin block, students began by painting the bottle with white paint and then pasting the colour printed tissue on it with the Mod Podge and finally decorated it with a string. The resource person assisted the students to create their own design. Overall the workshop taught the students to transform waste into art, we can also help protect the environment by reducing waste and hurting the environment.

Online Workshop on Campaigning for a cause
Date: February 21, 2023
On 21st February 2023, the Centre for Service Learning in association with the Department of English organised an online workshop on “Campaigning for a Cause” for the students of MA English and MA Journalism & Mass Communication. The two-hour interactive session by Dr Swarna Rajagopalan, Founder and Managing Trustee of The Prajnya Trust, Chennai, and Visiting Professor of Political Science, Krea University, provided students with an opportunity to reflect on the social problem that affects them and how they can take collective action against them.

The PG students of both English and Media Studies departments gathered in Auditorium A3, Admin block, and the workshop session began at 2:30 PM. Dr Juby Thomas, Head of the Department of Media Studies (PG) and Centre for Service Learning along with other faculty members from the Department of English and Media Studies graced the occasion with their presence. The workshop was effectively organised by Prof. Iswarya V. and the social media coordination was handled by Prof. S. Steffi Santhana Mary. The event began with a prayer song sung by the Department of English choir.

The chief guest Dr Rajagopalan a well-respected scholar and a veteran activist who had advocated for peace and security for several decades began her training session, students were asked to reflect upon both themselves, their knowledge gaps, privileges and their passion to make a difference in society. The activities were designed as Think–Pair–Share exercises in which participants could answer serious questions about both the purpose and process of creating and launching a social campaign. In the course of the workshop, individual students were walked through the rigorous thought process that goes into organising any successful campaign. The event involved the active and enthusiastic participation of students who later requested that more such sessions may be organised. Some volunteers from the UG departments of Psychology and Journalism also took part in the workshop via both online and offline modes.

Workshop with the aim to "Engage with Creativity"
Date: January 28, 2023
M. A Students of the Department of English were engaged in a workshop with the aim to "Engage with Creativity" which was successfully carried out by Ms Samyuktha Rao who is the founder of Alchemy Creative Collective. The students learnt several creative techniques and practical methods to spark their creativity and enjoyed the workshop today on the KJC turf

Long Story Short: A Two-Day Short Story Writing Workshop
Date: September 7 and 8, 2022
The Department of English (UG) And (PG), Kristu Jayanti college Bengaluru organised a workshop on short story writing on 7th and 8th of September, 2022. The workshop took place in three sessions which lasted two days. The resource person for this workshop was Dr Barnali Saha, Assistant Professor of English at Vivekananda Institute of professional studies, New Delhi, who has published more than forty short stories in various magazines and anthologies.

On day 1, Dr Barnali Saha enriched the participants with her knowledge of fiction writing. She took the session ahead with her intriguing insights on developing fictional characters, choosing genre-based fictional writing styles, building plots and exercises focussed on these specific areas. Through the first session, she answered questions like ‘why do we write?’, ‘what are the different forms of short story writing?’ and ‘what are the different techniques of effective writing?’. She backed all the answers with great tips and references from the oeuvre of world of literature.

In the second session of the workshop, she touched upon the topics of ‘concrete details’,’ Show Don’t Tell’, ‘Descriptive writing’, ‘Narrative Point of Views’ and ‘Dialogue Writing’ which were followed up by some exercises namely ‘I Want to Know Why’,’ and ‘Describe Your College Campus’ to give the students hands-on experience on developing writing techniques.

On Day 2, the third and final session, the students got a training on writing a short story and plot construction. The discussion started with a small activity namely ‘What’s Behind the Locked Door’ which got the students started on the topic of ‘setting’. The two-day workshop was an enriching and encouraging experience for the students, as every student got an opportunity to express themselves through their writing, learnt the strategies to write a short fiction, and got to know different narrative techniques which is crucial while pursuing a career through arts.

Workshop on Music, Art and Drama Therapy- and its Effect on Emotions and Behaviour
The Department of Psychology organised a one day program workshop on Music, Art and Drama Therapy and its effect on emotions and behaviour. The resource person for the day was Ms. Diana Tholoor. She is a Dance and Drama therapist.

The session started at 9 am with a welcome address given by Kripa Ann Thomas, 3rd semester MSc Clinical Psychology, followed by introducing the resource person of the day. Then the session was taken over by Ms. Diana who talked about the objective of the session and the importance of music, art and drama therapy in a person’s life. She also shared her experience as a dance and drama therapist and how she used the therapy for people with different age groups and with mental and physical challenges. She then introduced us to clapping exercise ( rhythmic exercise ) and talked about the importance of how clapping can increase blood regulation. She talked about one’s concentration ability and how each individual has a different concentration level. She pointed out that a psychologist practicing alternative psychotherapeutics shall understands these individual differences and work accordingly . We all were made to practice the clapping exercise in groups in three rhythms (slow, medium and fast). We practiced the rhythm in groups and then demonstrated it.

In the post lunch session she shared her work experiences and the insights from the group of people she worked with and instructed the students to think about the population, with whom we can practice music and art therapy. Further, she taught the movement therapy where she used certain movements and we followed her. Then students were asked to practice it in groups and also to come up with new moves which will be simple for every individual to do. Later , we were asked to prepare charts in groups . One chart included things that we learnt from her during the session and the other chart was about characteristics of a therapist and characteristics of a client. We were given half an hour to prepare the charts and then we were asked to present the charts group wise and also demonstrate the clapping exercise and the movement therapy. After each group presented the charts, we did the movement steps together and the session came to an end. Then Blessy Suzana, 3rd MSc Clinical Psychology , gave a vote of thanks and Nikitha , Sampurna and Nathaniel , 3rd MSC Clinical Psychology gave their feedback on behalf of the whole class about the session.

Onstage Theatre Workshop
Date: August 16, 2022
The Department of English (PG) organized an Onstage Theatre Workshop for the II MA English Literature students. The event took place on 16th August 2022. It was held in the Kristu Jayanti College Training Hall, 7th floor. The session began at 2:00 p.m. and ended at 4:30 p.m. Resource person for the event was Dr. Pavithra, coordinator, Department of Performing Arts, Kristu Jayanti college. Dr. Pavithra provided an elaborate training on the basics of the art of acting followed by other games and activities.

Workshop on Art Journaling
The Department of English (PG) held a workshop on Art Journaling on May 16, 2022, in B504 of the Admin block for the first year students .The purpose of this workshop was to enhance the students' artistic skills as well as to expand self-awareness through journaling. The session began at 10:30 a.m. and ended at 12:30 p.m.

Dr. Lyola elucidated on how to articulate oneself through a journal. The therapeutic benefits of art journaling and its techniques to create a deeper sense of self-awareness, to empower, inspire and encourage oneself were taught and realized. It was a fun-filled workshop and it was very well received by 20 participants.

The participants were enthralled and enthusiastic and altogether it was a euphoric experience that brought out each individual's imaginative potential.

Workshop on Social Responsibility Amidst Social Distancing
Department of English(PG) organized a ‘Workshop on Social Responsibility amidst Social Distancing’ on 12th October 2021 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Dr. Jonas Richard A, Professor and Head of the Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College, conducted the workshop.

Sir conducted two activities and engaged the students in a group discussion. The first activity conveyed the importance of following instructions carefully. Through the second activity, he portrayed the three sections of our society: the oppressor, the oppressed and the observers. He opined that majority of people in our society belong to the category of observers and this should be changed. Sir stated that the ultimate way of transforming people is through power and students must try to develop knowledge power and moral power.27 students from II MA English attended the workshop. “The activities in the workshop were engaging but they also contained a great message. We learned many life lessons today”- Athulya Bhaskaran

Workshop on Gandhian Ideology
The Department of English (PG) organised a workshop on Gandhian Ideologies on 7th of October, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. The session was led by Prof. S J Michael, Coordinator, Department of Social Sciences and Head, Dept of Political Science, Kristu Jayanti College.

Prof. Michael began the workshop by stating the importance of moral values in human lives and divided it into three sessions. He started the first session by engaging the participants in interactive games, in which they had to identify various aspects of historical personalities. In the second session he introduced the students to Gandhian ideologies. Prof. Michael gave an effective interpretation on Gandhian school of thoughts, including Ahimsa and Truth. He defined and gave an insightful explanation on various aspects of Gandhi’s Satyagraha. He also mentioned the importance embracing moral values like truth and non-violence, and prompted the students to follow the same. Prof. Michael concluded the third session by guiding the participants to enact a skit based on the ideologies that they were taught.

The whole workshop was wonderfully received by both the students and faculties. “The session was a wonderful reminder for us to inculcate these Gandhian ideologies into our lives and be a better human being”- Kenlee Thattil.

Theatre Workshop
The Department of English (PG) organized ‘Theatre Workshop’ on 30th September, 2021 from 9:30 to 12:30pm.The Theatre workshop was a wonderfully led by Dr. Pavithra, faculty in theatre arts, Department of Performing Arts in Bangalore University. Dr. Pavithra started the session by stating that every human being is an actor and stated that people act in their real life at different circumstances. She said, that as a drama student, one should not be an object but one should make use of an object. Her session was interwoven with games and classes. The session had games like “Tom says”, “Mirror game” and towards the end a live practical session was done by the students. The Students were made to sit in a circle and asked to enact ‘navarasas' in a given situation. Twenty-six students from III MA Literature attended the workshop.

Nandini Nagar commented “l was enchanted by the beauty of human spirit and how we can connect with someone whom we have never met. Come out of our own boundaries and feel one team. There is something about theatre that moves us …Things that we can absorb from this world.”

Workshop on "Trends in Technical Writing"
Date: 01/12/2021
The Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, organised a workshop entitled "Trends in Technical Writing" on December 01, 2021. The resource person was Mr. Shravan Kumar, Sr. Technical Writer, Tech Total, Bengaluru. Mr. Kumar effectively explained the differences in different types of content writing and where they are deployed. The speaker also provided the students with a topic-related task to help them understand the concept.

Workshop on 'Persona vs Ethos'
The Department of English (UG), Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, Bengaluru, organized a Workshop titled 'Persona vs Ethos' on September 21, 2021. The resource person was Dr. Rajasekaran V, Assistant Professor (Sr.), Department of English, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai. Dr. Rajasekaran commenced the session with a meaningful question: “We are human beings. Are we being humane?” Dr. Rajasekaran also highlighted Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and comprehensively explained on self-actualization, esteem, safety needs, physiological needs which are required by every individual by quoting anecdotes from real life experiences.

Workshop on Digital Englishes: Writing for Industry
The Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, Bengaluru, organized a four-day Workshop on Digital Englishes: Writing for Industry, which encouraged young and aspiring writers to learn more about the opportunities in writing for industries. They were trained by industry specialists with national and international expertise to prepare them for the industry's expectations. The workshop's foremost purpose was to provide new opportunities for professional writing. The speakers were Ms. Basreena Basheer, User Experience Writer, Indee, Bengaluru; Mr. Rohit Nair, Senior Content Designer, Intuit, Bengaluru; Ms. Vandana Uttamchand, Computational Linguist, Apple, California, USA; and Ms. Sneha Sharon Mammen, Content Strategist & Marketing Manager, Sinch, New Delhi. The participants were given an overview of several forms of writing used in the professional world. The students were taught about content planning, audience-pleasing content, and the use of polished language. They were instructed on how to improve their writing talents.

Workshop on Unravelling Emotions Through Poetry
The Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, Bengaluru, conducted a Workshop for poetry enthusiasts titled “Unravelling Emotions through Poetry” on August 31, 2021. The resource person was Dr. Lalmalsawmi Ralte, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College. Dr. Ralte shared her rich experiences of writing and publishing poetry. She also gave hands-on training to students for writing snippets of poetry on various emotions. Since the workshop was conducted online, all hands-on training was given on Padlet and several other online platforms.

In – Design A Workshop
The Department of English (PG) organized a workshop titled ‘In – Design’ on February 7, 2020. The purpose of this workshop was to be familiarise the students with various page layout techniques to be effectively used for the designing of magazines and other creative works.

The resource person of the workshop was Prof. Abdul Rasheed, Faculty, Department of MCJ, Kristu Jayanti College. Prof Rasheed initially briefed the students about the software and its various opportunities in the designing field. Each system in the lab was pre-installed with the software, so that the students were able to follow the instructions of the resource person. Prof. Rasheed stated the fact that the workshop is just an introduction to the software, primarily intended for the purpose of magazine editing. He also introduced various technical terms like bleed, slug, gutter etc.

Riya Merin, a first year said, “It was a step by step learning process by the end of which we were equipped to create and design any kind of page or text according to our specifications.”

There were 54 enthusiastic participants who learnt the various technical aspects of In – Design software for designing.

The Language of Silence
The Department of English (PG) organised The Language of Silence, a one day Workshop for the final year students of on Wednesday, the 22nd January 2020. Prof. Maria Goretti J, Head of the Department of Sign Language at Dr. S. R. C Institute of Speech and Hearing, Bengaluru was our resource person. She is an expert in the field and began by teaching the students the two handed alphabets. Time was given to the students to learn the things right after teaching them. She elaborated on how to deal with the deaf people. It was made clear that those people are not supposed to be called dumb or mute, but society can address them as deaf.

Prof. Maria gave a detailed talk on the importance of learning Indian Sign Language (ISL) –ISL as a language and the parameters of ISL such as hand shapes, orientations, locations, movements and expressions. William Stokoe, an American Linguist is the Father of Sign Language. His research on American Sign Language (ASL) revolutionized the understanding of ASL in the United States and sign languages throughout the world. It had a profound impact on deaf culture, deaf education and sign language teaching and interpretation. Later on, several deaf vocabularies were taught, such as relationships, colours, numbers, and different varieties of food etc. She also spoke about the importance of preserving the precious gifts of speech and hearing and the means to take care of our ears. According to the resource person, “it is a myth to say that deafness only affects old people or those born deaf”. Memory game, too, was conducted by dividing the students into groups. Towards the end of the session, a revision was done on all the things which were taught. The workshop came to an end as the game lotto was played and a small assessment test was conducted. The workshop was very beneficial for the students because it was totally different from the other workshops and students who were ignorant about the sign language were imparted with the plethora of knowledge. The Language of Silence was an eye-opener for all the students.

In the opinion of Aishwarya M, a final year student, “The workshop on sign language was highly informative and interesting. The workshop provided us with the opportunity to learn the basics of sign language which will be very useful for us in our everyday life. I look forward to learn more about the subject”.

There were 24 enthusiastic participants who enjoyed being a part of this workshop and learnt the art of communicating sans words.

NATAKA SIDHANTA – Theatre Workshop
The Department of English (PG) organised Nataka Sidhanta, a Theatre Workshop on January 08, 2020. The purpose was to sensitise the students with the various theoretical aspects of theatre.

Dr. Pavithra, the resource person of the day, is a faculty in Theatre Arts, Department of Performing Arts, Bangalore University. She is an expert in the field and began by briefing to the students about the history of drama and its necessities. The main focus of the session was on the ‘Theories of Theatre’. Dr. Pavithra lectured about the origin of theatre and the importance of tragedies in Greece. The students could familiarize themselves with the concept of tragedy and why a tragedy is important and how is it important to Greeks and later on to the rest of the world. Drama forms a very important part of English Literature and Literature as a whole. The workshop was very beneficial for the students because they were able to sensitize themselves with the ‘-isms’ of theatre which includes Classicism, Neo-classicism, Realism, Naturalism, Expressionism and Symbolism. Dr. Pavithra also helped the students to familiarize with the theorists by explaining to them about the structure of these theories along with an explanation of Aristotle’s ‘structure of a play’.

In the opinion of Esther Jayakumar, a final year student, ‘the workshop was very informative and enriching’.

This was a golden opportunity for the students as this workshop was a part of the Certificate Programme for the final year students of the department.

There were 51 participants who learnt to connect theatre performance with literature as well as life.

Create Art – A Workshop
The Department of English (PG) organised a workshop on ‘Create Art’ January 6, 2020. The purpose of this workshop was to explore new modalities of expression in order to broaden the artistic range and creative experience of the students.

Ms. Samyuktha Rao, an art curator, and resource person of the day started the session by dividing the students into groups of six and within the short span of time she explained through the activities that each and every one has got an artist hidden within them. With the help of few basic everyday materials like newspapers, fevicol and brush, the students were taught to make canvases. The major attraction of this kind of canvas is that it is eco-friendly. Students were also given few minutes to listen to their inner consciousness through the help of a soothing music. Later on, they were asked to draw whatever they want to pour into the paper according to the music and their mind without being distracted by wild thoughts. The intention behind such an activity was to show the students that everyone is capable to draw; even the greatest of artists has made abstract paintings. She also added that no one can judge another artist’s paintings. It can vary according to a person’s perspective. This was a fruitful experience for the students as the resource person gave many tips to make the art work creative using eco-friendly products. This workshop provided more knowledge about art works.

In the opinion of Madhuvanthy Sankar, a final year student “Create Art workshop it was an eye opener for me to realise that anyone can create art and learn how to channelize one’s creativity in the right way. The resource person who herself is an artist and art curator held my undivided attention throughout the session with her captivating ideas.”

There were 53 enthusiastic participants who enjoyed being a part of this workshop and learnt to create art.

The Rhythm of Life: Notional and Notational Connotations
The Department of English (PG), Kristu Jayanti College organised a workshop on The Rhythm of Life: Notional and Notational Connotations on 13th of September 2019. The main purpose of the workshop was to provide the students with an understanding of the relevance of Mathematics in Art and Literature. The resource person was Dr. Emmanuel Jebarajan, Professor of Mathematics, American College, Madurai.M

Dr. Emmanuel Jebarajan started the workshop by teaching the techniques of juggling and explained some beautiful mathematical concepts to the class. The first concept he dealt with was of Pi, which is the most mysterious value. He discussed the difficulty of finding the value of Pi as it is a never ending digit. He said that computer programmers have calculated the value of Pi to more than 22 trillion digits and also spoke about Palindrome Days. The next concept was the Fibonacci series, a series where the next number is the sum of the previous 2 numbers which is also said to be the most beautiful series in Mathematics. He even spoke about the Golden Ratio and how everything in nature is designed in accordance with the ratio even in our body. He explained how Leonardo da Vinci used this concept in his paintings and elaborated on the Vitruvian man.

Dr. Emmanuel Jebarajan concluded the session by sharing a memory of his achievement when he and his team discovered the use of a letter in ancient stone carvings, which was believed to be present in recent usage.

“The workshop conducted by Dr. Emmanuel Jebarajan was enlightening as he gave us an overview about his life as a mathematician. He was an inspiration to all of us, as we tend to see maths as a difficult subject. He taught us how to use mathematics in our daily life” expressed Priyanka Lawrence, a first year student.

There were a total of 55 inquisitive and zealous participants who made their presence felt with their active participation in the workshop.

Workshop on Research Orientation
The Department of English (PG) organised a workshop on Research Orientation on 9th of August 2019. Dr. Subhashini Muthukrishnan, Head, Department of Economics and Dean of Social Sciences, St Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru addressed the gathering.

Dr. Subhashini Muthukrishnan began by introducing the students to the meaning of research. She opined that, “Research helps us to develop an understanding of the basic framework of academia”. Talking about knowledge she said that there might not be a single universal truth, but rather equilibrium of multiple truths. Research gives us an authority over the issue that we are not sure about and enables us to face the challenge to solve the unsolved problems.

The resource person elaborated on the various aspects of research. She further delineated on the pillars of scientific knowledge, various skills under research, research methodologies, formats of research paper, writing a research proposal and so on. Dr. Subhashini stressed on the importance of maintaining a proper bibliography. She explicated that proper documentation of the research materials at the right time makes the citation process smooth. There was an overwhelming response from the prospective researchers of the department who raised many queries and got their doubts cleared. A lot of interest was shown by the students who are very keen to look into the gaps of research in order to bridge them with their upcoming research.

“This was a golden opportunity for us because the session was very informative and thought provoking. The workshop sharpened our knowledge on research and it has given us the strength to look forward to accomplish our dreams in academic research” – expressed Maria Supriya, a final year student.

There were 51 prospective researchers who were a part of this interactive session.

THEATRE WORKSHOP
The Department of English (PG) organized a Theatre Workshop for the students of English Literature on 6th of August 2019.

The resource person, Dr. Pavithra, Faculty in Theatre Arts, Department of Performing Arts, Bangalore University began by briefing the students about the theories involved in the study of theatre and the historical inputs. Interactive games and activities were conducted to keep the students involved. Dr. Pavithra incorporated a warm up game at the beginning and made the participants understand the crux of theatre performances. She said “You must have control over your own body – this is the first rule in theatre”.

The students learned about the myths and histories surrounding drama. They were also taught about how to get their body involved in drama as actors, without being the object in it. This was demonstrated practically and it helped everyone understand the idea and the effect of it in a better way. Another important highlight of the workshop was the mask making. Dr. Pavithra taught the techniques of mask making in less than half an hour using materials like the POP (Plaster of Paris Bandage), Scissors, Vaseline, Paints and Brushes. Following this, students learned the art of mask making and started engaging themselves in groups. The room was filled with awe, excitement, and anticipation when the face masks were being made. "An interesting take off to the history of drama" expressed Jeeva, a first year student.

Towards the end of the workshop, the resource person gave an insight into the importance of expressions in art, particularly drama. The students were taught to make facial and bodily expressions as Dr. Pavithra kept on encouraging them to master their own expressions as this will for sure make them better actors. We thank the Department of English (PG) for organizing the Theatre Workshop. It was a great learning process for all of us. This was a golden opportunity for us because literature and theatre go hand in hand. "An altogether new outlook and outreach to the field of performing arts is built" opined Calvin, a final year student.

There were 53 participants who actively got involved in theatrical performances and mask making.

The Signs and Science of Language
The Department of English (PG) Kristu Jayanti College organised a workshop titled, The Signs and Science of Language on July 01, 2019. The purpose of the workshop was to provide students with the knowledge about the usage and importance of phonetics.

Dr. Beena Gopinath, former Principal, Government College, Attingal, Kerala, addressed the final year students of the department. She spoke about the pronunciation barriers that a non-native English speaker faces while conversing in English. She also highlighted the importance of articulation and said, “there is a greater need for mutual intelligibility and the development of a neutral accent”. Dr. Beena Gopinath further delineated on the importance of learning phonetic alphabet, phonemic transcription, word stress and sentence stress. She also spoke about the speech sounds in English with special reference to vowels, consonants, monophthongs and diphthongs. Dr. Beena Gopinath discussed the manner of articulation which includes plosives, fricatives, affricates, nasals, lateral, frictionless continuants etc. Citing examples she elucidated that English is a ‘stress timed’ language whereas most of the Indian languages are ‘syllable timed’. She concluded with various aspects on intonation and the grammatical and attitudinal purposes served by the English language.

There were 23 enthusiastic participants who exhibited active participation and gained needful insights about the English language. The workshop concluded with an interactive session.

“Dr. Beena Gopinath’s explanations on the different aspects of phonetics and the ‘English language’ rectified many of our pre-conceived notions on pronunciation and functions of different letters and symbols. She also emphasized the importance of speaking a language correctly without the influence of the native accent,” expressed Nissi Thomas, a final year student.

WORKSHOP ON ADVANCED CONCEPTS IN COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCIES
Class and No. of students: I MA and I MA English Literature: 52
Date: 07.03.2019
Objective: To provide students with a basic knowledge on English Language Teaching and to help device a lesson plan
Resource person: Dr.Kishore Selva Babu

The Department of English (PG) at Kristu Jayanti College, organized a workshop titled “Advanced Concepts in Communicative Competencies” on Thursday, the 7th of March, 2019. The workshop commenced with a formal session which had a beautiful rendition of an invocation song. Dr. Kishore, Assistant Professor, Christ University addressed the group. The workshop mainly dealt with the different variables and approaches that are involved in English Language Teaching. The resource person further mentioned the importance of a lesson plan in any teaching activity. This was followed by a group activity in which the students had to draft a sample of their lesson plan to teach the poem ‘Calling Him Back from Layoff’ by Bob Hicock. All the students participated avidly in the workshop and gained needful insights into the science English Language Teaching. We thank the Department of English (PG) for inviting Dr. Kishore Selva Babu who has a keen interest in disseminating the skills and techniques needed for effective English Language Teaching and has published many research papers on this field of study.

Workshop on Art Reflections: Baroque to Neo Classical
Class and No. of students: I MA and II MA English Literature: 52
Date: 03.10.2018
Objective: To provide students with an understanding of Art Movements.
Resource Person: Ms Samyuktha Rao, Art Curator
The Department of English (PG) at Kristu Jayanti College, organized a workshop titled “Art Reflections: Baroque to Neoclassical” on Wednesday the 3rd of October 2018. The workshop commenced with a formal inaugural session which also had a beautiful rendition of an invocation song. Ms Samyuktha Rao, Art Curator from Sublime Art Gallery, UB City addressed the gathering. The workshop mainly dealt with the three periods of European Art namely Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassicism. The resource person also further elaborated on how the different styles of the three periods depicted the changing social attitudes of the people and the specific culture of the ages. This was also reflected in the art and literature of the time especially the sculptures which were heavily influenced by the concerns of the period. The workshop was well attended by both the first year and second year students of the Postgraduate programme in English literature giving them a good and insightful understanding of how Literature reflects Art. The workshop was also followed by certain group activities that demonstrated the learning of the participants. We thank the Department of English (PG) for inviting Ms Samyuktha Rao who is a very enthusiastic art curator and who is an artist herself for providing us with this eye opening session on Art.

Digital Media: Careers and Trends
Date: 11/09/2018
Class & No. of students: I and III Semester MA English Literature: 52
Objective: To explore Journalism as a career and understand the current challenges in digital journalism.
Resource Person: Ms. Anna Isaac, Deputy Editor-News Minute
We were delighted to have in our midst Ms. Anna Isaac of the 'News Minute' - a Bengaluru-based digital news house, on 11th September 2018 for the PG students of the English department. Her talk was focused on the changing dynamics of Indian journalism with Ms. Isaac's career as a journalist serving as an example of the changing paradigm currently shaping the industry. The speaker also elaborated on the various challenges facing digital journalism and the professional remedies and solutions devised to tackle them. She also stressed on the industry's growing relevance in the wider scope of communication in refuting bogus news as they surface and, in the process, reaching the readers with important issues through factually corroborated reporting. This is essentially done by making prudent use of the potentials of social media coupled with the indispensable element of dedicated journalism ethics towards the selfless cause of ensuring public welfare. According to the speaker the prospects of a career with digital news agencies is also looking up for those who are committed to creating a world of equity.

A workshop on Theatre as a Tool for Conflict
The workshop dealing with the use of theatre as a tool for conflict resolution was held in Mini Audi 1, 5th floor PG Block. Dr. Selvaraj briefed the students about the embedded power in theatre and also the illuminated ways to look at particular instances of life with open eyes to understand and analyze the range of problems which might persist. Dr. Selvaraj not only spoke about theatre and its power but also shared a few experiences of his own as a director of plays. He helped the students to experience the inbuilt power of theatre by breaking the audience into groups and giving each group a chance to come up with different themes through acting. Not only did he guide and direct them, but he even became a part of the group.

Workshop – A day with author
The first lecture on 'A Day with an Author Series' was addressed by Mr. Tony V. Francis, the author of 'The Autograph Seeker'. His lecture was about how to be a good writer and he also spoke about his book and the stories behind the inspiration to write the book. The lecture and presentation was very enlightening and almost all the information presented was very helpful to the students. This presentation was relevant in a way that we came to know about the inner conflicts that happens in a writer’s mind. He used audio visual methods which helped the students to understand clearly what he was trying to convey. By the end of the lecture, a question-answer session was also included in which he cleared everyone's doubts about his book and other queries.

Workshop on translation Studies
The department of English, Kristu Jayanti College conducted a Workshop on translation Studies titled Anuvaada. Its main objective was to make the learners aware of the importance of translation in a multilingual country like India; and to understand the simple concepts of translation. The program Anuvadha was inaugurated by the Vice Principal, Rev. Fr. Augustine George. The chief guest of the day was Dr. K.M. Sherif, HOD Department of English, University of Calicut.

A workshop on Emerging Media trends in Mass Media ‘Darpan’
A workshop on emerging media trends in mass media was organized by the department of English on 19/9/17, titled ‘Darpan’. The purpose of this was to channelize the interest of students in mass media in the professional spectrum and to define its opportunities and challenges. The resource Person for the day was Mr. Edison Thomas, who is the editor of the famous and most widely read ‘Indulge with ‘The new Indian Express’. His insights were very informative in the field of journalism and its practical agendas. He broadened our thoughts and perspective on various kinds of media, its significance and effects of transformations occurring in the media. The workshop was an ideal Session for the passionate students of English literature and mass communication.

Poetry Workshop
The Society of Poets under the Dept. of English conducted a Poetry Workshop on July 29, 2016, in association with the Airplane Poetry Movement. The workshop, coordinated by the Dept. of English, was held in Mini Auditorium II. The event which started at 10:30 AM was the first of its kind to be hosted in Kristu Jayanti College. The programme was administered by co-founders of the Airplane Poetry Movement, Nandini Varma and Shantanu Anand. Slam poetry according to Shantanu Anand, is a written work to be performed on stage. They tackled the issue of stage fright and brought out the depth of slam poetry by providing five useful tips which are; the five second rule of doing nothing, keeping your feet still, making meaningful eye contact, enunciate each and every word and finally giving meaningful pauses while ending the poem. Activities conducted brought out the inner poets on the stage. As an example of poetry slam, Shantanu Anand astounded the audience with his own poem, "Cynicism in Salesman".

Theatre Workshop
The Erudite Club of Department of English, Kristu Jayanti College organised a three day theatre workshop from 21 to 24 August 2013. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Prasad, a professional dramatist, closely associated with Ranga Shankara, a well-known theatre at Bangalore. Mr. Prasad made the students understand that drama is not merely the enactment of a story, but the involvement of the audience in the story and making them feel that they are a part of that story.