With its modest beginning as an Undergraduate Department (1947) and Post-graduate Department (1969) as a part of Women’s Training College, The Department of English obviously was included in The DEI with its establishment as a Deemed University in 1981. With its strength of 6 well qualified (all Ph.Ds) Faculty (2 Professors, 3 Associate Professors, 5 Assistant Professors), the Department runs Major as well as Half and Core Courses besides Work-experience Courses. The saga of its expansion & progress can be witnessed with the introduction of Ph.D. Programme (1984), Certificate Course in Journalism (1998), M.Phil. Programme(2008) and PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (2009).
At present, the Department runs 55 Major Courses, 12 Faculty/Non-Faculty Half and Core Courses besides 4 Work-experience Courses. In addition, courses of the PG Dip. in Journalism and Mass Communication, an integrated programme leading to M.A. M.Phil. and M.A. B.Ed. have also been introduced from this Session (2009-10). Striving to make a pace with the growing needs of the modern society/ education, the Department has also taken a curious note of the IT revolution as a result of which the Language-cum-Learning Lab has been upgraded. New labs Audio & Video Editing lab, Photo Editing Lab, Cyber Journalism Lab & Desktop Publishing Lab have been installed for Journalism students. E-Classroom and Video Studio facilities have also been established in the Department.
The Department owns two libraries of its own- one, catering to the general needs of students and other for the students of Journalism. The Drama-Theater and Short-Story Units with 600 narrational materials and rich and varied collection of various kinds are also an asset of the Department.
To provide an exposure to students in narrative and dramatic skills and public speaking, and also as a natural development of Theatre-and-Drama and Short-Story units, the Department has also set up a multipurpose Pulpit-cum-Stage Auditorium.
The Department has produced 18 PhDs by now while 15 Research Scholars are pursuing the Ph.D. Programme. The thrust area of research from M.A. to Ph.D. levels is Comparative Literature and Application of various Literary Theories.
Extension/Special lectures by renowned Scholars / Professors are frequently organized for the benefit of the students as well as the Faculty. Various National Seminars and Workshops have also been organized. Five minor Research Projects have been completed, one Major Research Project is in progress while a proposal for one more Major Research Project has been submitted to the UGC. The Faculty of the Department are also invited to deliver guest lectures, as experts to various selection committees, RDCs etc.
The Faculty of the Department have made significant contribution to the Institutes publication venture as Chief Editors/ Managing Editors / Editors to the International Journal Literary Paritantra (Systems), DEI News, DEI Magazine and Flights of Imagination (all with ISSN Nos.) Two workshops (1) A five day Workshop on Computer Application in Print Media (10-15 Oct., 2009) and (2) A two day Workshop on Photo Journalism with Shri Gopal Thakur, MBICEM, New Delhi and Prof. Emeritus Vasant Majgaonkar, Ex-Director, Photo Division, Ministry of I & B, Govt. of India have recently been conducted in the Department.
Moving ahead with the mission of social service, the Department has taken up Remedial Teaching and each-one-teach-one as a mission to benefit the students belonging to the poor and the weaker sections of society.
