Graduate Student Seminar Fall 2025
Every semester the Department of English and Humanities organizes a Graduate Student Seminar showcasing outstanding presentations from the previous term’s MA courses. These papers are usually nominated by course instructors. On October 18, 2025, the department arranged the seminar for Fall 2025. Ten students from the Master’s tracks of Literature and Cultural Studies, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, and Literature and Creative Writing presented their best papers.
The event began with paying condolences through a one-minute silence in memory of Professor Emeritus Syed Manzoorul Islam. Despite the solemn beginning, the seminar soon took on an energetic atmosphere through the engaging presentations that followed.
The first presenter was Hasan Abdul Basit (Batch 252), nominated by Professor Shamsad Mortuza from the course “Advanced Literary Theory.” His paper, “Ideology: A Temporal Dissemination” focused on ideological objectives and the Marxist tradition, tracing their definitions and evolution. It emphasized how ideology is ever-changing. The paper discussed the concept of false consciousness developed by Marx and Engels, Hegel’s dialectical idealism, and the relationship between ideology and Marxism. The presentation was further expanded by highlighting Gramscian hegemony and Étienne Balibar’s comments on “neoliberal democracy.”
Most. Nusrat Jahan Kabita (Batch 252) was the second presenter. She presented her paper titled “From Memory to Meaning Making: Revealing Cognitive Demand in Narrative Writing through Bloom’s Taxonomy,” which was nominated from the course “English Language Learning and Teaching.” The paper discussed Bloom’s Taxonomy as a framework for teaching and assessment in order to improve lesson design for educators.
The next presenter was Tabeen Siddiki (Batch 252) from the track of Literature and Creative Writing. He presented an insightful paper titled “Why Women Fight Harder: Gender-Based Struggles and Female Agency in The Legend of Korra.” Emphasizing the fictional character Korra, he underscored her role as a symbol of how female heroes are subjected to constant scrutiny. Tabeen included examples from English literature to highlight similarities, such as Grendel’s mother in Beowulf, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, and Clarissa Dalloway from Mrs. Dalloway. He also compared Aang’s narrative arc in Avatar: The Last Airbender with Korra’s, highlighting underlying gender bias.
The seminar continued with the paper “Émile Zola’s Naturalism on the Stage and the Characterization of Modern Movies” by Mirza Ahmed Nuhash (Batch 251). The paper was nominated by Professor Kaiser Haq from the course “Advanced Critical Reading II: Poetry and Drama.” Nuhash began by outlining the key concepts of Naturalism, which views the world through natural laws and rejects supernatural or fictional clichés such as the conventional fairy-tale elements of prince, crisis, and villain. He also discussed modern adaptations of fairy tales that resist Émile Zola’s naturalistic ideals.
M. A. Rahat, nominated by Mr. Harunur Rashid Khan from the course “Theories on First and Second Language Acquisition,” presented his paper, “An Observation Study of First Language Acquisition of a Bangladeshi Child,” which was based on a quantitative research method conducted through observation of a toddler. Several interviews and observation sessions were carried out. Key issues discussed included phonological simplification, neologism, telegraphic speech, behaviorism, cognitivism, and innatism. The paper also briefly addressed classroom management and pedagogy.
Rudaiba Mahbub (Batch 243) from the Literature and Cultural Studies track presented her paper titled “Myth and Migration: Folklore and the Construction of Translational Identities in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island.” She was nominated by Professor Kaiser Haq from the course “Reading Contemporary Transnational Literature.” The paper focused on themes of migration, displacement, exile, and cultural exchange in Ghosh’s novel. She elaborated on the role of folklore as an archive of collective memory that connects characters across nations through shared narrative patterns, while also resonating with references to the contemporary climate crisis.
This was followed by a presentation on “Syntactic Description” by Farzana Mir (Batch 232) from the Applied Linguistics and TESOL track, nominated from the course “Linguistics for ELT.” Her presentation was highly interactive and her use of props effectively engaged the audience. Using tree diagrams and Lego blocks, she demonstrated how words and phrases are structured and how sentences can be broken into constituent parts.
The next presentation was delivered by Tasmim Bashira Binth Arman on “Understanding Gender, Exoticism, and Political Agency through Shakespeare’s Cleopatra.” She dedicated her presentation to the course instructor of “Cultural Construction of Shakespeare,” Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam. The paper analyzed the representation of Cleopatra by highlighting themes such as the Roman patriarchal worldview, gendered power structures, and orientalism.
The next presentation was given by Fahim Ibrahim (Batch 243) from the Applied Linguistics and TESOL track, nominated by Dr. Md. Mahadhi Hasan for the course “Teaching Practicum and Classroom Management.” Fahim’s paper, “Revisiting the Ethical Consideration of Using Generative AI in English Language Teaching,” focused on issues of data authenticity and the growing use of AI for academic purposes.
The seminar concluded with Rubaba Sarwar (Batch 243)’s presentation from the course “Approaches to Cultural Theory.” Her paper, titled “The Cultural Economy of Climate Dread in Gun Island,” applied Sara Ahmed’s concept of collective emotions to analyze migration anxiety. It discussed ecological destruction and climate change and their impact on economy and culture, while also emphasizing crises produced by capitalism.
All the presenters participated in a Q/A session and later received certificates of participation. Professor Kaiser Haq, Ms. Arifa Ghani Rahman, along with other faculty members, shared insightful feedback on the papers and acknowledged the presenters’ hard work. Such seminars are highly beneficial for new students as they provide opportunities to learn, refine presentation skills, and engage in academic dialogue.
Report by Rebeka Sultana (251055010)
