Graduate Student Seminar Spring 2023
The Department of English and Humanities, ULAB, held the Spring 2023 Graduate Student Seminar on March 7, 2023, to provide the MA students with a platform to present their research papers which they had produced as a part of their course work in the previous semester. The paper presentations were showcased in the presence of the Dean, the Head of Department, faculty members and students.
Ms. Nadia Rahman, Assistant Professor, DEH, and MA Coordinator, welcomed the audience and invited the first presenter, Khondokar Shahad Muktadir (Batch 222). Shahad presented his paper on “Books and Bookstores: Examining the Interrelationship between Cultural Capital, Cultural Space, and Consumer Behavior.” He called attention to how spaces such as bookstores have diminished into becoming backgrounds in people’s photos as fewer people visit them today to actually read or buy books.
The next paper was presented by Sejuti Islam Proma (Batch 222). Her paper, “Creativity and Fiction Writing,” showcased her own experience with literature and writing. She spoke about the authors and books that inspired her, and shared what she learned from Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam while attending his course on fiction writing. She concluded with her short story, “A ‘Mundane’ Day with the Weighing Scales,” which she had written for the course, using a photograph as a prompt.
The third paper presenter, Fahmida Akter (Batch 223), presented on how Bangladeshi media uses slang and abusive language, influenced by the western culture, in her presentation, “Adaptation of Slang and Western Culture in Recent Bangladeshi Dramas and Web Series: Cultural Degradation or Trend?” She argued that the modern dramas and web series of Bangladesh are losing their personhood in the process of adapting to the western culture in attempts to cater to a younger audience.
The final presenter, Arohe Roy Lazz (Batch 223), presented “Syllabus Design Theories in a Real World Context: Current Situation and Future Directions.” She discussed how schools in Bangladesh use a Grammatical Syllabus which includes memorization, GTM method, emphasis on writing, no oral communication, and deductive method, and suggested improvements that can be implemented.
The Spring 2023 Graduate Student Seminar concluded with some words of wisdom from Professor Kaiser Haq, Dean, School of Arts and Humanities.
Report by Ereti Rhidil Rahman (193013068)
