Graduate Student Seminar Fall 2024
On November 6, 2024, the Department of English and Humanities at ULAB organized its Graduate Student Seminar for Fall 2024. A total of fourteen MA students were selected by their respective course instructors to present their papers from the three tracks that ULAB offers its MA students: Literature and Cultural Studies, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, and Literature and Creative Writing.
Ms. Nadia Rahman, Assistant Professor, DEH, inaugurated the seminar and warmly welcomed faculty members, presenters and students.
The seminar began with the first participant, Syeda Kamrunnahar Eti (Batch 233), who presented her paper titled “Speech Act as an Essential Element of Conversation: Examples from a Movie” where she dissected the linguistic elements of dialogues, as well as their purposes, from different movies.
Nafisa Awal (Batch 241) followed shortly after with her presentation titled “The Construction and Gist of From Nouka to Nihilism: A Personal Journey through Bangladesh's Political Landscape” in which she analyzed her experiences in relation to the July-August uprising.
The next presenter was Hamida Akter Mira (Batch 242) who presented the topic “Role of News Outlets in the July-August (2024) Mass Uprising through Chomsky and Herman's Propaganda Model”. She examined the biases that news outlets were privy to during the July-August revolution and how they impacted its viewers.
Next, Nabila Faiza Islam (Batch 242) came forth with her presentation “Adaptive ESL (English as a Second Language) Syllabus for Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)” where she proposed a new design for the syllabus for students with special needs which would cater to their learning abilities.
Kashfia Nahreen (Batch 233), in her paper “Fictionalized Reality: A Comparative Study of Naipaul's A New King for the Congo and A Bend in the River,” dove into the intricacies of chieftainship in African tribes as well as the history of colonialism in both of her selected texts.
Salma Akter Rumi (Batch 242) did her presentation on the topic “Madwoman to Modern Feminism: The Lasting Impact of Gilbert and Gubar's Theory on Contemporary Feminist Criticism”. She analyzed the “Madwoman” trope and went into detail about gender representation and the seemingly normalized misogyny that women endure.
Mahia Najish Bristy (Batch 241) presented her topic “There is No Best Method - Why?” where she explained how there is no singular best way to teach students as each student has different learning capabilities and as such, they require different approaches based on their needs.
Tasfiyah Saba (Batch 241), in her presentation “Shakespearean Drama Meets Bollywood Masala,” drew comparisons between Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela and explained how the latter was essentially an Indian retelling of a Shakespearean play.
“Early Language Learning in Bangladesh and Australia: Commonalities and Recommendations for Bangla and English Medium Instruction in Bangladesh” by Syeda Ayesha Habiba (Batch 241) deduced effective ways to improve the quality of both teaching and learning in the two mediums of instruction in Bangladesh by analyzing those present in Australia.
Next, Fatima Tuj Zohra (Batch 241) presented her paper titled “Stage Directions: A Comprehensive Analysis” where she highlighted the elements of classical plays as well as their presence in modern day theatrical performances. She also gave a detailed explanation on how modern day theater has evolved into more textured performances.
Kashfia Israt (Batch 241) presented her topic “Capitalist Expansion and Gender in Princess Mononoke: A Postcolonial and Ecofeminist Study” in which she dissected the underlying issues addressed in the film and expounded on the real life matters that are present in our current political climate.
For her presentation titled “The Interplay of Culture and Language: A Comprehensive Look at My English Learning Journey,” Zahin Zakaria (Batch 242) used her own learning experience as the main source of her paper. Zahin tapped into her childhood and talked about the ways in which she acquired English as a second language over time and examined it from the perspective of a researcher.
“The Power of Language in Reducing Vulnerabilities among Small-Scale Fishers in Coastal Bangladesh” by Sanzida Alam (Batch 242) delved into the vernacular of fishers in Bangladesh and how these regions have developed their own manner of communication.
Lastly, Kaniz Fatema (Batch 233) presented her paper titled “Empowering Learners: Integrating Critical Pedagogy into Language Materials” and discussed ways in which critical pedagogy can be introduced to mainstream teaching approaches to maximize learning outcomes.
The seminar ended with a certificate distribution session by esteemed faculty of DEH as well as a group photograph.
Report by Fatema Aftab Miah (211013016)
