Annual Republic Day Lecture:

Panel Discussion on Journalism in the Age of Digital Media

October 12 th , 2022
The panelists — Ms. Johanne Deeksha, Reporter at Scroll.in and Mr. Guruprasad D N, Editor of Nyayapatha and Nanu Gauri shared their views on how digital media has impacted journalism. The session was moderated by Ms.Vijayashanthi Murthy, Assistant Professor, Department of English, SJCC.

Media Literacy Workshop in collaboration with PARI

January 23rd and 25th , 2023
Imagine seasoned journalists sharing their experiences and insights with you! That’s what the media literacy workshop conducted by Ms. Priti David and Ms. Vishaka George from People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) offered to students of I BA English. Both the journalists discussed the current state of media in India and the need for youth to be media literate. The sessions helped the participants understand the process of developing a story, research ethics, editorial integrity, and other skills required to prepare a journalistic story. The workshop was also an opportunity for BA students to understand the “Writing India Project”, a writing project run by the Department of English that captures marginalized narratives.

‘Enter Madland: Exploring a Creative Career in Advertising’

March 29th , 2023
Enter Madland, a rare insider-scoop on the creative process of advertisement and visual marketing by Dhruv Menon introduced the BA students to the basics of advertisement industry. The session traced the history of advertisement culture in India and across the globe through a showreel of select ads. Dhruv concluded the session by saying “You ought to be a little mad; ads demand insanity to be heard."

Blue Line- Dismantling Caste with Care

July 17th , 2023
Caste is like the air we breathe, often unnoticed but always present. It’s easier to fight the enemy you can see. What about the ideas ingrained in the society that steal people’s vision? How do we deal with experiences which emerge from such spaces? Caste in India and across the globe undoubtedly continue to give birth to such spaces.

Beyond the intellectual realm, the world needs practical tools to dismantle caste constructs within individuals.

A film screening and workshop by the department of English and the Department of Psychology highlighting the effect of caste on mental health and examining the approaches to use arts and narratives to address the societal issues. The workshop was conducted by Maitri Gopalakrishnan and Sri Vamsi Matta, independent artists. The open discussion conducted as part of the workshop looked at the relevance of community empowerment in the journey towards shaping inclusive societies.

Home Away from Home: A Workshop on Translation conducted by Nisha Susan

July 24th, 2023
“A great age of literature is perhaps always a great age of translations.”
Literal translation or free translation? Staying true to the text?
Is it merely about translating words or is it more than that?
Through the experiences shared by acclaimed translator Nisha Susan, the translator of ‘Qabar,’ students were introduced to the diverse debates within the discipline of Translation Studies

Prospects & Possibilities — An Interactive Session on Creating Career Pathways in Literature and Humanities

August 2nd , 2023
“Not all those who wander are lost.” A passion for literature, an urge to dive into its depths, but doubts about the career prospects? Hearing from someone who has had a similar journey is always reassuring.
The session titled,” Possibilities and Prospects,” hosted by the Department of English was an interactive session between Dr. Asha Sen from the University of Wisconsin and students of BA English. Dr. Asha Sen shared her thoughts on diverse career paths in literature and humanities, including law, teaching, medical humanities, and research. The session highlighted the importance of developing communication skills and the impact of literature on critical thinking, persuasive skills and empathy, the must have qualities in both professional and personal life.

VIVIDHA – Ways of Storytelling

September 25th and 27th, 2023
Literature festival in a Commerce College? Surprised? Don’t be. VIVIDHA is curated as a creative platform to cater to the varied literary interests of students in the Bangalore, be it through a competition, workshop or panel discussion. The fest offers opportunity for students from degree and junior colleges across the city to experiment with their literary skills, and meet people who cherish similar interests. Organizing the first edition of VIVIDHA was a thrilling experience for both students and teachers of the Department of English. VIVIDHA-2023 witnessed participation from more than 500 students.

Kathegala Mane (House of stories): A Museum of Material Memory

September 25th and 27th, 2023
The Highlight of VIVIDHA 2023…
How often do we think about the objects that surround us in our homes? How often do we think about the memories attached to them? Whether a toy, a piece of jewellery, an old photograph, a faded cotton sari, furniture or an old wall clock that is replaced by the electronic products, there are objects that we keep close and hold on to because of what they represent to us; loaded with years of history and memories, they connect us to people, places and times. Students of BA English programme curated the 'Museum of Material Memory'. The museum that housed the collection of materials and its memories shared by the teaching and non-teaching staff of St. Joseph's College of Commerce.

Public Space and Subalternity: Panel Discussion and Art Exhibition

September 28th , 2022
The Department of English organized a one-day event on Subalternity on Streets. Subalternity on Streets had a panel discussion, art exhibition, and a musical evening.

Panel Discussion

Mr. Param from Chitrakala Parishath, Ms. Shanthi from Aravani Art Project and Mr. Jayasingh, an independent photographer from Madurai shared their journey of creating art in the public space.

Art Exhibition

The art exhibition was curated by the Bangalore based muralist Ms. Girija. She shared the stories behind the creation of wall art in Malleshwaram, one of the prominent areas in Bangalore.

Kathala Haadu (Songs of heart)

On the canvas of simmering darkness, oil lamps flickering, Naada Maninalkur strummed the strings - accompanied by a humorous commentary on society and culture. The ektara concert, a novel attempt to weave threads of subaltern culture was a meditative escape. Naada sang intriguing songs and engaged the audience in conversations on spirituality and communal harmony.

Photographing Communities: A Photography Workshop by Palani Kumar

February 2nd , 2023
An entire hall was transformed to appear as a museum filled with the works of Mr. Palani Kumar, his main focus was capturing the lives of manual scavengers. Mr. Palani Kumar spoke to the students about the lives and conditions of the families of manual scavengers. They were shown a film created by him and his team and discussions mainly focused on the manual scavenger community. It made audience aware of the difficult challenges that the Dalit community faces on a daily basis. This workshop eased the students into the world of the underprivileged communities in our country and encouraged the students to shed light on these communities by writing for the People's Archive of Rural India.

Guest Lecture on Contemporary Tamil Literature

September 20th , 2023
Dr. Abilash Chandran, Assistant Professor, Christ Deemed to be University, and Sahitya Academy Yuva Puraskar Awardee delivered a lecture on contemporary Tamil literature.

Media and Society Lecture Series

August 24th , 2021
The term ‘media’ has an expansive meaning in today’s socio-political and cultural context. It may refer to a piece of paper on which news is printed or to a political advertisement that pops-up while browsing the latest TV show on the internet. Media acts as a tool to manufacture consent and at the same time, it is the very space where such ‘manufacturing’ can be resisted. Hence, understanding media is crucial to understanding the modern world that is saturated with information. The Media and Society Lecture series has been designed to help students understand the dimensions of media and society. The inaugural lecture titled ‘Indian Media Today: The Dynamics of News Ecosystem’ was delivered by Mr. Hartosh Singh Bal, Political Editor of the Caravan magazine on 24th August 2021 at 11 am. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session where our students raised their doubts and concerns regarding how the media generated discourses, especially the narratives emerging out of the news eco-system, influence human experiences in modern society.

Media and Society Lecture Series:

The term ‘media’ has an expansive meaning in today’s socio-political and cultural context. It may refer to a piece of paper on which news is printed or to a political advertisement that pops-up while browsing the latest TV show on the internet. Media acts as a tool to manufacture consent and at the same time, it is the very space where such ‘manufacturing’ can be resisted. Hence, understanding media is crucial to understanding the modern world that is saturated with information. The Media and Society Lecture series has been designed to help students understand the dimensions of media and society. The inaugural lecture titled ‘Indian Media Today: The Dynamics of News Ecosystem’ was delivered by Mr. Hartosh Singh Bal, Political Editor of the Caravan magazine on 24th August 2021 at 11 am. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session where our students raised their doubts and concerns regarding how the media generated discourses, especially the narratives emerging out of the news eco-system, influence human experiences in modern society.

Seminars and Conferences:

The One Day National Seminar titled “Democracy, Education and Nationalist Discourses-Towards a Critical Engagement” was organized by Department of English in collaboration with Department of Kannada on 4th December 2017. It was organized with the objective of generating newer and viable responses to the challenges we face as a society today. This seminar was a forum for scholars, professionals and academicians to critically engage with the emerging challenges in our socio-cultural and political main line. The seminar witnessed nearly 70 participants from different institutes of India for English as well as Kannada paper presentations. The papers presented in the seminar covered a wide variety of topics pertaining to the nature of nationalism, the dynamics of identity and the ongoing reconfigurations in the realm of higher education.