General English Coursebooks released during the Raleigh Literary Society function
Aligarh : Three volumes of General English Coursebook published by the Cambridge University Press (CUP) in collaboration with the Department of English, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were released at a function by AMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor.
The book release ceremony was part of the inaugural function of the Raleigh Literary Society of the Department of English.
Presiding over the function Prof Tariq Mansoor said, “Communication skills are very important in today’s world and if you are unable to communicate properly you will be at disadvantage. These books are valuable for the students as having knowledge of English has a great value in academic and professional spheres”.
He hoped that the Cambridge University Press will work with AMU in the future also and bilateral cooperation will increase.
Welcoming the guests Prof. Mohammad Rizwan Khan, Chairperson, Department of English, pointed out “The General English Coursebook has been a pending dream of the English Department and it has become a reality only because of the dynamic leadership of our Vice-Chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor, as well as the unrelenting cooperation of the Cambridge University Press”. Extending gratitude towards the CUP team Prof Rizwan said: they stood by us and believed in us along the journey of publishing these books which is very satisfying.
“The royalty earned by these books will go to the Department of English. This is our small beginning towards revenue generation and I hope that teachers of the Department will get more opportunities to work with CUP”, added Prof Rizwan.
Highlighting some of the key features of the three volumes, Prof Rizwan informed that these have features of “Jeevan Kaushal” also, as promoted by the NEP 2020.
The three Coursebooks, namely “Build Your Language”, An Integrated Course in General English (Semester I), “Improve Your Language” (Semester II), and “Enrich Your Language” (Semester III) for Undergraduate students of AMU seek to help students learn English with a focus both on fluency and accuracy of language, covering advanced topics in Grammar and vocabulary. These books follow a task-based and learner-centered approach with online audio support for listening tasks, aimed to enable learners to communicate more effectively in real-life scenarios in their personal, academic, and future professional spheres.
Prof Rizwan also talked about the Raleigh Literary Society and its importance in the Department of English.
Prof Syed Mohammad Hashim, Dean Faculty of Arts congratulated the author team and faculty members of the Department of English for successfully completing the project.
Mr. Vinit Mehra, Head Strategic Partnership, Cambridge University Press said, the joint initiative of publishing the General English Coursebook was precious for CUP. “AMU is one of the best collaborations for CUP having an extraordinary footprint across the globe”, he added.
Ms Alankrita Mahendra, Associate Publishing Manager, CUP expressed gratitude to the entire author team, and shared her experience of publishing the three books starting from the arrival of manuscripts to the final book. “These volumes will enhance the competencies of the students of different courses other than English”, she emphasized.
Ms Richa Bathla, National Key Account Manager, CUP narrated her experience of her visit to AMU and what these volumes mean to students as the use of the right content is key to skill enhancement.
The inaugural event of the Raleigh Literary Society witnessed several presentations by the students, which included monologues, screening of a short film depicting the journey of a student in her Masters Course, and presentation of translated excerpts from the speeches of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Mr Shams and Ms Mehvish Saulat presented a report. Results of various events organised under the aegis of Raleigh Literary Society were announced with a power point presentation while the videos of winners were also played.
Teachers in charge, Prof. Aysha Munira Rasheed, Prof. Vibha Sharma, Ms Rabeya, and other faculty members from the department attended the event.
Ms Afnan (Student of MA English Literature) and Mr Mohammad Adnan Khan (Student BA English) proposed the vote of thanks, while Ms Zainab Fatma and Ms Kisa Mohsin conducted the proceedings. Mr Md. Saifullah Samar and Ms Zoya Ahmad coordinated the event.