Curriculum Integration: Final Presentation, Fall 2023
On December 10, 2023, the Department of English and Humanities at ULAB held the Final Project Showcasing of the Fall 2023 Curriculum Integration Program that revolved around the theme of “Language as a Weapon.” The event showcased faculty-nominated presentations of ten different courses, which demonstrated the connection of between the course contents and the theme. The panel of judges included Professor Kaiser Haq, Dean, School of Arts & Humanities, ULAB, Dr. Faheem Hasan Shahed, Associate Professor & Director, Center for Language Studies (CLS), ULAB, and Ms. Nadia Rahman, Assistant Professor, Department of English & Humanities, ULAB.
There were three different types of presentations submitted for the CI program: video, posters, and literary analyses. Among them, the video and poster submissions were presented during the event, while the literary submissions were sent directly to the judges for evaluation.
Dr. Rafi Saleh, Assistant Professor, DEH, who coordinated the Fall 2023 CI Program, began the program with a short introduction to the theme of the CI. Following this, the first video presentation by Mahmuda Akter Hasu (Batch 221) began. Mahmuda shared her vision through her topic, “Language as a Weapon in Ode: Intimations of Immortality by William Wordsworth of the Romantic Era” where she portrayed the power of language in romantic poetry and how its timeless relevance can evoke strong emotions from its readers.
The next presentation, “Language Weaponization in Politics,” by Nada Tabassum (Batch 201), Habiba Akhter Lubna (Batch 201), Nasfiyatto Zaman Nodi (Batch 201), and Ritobina Ria Dey (Batch 201), displayed the place of language in politics and how it is often used by politicians to amass votes from the general public. By providing both national and international examples of the topic, the presenters encouraged the questioning of language being used for personal gain.
The third group for the video presentations comprised Mehedi Hasan Simanto (Batch 191), Parisa Saba (Batch 211), Mursalina Jahan (Batch 211), Samia Nur Rashid (Batch 211), Sakibul Hasan (Batch 212) and Atika Islam Omi (Batch 212) who explored the effects of language in the business realm with their presentation, “Can the Strategic Use of Language Boost the Sales of a New Company?” They investigated the use of language from a psychoanalytic perspective and portrayed how salesmen examine their customers and alter their patois as a tactic to increase their sales.
The fourth group comprised Alan Henry Costa (Batch 211), Tasnina Reza (Batch 181), Sakibul Hasan (Batch 212), Atika Islam Omi (Batch 212) and Raisa Nidhi (Batch 212), who enacted their twist on the famous Greek play, Oedipus the King. Titled “The Influential Role of the Chorus,” these students brought forth the use of language by the Chorus to sway Oedipus.
In the next video presentation, the presenter exhibited her prowess as a writer with an organic poem that was written from the perspective of the protagonist of Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street. Using her poem “Echoing Lights,” Samia Zahin (Batch 211) encapsulated the suffering of women of the Latin-American community and how as a result of this, Esperanza decided to be the voice of her silenced sisters.
The next presentation was about the “Differences of Using Language as a Weapon”' by Jerin Tasnim (Batch 192), Fatema Tuz Zohura (Batch 192), Sadia Rahman Sumaiya (Batch 191), Noshin Sharmily (Batch 201), Juhi Rubaba Jurana Jahan (Batch 201), Mustafa Zahir (Batch 192) and Mostafa Al Wakil (Batch 192). They showcased the duality of language and how it can be used either as a bridge to connect people or a harmful divide. They emphasized the importance of tone.
The seventh presentation was carried out by Tahosin Tasnim Hoque (Batch 192), Afrida Lubaba Khan (Batch 201), Nandeta Saha Dola (Batch 201), Md. Habibur Rahman (Batch 201), Fahim Ibrahim Chowdhury (Batch 202), Kazi Bushra Orpy (Batch 203), Jannatul Fariha Mim (Batch 211) and Lamia Faiza (Batch 212). Their video, “Modern Teaching Materials: The Illumination of Acquiring Second Language as Weapon,” showed the power that language has in classrooms. They emphasized the importance of the methods and approach of educators and how it impacts students.
The final video presentation was by Rabeya Rahman (Batch 183) and Rowjatun Jannat (Batch 212). They presented on “Vonnegut’s Prose in Lewis’ Postmodern Musings” where they focused on the many elements of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions and how he welded them to get his point across.
The final presenter of the event was Ali Naznin (Batch 221). She presented a handmade poster that contained her interpretation of William Blake’s poem “London” and portrayed how he carefully crafted the language and vocabulary in his poem to showcase the binaries of the socio-economic classes in the often romanticized British life. Her vibrant poster contained original drawings and Blake’s perspective of London.
After the presentations, Professor Kaiser Haq shared his insights on the event as well as some words of wisdom. Finally, Ms. Nadia Rahman announced the winners. The Runner-Up was ENG 3102 (Psycholinguistics, Section 1) with the presentation on “Can the Strategic Use of Language Boost the Sales of a New Company?” The winner of the Fall 2023 Curriculum Integration Program was the group from ENG2201 (Sociolinguistics, Section 1), with their video “Language Weaponization in Politics.”
The event was brought to a conclusion by Dr. Rafi Saleh with his closing remarks and vote of thanks. The event was hosted by Ereti Rhidil Rahman (Batch 193)
Report written by Fatema Aftab Miah (211013016)