My Profile

Dr. S. P. DHANAVEL
Professor and Head
Department of English
Anna University, Chennai-600 025

Phone: 044-22358727 (O)
dhana@annauniv.edu
Mobile: 94440 72677
dhanavelp@hotmail.com
Fax: 91+44+2235 0397
dhanavelsp@yahoo.co.in

Personal

Date of Birth: 06. 05. 1964
Sex: Male
Marital Status: Married

Education

B.A., 1985, National College, Bharathidasan University, English
M.A., 1987, National College, Bharathidasan University, English
M.Phil., 1989, University Department, Bharathidasan University, English
P.G.C.T.E., 1994, Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, English
Ph.D., 1997, Tripura University, English
P.G.D.H.E., 1997, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Higher Education

Employment

Bishop Heber College, Trichy: Part-time Lecturer, 1988-1990
Pondicherry University, Pondicherry: Part-time Lecturer, 1990
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai: Lecturer, 1990-1991
Tripura University, Agartala: Lecturer, 1991-1997: Sr Lecturer, 1997- 2000
Anna University, Chennai: Assistant Professor (Reader), 2000 May –

Courses Taught

General English for BA/BSc/BCom
Management Communication for MBA
American Literature, British Literature, and Indian Literature for MA
Technical English for BE/BTech
English Language Teaching for M. Phil
English for M.Sc. Electronic Media
Communication Skills for MBA

Publications

Books

1. Poetry of Life ( Ranchi: Writers Forum, 1997)
2. Muse Time ( Maranda: Poetcrit Publications, 1998)
3. Purpose of Life ( Calcutta: Poets Foundation, 1998)
4. The Indian Imagination of Girish Karnad: Essays on Hayavadana,
(New Delhi: Prestige Books, 2000)
5. Writing for Mass Media (Chidambaram: Directorate of Distance Education, Annamalai University2005)
6. English and Communication Skills for Students of Science and Technology (Chennai: Orient Blackswan Ltd, 2009)
7. Critical Perspectives on American Literature, edited volume. (New Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2008)
8. English and Soft Skills (Chennai: Orient Blackswan Ltd, 2010)
9. The Changing Face of ELT in India ( To be published)
10. A Handbook of Soft Skills ( Edited volume in Progress)

Articles

1. “Deconstruction in the Classroom: A Reading of John Milton’s ‘On His Blindness,’” Literary Explorer (July-December 1993), pp. 45-52.
2. “The Romance of Influence: A Bloomian Perspective on Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana,” Indian Journal of American Studies, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Winter 1993), pp. 118- 120.
3. “Science Through Distance Education in Tripura,” Journal of the North Eastern Council, Vol. 14, No. 1 (January- March 1994), pp. 32-34.
4. “ ‘Moral Paralysis’ in Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Journal of Literary Studies, Vol. 20, No. 1-2 (June- December 1996), pp.1-4.
5. “Teaching Creatively for Productive Education,” University News, Vol. 35, No. 17 (April 28, 1997), pp.1-4.
6. “Learning Through Acronyms,” The Hindu, Education Section, May 27, 1997), p.26.
7. “Integrated Approach to Teaching Writing,” The Meghalaya Guardian ( July 30, 1997), P. 4.
8. “Multicultural Education in Canada and India,” New Frontiers in Education, Vol. 27, No.3 (July- September 1997), pp. 207-215.
9. “Problems and Prospects of Teaching American Literature in India,” University News, Vol. 35, No. 45 (November 10, 1997), pp. 8-12.
10. “Indian Higher Education: Problems of Unplanned Growth,” University News, Vol.35, No.51 (December22, 1997), pp.1-2 & 15
11. “Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana: A Study in Condensation,” The Quest, Vol.11, No.2 (December 1997), pp.13-19.
12. ”A. R. Ammons’s Garbage : A Study in Rhetorical Paradox,” Kakatya Journal of English Studies, Vol.17 (December 1997), pp.58-66.
13. “Nooculture,” Kisan World, Vol.25, No.3 (March 1998), pp.45-47.
14. “English Problems and Indian Solutions”, Triveni Vol. 67, No.1
(January-March 1998), pp.72-75.
15. “The Paradoxical Vision of A.R.Ammons,” English Studies in India, Vol.6 (March 1998), pp.60-68.
16. “Heart’s Quest and Questions Galore,” Indian Book Chronicle, Vol.23, No.3 (March 1998), pp.24-25.
17. “Reflective Teaching,” Kisan World, Vol.25, No.4 (April 1999),
pp.25-27.
18. “Poet as Phenomenologist: An Analysis of Adrienne Rich’s ‘The Phenomenology of Anger,’” College English Review, Vol.2, No.2 (April-July 1988), pp.19-21.
19. “Review of D. C. Chambial’s Gyrating Hawks and Sinking Roads,” The Brain Wave No.7 (June 1997-1998), pp.37-39.
20. “Teaching Ben Johnson’s Volpone: A Diagrammatical Approach,” College English Review, Vol.2, No.3 (July-September 1998),
pp.30-32.
21. “A Perspective on Teaching Reading”, Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol.33, No.5 (September-October 1998), pp.181-187.
22. “Disturbing Trend in Education and the Way Out,” Kisan World, Vol.25, No.12 (December 1998), p.33.
23. “Teaching by the Students for Quality Education,” University News, Vol.37, No.16 (April 19, 1999), pp.6-9.
24. “The Humanistic Vision of Girish Karnad,” In Contemporary Indian Literature in English, ed. M.K.Pandey, pp.76-87. Ludhiana: Kalyani Publishers, 1999.
25. “A Paradigm for Paradox in A.R.Ammons’s ‘Corsons Inlet,’” College English Review, Vol.3, No.2 (April-June 1999), pp.10-12.
26. “The Desire for Recognition: A Lacanian Reading of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana,” Points of View, Vol.6, No.1 (Summer 1999), pp.110-119.
27. “Understanding Paradox,” Indian Journal English Studies, Vol.36 (1997-98), pp.5-15.
28. “The Influence of Buddhism on Dr Ambedkar and His Mission of Social Justice,” Samaja Shodhana, Vol.7, No.1&2 (March & October 1999), pp. 54-58.
29. “The Pronunciation of ‘X’,”,Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol.34, No.5 (September-October 1999), pp.200-205.
30. “Tips for Teachers - An Acronym for Sequencing Adjectives,” Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol. 34, No.6 (November-December 1999), pp. 255-256.
31. “A Short Introduction to A. R .Ammons,” Triveni, Vol.69, No.2 (April-June 2000), pp.33-35.
32. “Importance of Value-based Teachers,” University News, Vol.38, No.18 (May 2000), pp.1-2 & 10.
33. “Hart Crane’s The Bridge: An Intertextual Analysis,” Points of View, Vol.7, No.2 (Winter 2000), pp.39-42.
34. “The History and Mystery of Girish Karnad’s Tale-Danda,” The Literary Criterion, Vol.35, No.4 (2000), pp.38-50.
35. “Globalization, English Teaching and Information Technology,” In IT Revolution, Globalization and the Teaching of English. Eds. G. Damodar, P. Shailaja and M. Rajeshwar, pp.28-38. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 2001
36. “The Incomplete Incompleteness in Halfway House”. In Mohan Rakesh’s Halfway House: Critical Perspectives, Ed. Subash Chandra, pp. 203-218. New Delhi: Asia Book, 2001.
37. “A.R.Ammons’s Tape for the Turn of the Year: A Study in Paradox,” Atlantic Literary Review, Vol.3, No.1 (January – March 2002), pp.167-174.
38. “The Interhumanism of Robinson Jeffers,” Points of View, Vol.9, No.1 (Summer 2002), pp.44-51.
39. ‘Amazing Sentences of Indian Students: A Simple Writing Activity That Triggered Profound Ideas,” The English Teacher (Bangkok), Vol.5, No.3 (July 2002), pp.332-334.
40. “The Vowels in Question Words,” Journal of English Language Teaching (India), Vol. 38, No.5 (September- October 2002), pp.21-22.
41. “Manjula Padmanabhan’s Harvest: A Postcolonial Perspective,” Points of View, Vol 10, No. 1 (Summer 2003), pp.41-48
42. “The Transparent Eyeball” [A Study of G.T. Mansour’s Glimpse]. In Gilda Thebaud Mansour: Poet and Painter of Body, Mind and Soul. Ed. Mukund R Dave, pp.77-80. Aligarh: Skylark Publications, 2003.
43. “Ecological Insight in A K Ramanujan’s Second Sight,” In Modern Indian Writing in English: Critical Perceptions Vol.1. ed. N D R Chandra, pp. . New Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2004.
44. “What is English?” The SLELTA Quarterly.
45. “Subversion of Values in Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghashiram Kotwal”, Voice, Vol.3, No.3, (2005) pp.84-92
46. “Patriarchal Oppression in Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain,” Reflections, Vol. 4, No.1&2, (January & July 2005), pp.75-80.
47. “The Crux of Teaching English with Technology,” Journal of English language Teaching (India), Vol.44, No. 44 (July-August 2006), pp. 29-33.
48. “Quotation for Motivation in the ESL Classroom,” http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/quotation-motivation-esl-classroom.html
49. “The Five ‘S’ Approach to Vocabulary Development,” Interventions, Vol.3, Issue 1, (March 2006), pp.63-68.
50. “Abdul Kalam’s Wings of Fire as a Collaborative Autobiography,” In Indian Writing in English: Expanding Territories. Proceedings of the National Seminar. Chennai: Dr M G R Janaki College for Women, 2007, pp.252-259.
51. “Review of Ravi Sheorey’s Learning and Teaching English in India” http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/March_07_br2.php
52. “Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain: An Intertextual Study”, Indian Journal of Postcolonial Literatures, No.8 (January-June 2007) pp.47-51
53. “Thinking as a Communication Skill” Proceedings of the National Conference on Innovations in English Language Teaching 2007, Department of English, Karumya University, Coimbatore, pp. 16-19
54. “Technology-Enabled Language Learning,” Anna University News Bulletin, Vol.2, No.10, (February 2008), pp.18-19.

Seminars, Conferences, and Workshops

1. Participated and presented a paper on “Deconstruction in the Classroom: A Reading of John Milton’s On His Blindness,” in the XVI Indian Social Science Congress at the University of Poona, Pune, during December 1991.
2. Participated and presented a paper on “The Romance of Influence: A Bloomian Perspective on Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana,” in the Seminar on Critical, Literary and Social Theory at American Studies Research Centre, Hyderabad, during December 1992.
3. Participated and presented a paper on “Multicultural Education in Canada and India” in the IX International Conference on Canadian Studies at Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar, during January 1993.
4. Presented a paper in absentia on “Science Through Distance Education in Tripura,” in the National Seminar on the Teaching of Science Through Distance and Open Learning Systems at the Regional Centre of IGNOU, Shillong, during June 1993.
5. Participated and presented a paper on “Teaching Creatively for Productive Education,” in the XVII Indian Social Science Congress at R.V.Engineering College, Bangalore, during August 1993.
6. Participated in the National Seminar on Pluralism in India and Canada: Literary and Sociological Perspectives at Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, during October 1994.
7. Convened, participated and presented a paper on “The Religious Dimensions of A.R. Ammons’s Garbage,” in the Seminar on Faith in Twentieth-Century American Literature at Tripura University, Agartala, during April 1995.
8. Participated and presented a paper on “The Influence of Buddhism on Dr B. R. Ambedkar and His Mission of Social Justice,” in the Seminar on Dr B. R. Ambedkar at Tripura University, Agartala, during 1996.
9. Participated and presented a paper on “Problems and Prospects of Teaching American Literature in India,” in the Seminar on Fifty Years of Independence at Dhvanyaloka, Mysore, during August 1997.
10. Participated and presented a paper on “Globalization, English Teaching and Information Technology,” in the UGC National Seminar on Teaching of English in the Era of Information Technology Revolution and Globalization: The Challenges Ahead,” at Kakatya University, Warangal, during January 1999.
11. Participated and presented a paper on “A Postcolonial Perspective on Manjula Padmanabhan’s Harvest,” in the State Level Seminar on Culture, Language and Feminism at Holy Cross College, Tiruchirappalli, during 2001.
12. Participated and presented a paper on “Patriarchal Oppression in Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain,” in the National Workshop on Unheard Voices in the New Literatures in English at Loyola College, Chennai, during January 2003.
13. Participated and presented a paper on “Quotation for Motivation in the ESL Classroom,” in the Thirty-Fourth Annual Conference of ELTAI at Women’s Christian College, Chennai, during January – February 2003.
14. Participated and presented a paper on “The Five ‘S’ Approach to Vocabulary Development,” at the Regional Conference of English Teachers at Seethalakshmi Ramasamy College, Tiruchirappalli, during September 2003.
15. Participated and presented a paper on “The Crux of Teaching English with Technology” in the 35th Annual Conference of English Language Teachers’ Association of India, at Anna University, Chennai, during January 2004.
16. Participated and presented a paper on “Subversion of Values in Vijay Tendulkar’s Plays with Reference to Ghashiram Kotwal” in the National Level Seminar on Literature, Media and Social Transformation at Holy Cross College, Tiruchirappalli, during October 2004.
17. Participated and presented a paper on “The DELTA Approach to English Language Teaching,” in the III International Seminar-Cum-Workshop on English Grammar at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, during December 2004.
18. Participated and presented a paper on “The Hindu Opportunities for Teaching Communication Skills to College Students” in the First International and 36th Annual Conference of the English Language Teachers Association of India at D G Vaishnav College, Chennai, during 4-5th February 2005
19. Participated in a National Workshop on Translation at the Department of Linguistics, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara, during 3-5, March 2005.
20. Participated and presented a paper on “English Skills for Research Scholars” at the UGC Sponsored National Seminar-cum-Workshop on Developing a Model Syllabus for Improving Writing Skills of Research Scholars Across Disciplines at Annamalai University, Chidambaram, during March 15-16, 2005.
21. Participated and chaired a session at the UGC sponsored National Conference on Indian Writings in English, Folk Theatre and Culture during September 2005.
22. Participated in the National Symposium on Contemporary Indian Theatre at Ethiraj College, Chennai, during December 2-3, 2005
23. Participated and presented a paper on “English, Communication Skills and Soft Skills” at the Regional Seminar on ‘Materials for Teaching English at the Tertiary Level in Global Environment’ at Loyola College, Chennai on December 17, 2005.
24. Participated and presented a paper on “In Addition to the English Syllabus” at 37th Annual Conference of the English Language Teachers Association of India at Ethiraj College, Chennai, during February 10-11, 2006.
25. Participated and presented a paper on “Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain: An Intertextual Study” at the National Seminar on Comparative Literature: Problems and Prospects at Annamalai University, during March 13-15, 2006.
26. Participated in the Training the Trainer Programme on “Enhancing the Employability of University Students” at Scope International, Chennai, during September 15-16, 2006.
27. Participated and presented a paper on “Abdul Kalam’s Wings of Fire as a Collaborative Autobiography” at the National Seminar on Indian Writing in English, organized by the Department of English, Dr M G R--Jankai College for Women, Chennai, on February 2, 2007.
28. Participated and presented a paper on “A Global Perspective on Soft Skills” at the Second International an 38th Annual Conference of ELTAI at B. A. Crescent Engineering College, Vandalore, Chennai, during February 9-10, 2007.
29. Served as a member of the National Advisory Board and chaired a session at the One-Day National Conference on Innovations in English Language Teaching 2007, organized by the Department of English, Karunya University, on October 27, 2007.
30. Participated and presented a paper on Technical Speaking at the One-Day Seminar on “Perspectives on the Teaching of Reading Skills and Spoken English,” organized by the Department of English, Annamalai University, Chidambaram on December 14, 2007.
31. Participated and chaired two technical sessions at the National Seminar on Indian Drama in English, organized by the Faculty of English and Foreign Languages, Gandhigram Rural University, Dindigul, on 7 - 8 February 2008.

Invited Lectures
1. Gave a lecture on “Analysis of English Sentence Structure” to the participants of a training programme in translation at the Reserve Bank of India Staff College, Chennai, during August 2001.
2. Gave a lecture on “What is English?” to the students of Eswari Engineering College, Chennai, during January 2002.
3. Gave a lecture on “Personality Development” to the students of Muthayalamman College of Arts and Science, Rasipuram, during September 2002.
4. Gave three lectures on “Deconstruction,” “Jacques Lacan,” and “Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana” to the participants of the 13th UGC Refresher Course in Theory and Indian English Literature at the University of Calicut, Kozhikode, during November 2002.
5. Gave three lectures on “Creative Teaching,” “Value-Based Education,” and “Indian Higher Education” to the participants of the Faculty Development Programme, organized by the Centre for Academic Partnership, Anna University, Chennai, during January 2003.
6. Gave a lecture on “Personality Development” to the students of Jaya College of Arts and Science, Chennai, during November 2003.
7. Gave a lecture on “Personality Development” to the students of Vivekananda College, Chennai, during January 2004.
8. Gave two lectures on “Personality Development,” and “The Forgotten Skill of Listening” to the students of Meenakshi Engineering College, Utthiraimerur, during August 2004.
9. Gave a lecture on “English for Personality Development” to the students of Theivanai Ammal College for Women, Villupuram, during October 2004.
10. Gave a lecture on “Communication Skills” to the students of P. R. Engineering College, Thanjavur, during November 2004.
11. Gave two lectures on Manjula Padmanabhan’s Harvest and Girish Karnad’s Imagination to the participants of a UGC Refresher Course in English at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, during January 2005.
12. Gave two lectures on Teaching of Soft Skills to the participants of a UGC Refresher Course on Employability Skills in the Curriculum at Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, on 31 October 2006
13. Conducted a one-day workshop on Communication Skills for MBA students of ASM College of Engineering, Avadi IAF, Chennai, on 9 December 2006
14. Delivered a lecture-cum-presentation on “Self-awareness and Self-motivation” to the PG students of D. G. Vaishnav College (Evening), Chennai, on 21 September 2007.
15. Gave two lectures on Technical English to the participants of a UGC Refresher Coures on Communication Studies at Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappali, on 23 November 2007
16. Gave a lecture on “The Dreams of Girish Karnard” at the National Seminar on Indian Drama in English, organized by the Faculty of English and Foreign Languages, Gandhigram Rural University, Dindigul, on 8t February 2008.

Membership of Professional Societies
1. Long Term Member, English Language Teachers’ Association of India, Chennai.
2. Life Member, Indo-America Centre for International Studies, Hyderabad.
3. Life Member, Indian Association for Canadian Studies, New Delhi.
4. Life Member, Indian Association for American Studies,
5. Life Member, Indian Academy of Social Sciences, Allahabad.
6. Life Member, Mangalore Sociology Association, Mangalore.
7. Life Member, Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore.
8. Life Member, Forum for Teaching of English Language and Literature, New Delhi.
9. Life Member, The P.E.N. All Indian Centre, Mumbai.
10. Life Member, United Writer’s Forum, Chennai.
11. Member, Board of Studies in English, Annamalai University, Tamilnadu.
12. Member, Board of Studies in English, A.V.S. Pushpam College ( Autonomous), Poondi, Thanjavur District.
13. Member, Board of Studies in English, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Evening College (Autonomous), Mylapore, Chennai-600 004
14. Member, Board of Studies in English, Bishop Heber College (Autonomous) , Tiruchirappalli -620 017.

Administrative Experience

1. Chair, Department of English, Tripura University, from 6 September 1994 to 3 February 1995.
2. Chair, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Anna University, from 18 December 2000 to 31 January 2002.
3. Chair, Department of English, Anna University Chennai, from 1 October 2008.

UGC Refresher Courses Attended
1. Attended a 21-day UGC Refresher Course in Linguistics, organized by Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad, from 2 to 22 January, 1998.
2. Attended a 27-day UGC Refresher Course in American Studies, organized by American Studies Research Centre, Hyderabad, from 25 January to 20 February, 1999.
3. Attended a 28-day UGC Orientation Course (General Batch 79), conducted by the Academic Staff College, University of Madras from May16 to June 12, 2007.


Research Guidance

M. Phil
Successfully guided three M. Phil. Scholars

1. “The Role of Non-English Teachers in the Teaching of English to Engineering Students,” Degree awarded by Anna University in 2002
2. “Girish Karnad’s The Dreams of Tipu Sultan: A Critical Study,” Degree awarded by the University of Madras, IDE, in 2007.
3. “Using Tamil Films in Developing Communication Skills of Engineering Students,” Degree awarded by Anna University in 2007

Ph. D
Successfully guided four Ph. D. Scholars

1. Guided a Ph.D Scholar on “Diasporic Negotiations: A Study of the Select Novels of Shauna Singh Baldwin, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Indira Ganesan, Kamila Shamsie, Bapsi Sidwa and Sara Suleri” Degree awarded by Anna University in November 2006.
2. Guided a Ph.D Scholar on “The Plays of Tennessee Williams and Mahesh Dattani: A Comparative Study,” Degree awarded by Anna University in September 2007.
3. Guided a Ph.D Scholar on "The Humnaistic Vision of David Mamet," Degree awarded by Anna University in 2008.
4. Guided a Ph.D scholar on "An Ecocritical Analysis of the Select Plays of Chandrasekara Kambar and H S Shiva Prakash," Degree awarded by Anna University in 2009.

Guidance in Progress
A Candidate has submitted her thesis.
Currently guiding six PhD scholars on various topics related to Literature, mainly Indian Writing, American Literature, and Literature and Environment.

Citations
1. Sant, B.R. 2000. “Better and Faster Reading,” University News, Vol.38, No. 6, (February 7), p. 109.
2. Gilbert, Helen. 2001. Ed. Postcolonial Plays: An Anthology. London: Routledge, p.182.
3. Ray, Mohit K. 2002.”Tradition and Avant-garde in Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana” Interlitteria. Issue 7. pp.151-167.
4. Collellmir, Dolors. “Mythical Structure in Girish Karnad’s Naga-Mandala”
http://www.publications.ub.es.revistes/bells15/documentos/71.pdf.
5. Marina, Lalitha. 2007. “Transformation and Transgression: Naga-Mandala and Paheli.” http://engnatsem.net/lm.htm
6. Eric Digest. Amazing Sentences of Indian Students A Simple Writing Activity That Triggered Profound Ideas”. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/ portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ652271&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ652271
7. Gill, L S. 2005. Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana: A Critical Study. New Delhi: Asia Book Club. Pp. 81, 111-112
8. Mukherjee, Tutun. 2006. Girish Karnad’s Plays: Performance and Critical Perspectives. New Delhi: Pencraft International. pp. 364-365 and Index