Centre for Foreign Languages holds orientation meeting

The Centre for Foreign Languages (CFL) of the Office of English and Foreign Languages (OEFL) held its second orientation meeting on August 16. Over 60 students attended, along with CFL faculty members.

Professor  Jagdish Batra and Professor  Sérgio Meira introduced the CFL and gave a short overview of its resources, including the Global Languages Lab, and highlighted the need for teaching foreign languages to the JGU student community tailored to suit their interests and goals.

Professor  Shruti Jain spoke about the relevance and scope of learning German language and its culture in India. Professor  Jain also emphasised on the opportunities present for students interested in pursuing higher studies in Germany (via the DAAD – Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, or German Academic Exchange Service).

Professor Navreeti Sharma presented the French language courses, stressing the desirability and interest of students in learning about the French culture and literature, and the opportunities for further study, as well as the availability of CFL faculty at JGU. She described pedagogical tools and strategies used in class to develop a more communicative, learner-centric approach to teaching French.

Professor Neha Tyagi presented the structure of the Spanish language courses that are tailor-made to support student requirements. Mr. Mohammed Jilani described the main reasons for learning Spanish and the hands-on approach of the courses, including opportunities of attending summer/winter short-term study abroad programmes that focus on language, culture and history. The main event was followed by a Q&A session with the students.