The department of English as we are all aware of is one of the oldest Departments in the University of Ibadan. The Department is almost as old as the school itself. We can boast of having created the best literary and imaginative minds in the history of humanity. However, being old does not suggest that our new scholars’ creative knowledge should be sucked in with the department archaic system.
Some of the courses being taught are not only redundant, but they must have coexisted with the department, probably the difference is the addition of ‘modern’ for example, Modern African Poetry, Modern African Literature, Modern African Prose Fiction, or Modern African Drama.
But what is the relevance of these courses if they do not comply with the dynamism of our contemporary society? Or what difference is the addition of modernity if these courses have been in existence since the 1970’s and will still constitute a major course in the Department. An instance, a case in retrospect was where a recommended text like Birthday Party by Harold Pinter could not be found in any book store. On most occasions, the students of the Department are only left with the option of photocopying the lecturer’s own preserved texts, which may have been bought not by the lecturer but by the lecturer’s father or grandfather.
Our generation is always being accused of having a bad reading habit, but who enjoys reading a disjointed unclear photocopied material that is only good for the wrapping of roast corn or roast plantain.
We are not advocating for the abolishment of ancient works of art that are considered sacred or canonical to the history of literature, but we are saying that there should be the infusion of more relevant courses as well as newer teaching techniques. For instance, courses like Editing, Content Creation or Profiling are not terrible ideas. Whether we like it or not, or whether we are trying to advance with the world or not, the world is rapidly changing and only those who are still relevant will be able to survive. The students of this great department will be able to stay relevant and compete favourably with their contemporaries if they are properly equipped to face the changing trend of our dynamic world.
The world has gone digital and so also should our lecturers and students. The only digitisation the students understand is how to spend all day on Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media pages; they don’t know how to manipulate these tools to achieve scholarship. However, this is not restricted to the Department of English alone. These craze for social media handles can be carefully channeled towards scholarship if Social Media Management can be introduced as a course. Moreover, some people are making tons of cash by being Social Media Managers and WordPress Administrators. It may sound stupid but students find it easy to learn better and perform better when they are learning what they love.
Part of the new teaching techniques could be the inclusion of I.T into the curriculum. The Department would be doing the students a great service if the students are attached to publishing and broadcasting firms to run a one month training. This would make learning more fun and more practical. If the world is changing out there, it would not be a thing of good repute if the students of this Department would be mere spectators.
