International Islamic University Islamabad appoints Prof Dr Ayaz Afsar as new Dean of Languages and Literature (FLL). Prof Afsar has served as the Chairman Department of English during 2015-2018 as well. He also is the founder and Editor of Journal of Contemporary Poetics of the Department of English.
Prof Afsar did his M.Phil. in Applied Linguistics (2000) and PhD in English Literature (2004) from the University of Manchester in the UK. He did post-doc from the University of Manchester (2012) and another post-doc from the University of Birmingham in the UK (2014). He has also taught in those university during his stay in the UK.He did his BA (Hons) and MA English from the University of Karachi.
He is internationally recognized for interdisciplinary research in Biblical and Quranic literary narrative discourse. He has written widely in interdisciplinary areas combining classics, theory, cultural identity, language, linguistics, stylistics and narrative studies. He has got a long series of journal articles to his credit published in peer-reviewed journals internationally. He has also presented his readings in Manchester (UK), Birmingham (UK), Hong Kong (China), North Carolina (USA) and numerous other international fora. His two books will appear in 2019. He has had several overseas fellowships and editorial positions.
Prof Afsar said he is working on his goals for the faculty for the 2019-2020 academic year and is excited to continue supporting students and working with the faculty and staff at IIUI.
“Languages and Literature are significant studies because these studies can lead to a nuanced understanding of complex world. The ability to read carefully, think critically and communicate clearly are the skills students need to master to be successful in the global workplace. Prof Afsar said, “My goal is to continue to support the excellent work being done by the faculty and the staff as they energize students in the study of languages and literature”.
“I look forward to advancing our reputation and connections across the faculty, university, city and beyond. I am passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion and will encourage the faculty to build on its progress to be an exemplar of the best practice in this area.”
He further said, “I want to really get known for the quality of our work and for the wide-ranging connections and partnerships from which we can build further.”
“I am an interdisciplinary scholar by instinct and I am excited to be able to support all the departments within the faculty of Languages and Literature.”