“Law, Language, Literature and Communication” is the much-needed introduction to the dual

semesters of English offered by Prof. (Dr.) Prasannanshu to the hundred and twenty-odd freshers
that are beginning their journey in becoming a lawyer at the National Law University Delhi. The
introduction is a roadmap that spells out the objectives and philosophy behind the courses offered,
the skills that Prof. Prasannanshu aims to impart upon his new students and the approaches that he
plans on using to help impart said skills. He aims to help students polish their English skills to a level
that can be used in the highly competitive and professional law field, and to ensure that the students
consider English as a bridge of communication, rather than a barrier against communication.

The first course, titled “Law and Language”, aims to impart practical English language skills often
used in a professional career. It addresses practical issues of effective language usage while speaking
or writing, trains the students in legal writing, teaches important skills such as avoiding ambiguity or
gender prejudices, and others. Prof. Prasannanshu mentions the use of literary pieces such as plays,
parables, stories etc., to further deepen the course. He also explains the three ways in which law and
language broadly interacts: making and interpreting laws, presenting oral and written arguments in
the courtroom, and understanding evidences on crime.

The second course, “Professional Communication Skills for Lawyers”, introduces communication
skills specific to the field of law. The course is designed to teach students on the difference between
language used in speech and in writing, polishing writing skills to make it more clear, consistent and
effective, communication related to conflict resolution etc. The literary pieces of H.H. Munro, Arnold
Toynbee, George B. Shaw, Francis Bacon and others are utilized to better deliver this course’s
objectives.

Students also receive an in-depth, but concise analysis of the deep entanglement that law and
literature share. Examples of jurists-turned- “literary masterpieces” such as Jawaharlal Nehru,
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Denning, Judge Cardozo, and exemplary authors that dealt with law in their
writings, like Shakespeare, Munshi Prem Chand are given in the text to drive home this point.

As freshers to a law university, students tend to stress out about how a college course would unfold,
especially due to the large intellectual jump between school and college. However, a well-explained,
in-depth yet simple explanation of the details of the class, such as the text given by Prof. (Dr.)
Prasannanshu helps alleviate those fears.