The academic performance of the students of the department has been consistently good for the last few years. Nine students have secured first class in the first autonomous batch. A lot of students secure admissions to prestigious post-graduate courses in India such as JNU, DU, CIEFL (Hyderabad) , University of Bombay, Jadavpur University, University of Calcutta, Rabindra Bharati University etc. Quite a few students are pursuing programs in higher research in universities abroad. Students of the college actively participate in various extra-curricular activities organized by the English Academy and Fine Arts Society such as inter-college creative writing competitions, debates, exhibition of paintings and photography etc.
The syllabus of the Department of English has been designed to provide the students of this undergraduate program with a strong foundation in English Literature. The course will equip them for further study and research in the subject. It is also intended to be proactive and to make the study of literature exciting and challenging. Students will be encouraged to participate in the teaching -learning process to develop their skills for original, independent and analytical thinking and appreciation.
The three-year undergraduate program in English is divided into six semesters – the syllabus in each semester introduces the students to literary study and focuses on critical techniques, approaches and debates to provide the students with the basic tools for literary analysis and appreciation. The students study set texts, which have been contextualized within specific literary periods allowing them to examine major figures/ works within their cultural, literary and political contexts. In turn they will be introduced to literary forms, terms and theories through the texts they study.
Continuous Internal Assessment is an integral part of the curriculum. Continuous assessment in each semester is on the basis of tutorials, term papers, seminars and tests.
The department offers a course in Elective English to students with Honours in Political Science or Sociology. The program in Elective English introduces the student to major English poets, novelists and dramatists. The course is designed to teach the student the basics of literary analysis and appreciation and update him with major trends and works of English Literature. The syllabus also has a language component intended to train the student in reading, comprehension and writing skills.
The department conducts a course in Compulsory English which has to be taken by all B.A. and B.Sc students. The Alternative English course is generally offered to students who did not have Hindi or Bengali as Second Language in their Board examination.
Faculty members of the department who are actively engaged in research work regularly attend and make presentations at both national and international level seminars. Some of these presentations have been converted into publications in various literary journals. Some faculty members have been involved in post-graduate teaching. Faculty members have also been part of syllabus-formation and revision committees, besides fulfilling their regular academic obligations as paper setters, moderators and examiners in various University and Public Service Commission examinations.
The department organizes seminars and workshops, creative writing sessions, literary quizzes, and fine-arts exhibitions through the cultural societies, The English Academy and The Fine Arts Society which are run by department teachers.
The academic reputation of the department is testified by the phenomenal rise in number of applications evinced every year. Listed by India Today as one of the best English undergraduate departments in the country, we offer the student an exciting, challenging and stimulating experience which will not only provide him or her with a strong foundation in the subject but also develop intellectual and analytical skills that the student may take with him or her into other fields of study or professional life.
