Overview
The Post Graduate Department of English sprouted its roots in the year 1913. The department offers Graduate and Post Graduate programme in English. The central objective of these programmes is to enrich our students with communication, reading skills, critical thinking and analytical skills in English. English Department is a guide to those who want to explore the world of literature. The Department plays an active role in the co-curricular activities of the College. Every year, English Department plays a leading role in arranging internship programmes, webinars, alumni meet and seminars.
Vision
The mainstay of the vision of Department of English is to become an acclaimed centre for learning through literary pursuits, thereby rousing and stimulating literary sensibilities, language competence and critical thinking which would transform the students into rational human beings and produce generations of enlightened and dynamic citizens. Our aim is to foster emerging leaders who go beyond conventional hierarchies and evolve into responsible members of the society, our incessant effort extends to furthering departmental growth through our sheer dedication to individual development, inclusivity, and the continuous pursuit of lifelong earning.
Mission
- To prepare the students for their professional needs in the globalised scenario.
- To widen our students understanding about the various concepts relating to comparative study of literature and to promote an international approach to the study of literature and comprehensive Language Enhancement.
- To enable students, establish an endearing rapport with the cultural aspects of the living environs.
- To introduce students to a selection of regional literatures translated into English.
- To the students to hear the voices from the margins in order to understand the suppressed histories succour and discourses.
OBJECTIVES OF THE DEPARTMENT
- To promote Indian Culture, Values and Ethics through English language and literature.
- To provide quality teaching in English Language and literature with a multidisciplinary approach to the students admitted to various programmes.
- To adopt latest methodology available for teaching and research in English.
- To explore new areas of research in English Language and Literature and guide the students to take up research projects in these areas.
- To convey a wide array of vocabularies and practises used to consider them.
- To take up research in the field of Comparative literature, Translation Studies, New Literature, Subaltern Studies, Virtual Language Teaching, Culture Studies, Literary Theory, English Language Teaching, Linguistics, Indian Writing in English and other relevant areas.
- To organize extension lectures, seminars, conferences, symposia, workshops etc. to enhance sharing of experience and knowledge with leading scholars of the world and participate in similar programmes organised by other agencies.
- To publish creative and critical writings at appropriate forums.
- To offer opportunities to explore identity, values, manners and morals.
The department aims to prepare each student to professionally fit for placement programmes every academic year. We provide various orientation programmes and value added courses to familiarize our students with the course and the curriculum.
Dr. Sashikanta Barik
Dr. Dipti Panda
Mrs. Rituparna Sen
Mrs. Sonali Dutta
Sanctioned Strength (Under Graduate) – 07
Sanctioned Strength (Post Graduate) – 00
Existing Strength (Under Graduate) – 04
Programmes Offered: 02(Two)
03 years Under Graduate Programme (BA English Honours)
02 years Post Graduate Programme (MA English)
Courses Offered
BA English Honours
32 Courses (148 credits): 14 core papers, 04 Generic Electives, 02 Skill Enhancement Courses, 02 Ability Enhancement Compulsory Courses, 06 Ethics and values, 03 Discipline Specific Elective Courses, 01 Project work
Value Added Course – Certificate course on Techniques of Attempting Writing Skills (non-credit paper)
MA English
22 Courses (103): 14 Hard core courses, 02 Allied course, 04 Compulsory Electives, 01 Open elective, 01 Field Internship
Skill Based Certificate Course: Communication Skills (non-credit paper)
Student Strength:
Under Graduate – 32
Post Graduate – 32
Infrastructure Facilities:
Classrooms -02
Language Lab -01
Toilet -01
Staff room -01
SEMINAR LIBRARY (Store House of Knowledge)
No. of existing books as on 2017 – 200 (Approx)
Language Lab
Language Laboratory caters to the varied needs of the students in developing communication and linguistic skills. The online system has brought in radical changes in the nature of teaching English language and also literature. Many remedial English classes are conducted for the interested students along with personality development programmes and coaching in public speaking.
Salient features of the Department
- Emphasis on Quality Research
- Weekly class Seminars to monitor the progress of each student
- Regular Self-Study Seminars
- Interdisciplinary Courses
- Remedial Teaching for Weak students
- Holistic Development of the Students (Learn-Care-Share)
- Peer-Learning – Teaching through Each one-Teach One.
- Surprise tests (On-Line Assignments and Evaluation)
- Teaching through stage/film shows and stage presentations
- Live lectures through Google Meet
- Revising, clearing doubts, gaining confidence through regular presentations, seminars and use of ICT devices.
- Learner Centric Approach
- Multi-stage counselling
- Support for Holistic development
- Guest lectures, workshops, interaction with visiting faculty
- Emphasis on literary activities.
- Encourages students to learn and understand other Indian and foreign languages to improve language proficiency
- Opportunity for the students to register and choose courses based on increasing Computer literacy from SWAYAM Portal
- Motivates students to improve their latent skills and to sharpen their 21st Century Skills/Life Skills
- Develops a better understanding of Translation Studies, Diaspora and Migration Studies, Indian Aesthetics and Contemporary Literary Theory
TEACHING / LEARNING
The Post Graduate Department of English has always endeavoured to offer the best in terms of teaching the language of English and Literature. The Department has adhered to Rama Devi Women’s University Syllabus (CBCS) from 2018 onwards.
Besides reading texts that include poetry, plays, essays and novels the department strives to explain in detail the subtle nuances of the language using examples from day-to-day life. We have been teaching the appropriate use of the language by also pointing out errors that people do make while communicating at the work place as well as in social circles.
We help students to perform texts thus making them learn to appreciate the content and style of the author in those texts. They also learn team work when text performances are made a part of the semester exams.
From time to time, we have adopted experimental ways to teach the different genres of literature. At times, students are asked to recite or enact or interpret different connotations that the texts may seem to have.
We take students out on field trip whenever they have shown an interest to learn from merging with the outdoor. We have organized activities related to debating, spelling, creative writing, recitation, slogan writing, caption creating.
On the whole, our teachers in the department are dynamic and they come up with innovative suggestions to teach instead of following the mundane methods.
Capacity Building
The Department of English has been taking small steps towards humble progress. The teachers of the Department have been working towards facilitating students to communicate effectively both in inter-personal as well as social group interactions. The fact that our students hail from the surrounding urban and rural areas, from non – English speaking families / backgrounds that has always posed a challenge for us to alleviate the fear of speaking in a foreign language, but we never gave up. The effort is still on, though now we have students who have been exposed to globalized entertainment programmes and social networking and they have now come up with a stronger and a wider vocabulary base.
The Department has been regularly organizing webinars and seminars, inter class activities on different aspects of language skills as well as quiz programs on literature. Annual competitions in essay, debate, quiz, song, dance, seminar presentation etc. are conducted to promote cultural spirit and enhance the innate potential of the students. Yuba Sanskar Programme is conducted, in which excellent video presentations are run to raise awareness regarding health, hygiene, preventing drug abuse, dealing with stress, depression, anxiety, Prevention of ragging, sexual harassment, prioritising work, practicing self-love, discipline, hard work, Gaining leadership qualities, Prevention of violence and exploitation against women etc. From each class one student representative, one seminar secretary, one assistant seminar secretary is selected. This promotes leadership and other students are also inspired to work in a team.
We accompany our students to attend the National and International Conferences. They attended the Literary festival at Bhubaneswar in 2022 which gave them an exposure to internationally acclaimed writers and speakers which was extremely beneficial to our students.
Student Progression (Connecting the Dots)
Our students have been doing quite well in Academics after their graduation. Some of our students have pursued higher studies while some of them have taken up jobs to support their family income. Quite a few of them have taken up teaching posts both at the school as well at the college level. From the information we have received telephonically, our students have not remained idle, they have either pursued higher studies or taken up jobs or done some add-on courses.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
We have our Alumni well placed in respectable positions in both Government and Private sectors. Some of our Alumni are engaged in reputed colleges of Odisha.
- Dr. Sanjukta Mohapatra, Retd Principal, Shailabala Women’s (A) College, Cuttack.
- Gopa Das, Retd Reader of English, Shailabala Women’s (A) College, Cuttack.
- Snigdha Sinha, Retd Associate Professor & Head of English, Shailabala Women’s (A) College, Cuttack.
- Munira Salim, Head of English, Stewart Science College, Cuttack.
- Madhusmita Das, Assistant Professor of English, Sri Sri University, Cuttack.
- Meera Mohanty, Lecturer of English, Kusum Devi Women’s College, Cuttack.
Best Practices of the Department
- Mentor-mentee: a strong student-teacher relationship
- More than 85% students pursue higher education after Undergraduate program
- Recognizing the inner potential of the winners
Future Action Plan
- To promote more research
- To have more students admitted into institutions of national and international repute
- To develop more e–contents
- To conduct more national/international seminars
- To increase the number of collaborations
- To foster entrepreneurship among students
- To augment infrastructure
- To strengthen the Seminar library for PG
- To encourage alumni contribution
- To sign MOU with renowned colleges/sectors/universities.
“The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.”
Future Action Plan
- To promote more research
- To have more students admitted into institutions of national and international repute
- To develop more e–contents
- To conduct more national/international seminars
- To increase the number of collaborations
- To foster entrepreneurship among students
- To augment infrastructure
- To strengthen the Seminar library for PG
- To encourage alumni contribution
- To sign MOU with renowned colleges/sectors/universities.
“The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.”
