PG-English

Postgraduate Course : Department of English: An Overview

The Department of English is one of the leading departments of the College, which began functioning since the inception of the College on 3^rd September 1968. Over the years, the Department has progressed at a very fast pace in terms of the number of students and enriched academic and research activities. The immense potential of the department was acknowledged by the NAAC inspection team, which suggested the introduction of P.G. course in English. Accordingly, the department applied to the West Bengal State University for the introduction of the P.G. Course. The Department was duly granted permission for the same and has been successfully running the P.G. Course in English since the academic session of 2009-10.

The Department conducts on a regular basis seminars, conferences and special lectures to encourage critical thinking among the students. In addition to a two-day UGC sponsored National Conference on “Ideology and Praxis: From Theory to Text” in 2011, the Department has organised a State Level Seminar on “Emergence and Evolution of English Novel: From 18^th to 20^th Century” in 2016. Distinguished scholars and academicians from diverse universities participated in the seminar to enlighten the students about the genesis and evolution of the genre of fiction. In 2018 the department organised two lecture-workshops on “Translation and Translation Studies” (Resource persons: Prof. Amitava Roy, Professor [Retired], Rabindra Bharati University and Prof. Suchorita Chattopadhyay, Professor, Jadavpur University) and “How to Write a Research Paper” (Resource person: Prof. Chidananda Bhattacharya, Professor [Retired], Rabindra Bharati University). All these endeavours have been immensely enjoyable learning experiences for the undergraduate and postgraduate students and the teachers alike.

To commemorate the 450^th birth anniversary of William Shakespeare, the Department successfully arranged a student seminar to facilitate a critical enquiry into Shakespearean drama. Additionally, the department staged dramatic enactments of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Twelfth Night in the Third Theatre Mode (open-air stage in the college campus: “Muktomon”). In 2022 students also performed on the same open-air stage a scene from A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. The department arranges Parents-Teachers meetings to ensure the direct interaction between the teachers and the guardians regarding students’ performance. The department publishes an annual Wall Magazine, “Harbinger” to provide the students with a unique platform to display their analytical bent of mind, literary flair and creativity through thought-provoking articles and is the proud recipient of the ‘Best Wall Magazine’ award consecutively in 2016 and 2017, 2020, 2022.

The department also organises different lectures on relevant topics from time to time delivered by eminent faculty.

The Special Lectures:

“Feminism and Feminist Literary Readings” delivered by Prof. Swati Ganguly of Visva- Bharati, Santiniketan,
“An Overview of American Literature”,delivered by Dr. Tania Chakravertty, P.G. Coordinator, Department of English, Shri Shikshayatan College
“How Anti-sentimental is The Rivalsas a Comedy?” delivered by Prof. Sukanya Sanyal, Department of English, Thakurpukur Vivekananda College.
“Popular Literature and Its Various Shades” was delivered by Dr. Pritesh Chakraborty, from Department of English of Acharya Sukumar Sen Mahavidyalaya, affiliated to Burdwan University
“The Romantic Imagination and Its Poets” has been delivered by Prof. Chidananda Bhattacharya of Rabindra Bharati University, making students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses fully engage with the subjects of lecture in a more lively manner.

ALS programme (Alumni Lecture Series):

Swapna Roy, SACT in Amdanga Jugal Kishore Mahavidyalaya presented a speech on “Laugh-out-Loud: (Un) Masking Congreve’s Gendered World in The Way of the World” on 22nd June 2021.
Sayan Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of English in Sundarban Mahavidyalaya has talked on “How to Prepare for NET and SET Examination in English” on 22nd May 2023.

Also, Special Inter-departmental lectures are also conducted occasionally by the department to incorporate students with other departments. Dr. Prasenjit Biswas, from the Department of History, has delivered a lecture on “Historical Background of European Classical Literature”, “Ancient Greek Society and Literature” and Dr. Arnab Ghoshal, from the Department of Sanskrit, has given a speech on “Introduction to Classical Sanskrit Drama”, since 2021 especially for undergraduate students of semester I.

The department is also credited with the publication of fifteen best dissertation papers in the Monograph entitled, “Revelations”. Recurring exposures to such enthralling lectures have indeed enriched the critical skills of our postgraduate students. Consequently, they have been immensely benefited in selecting their future areas of research work and performing in NET/SET Examinations.

Faculty Position:

Resource Persons

Chidananda Bhattacharya, Professor, Department of English, Rabindra Bharati University
Samik Sen, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Naba Barrackpur Prafulla Chandra Mahavidyalaya
Pritesh Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Acharya Sukumar Sen Mahavidyalaya
Debanjan Mitra, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Mrinalini Datta Mahavidyapith
Anirban Bhattacharya, Guest Faculty, Department of English, Panihati Mahavidyalaya
Saikat Kumar Ghosh, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of English, North Bengal University

Non-teaching Staff

Smt. Shreyasi Ghosh, Job Assistant, PG Section (College Appointed)

Facilities available at the department

The Department offers the following facilities for the students:

Book lending facilities at the Seminar Library of the Department.
Students’ Internet Access to e-journals and books available in N-List and free download of reference materials.
Video filming of important literary texts.
Air-conditioned Seminar Room with audio-visual facilities.
Student–Teacher personal contact programme and guidance for NET/SET
Special lectures on diverse topics delivered by eminent professors.
Publications of the Wall Magazine, “Harbinger” and Monograph “Revelations”.
Third Theatre Mode of performance for and by the students of the department.

Course Features

Class Hours	9:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Six days a week
Course Curriculum	Framed by the Department as approved by the Board of Studies for P.G. Course in English, following the guidelines of WBSU and UGC.
Course Duration	4 semesters completed in 2 years Semester I : July to December Semester II: January to June Semester III: July to December Semester IV: January to June
Teaching Methods	Interactive classroom teaching with audiovisual facilities, seminar presentations and project guidance
Internal Assessment	Continuous internal assessment based on class participation and written tests
Course fees	Rs. 50,000 (15000/- at the time of admission; 10000/- at the beginning of the 2^nd Semester; 15000/- at the beginning of the 3^rd Semester and rest of the 10000/- at the beginning of the 4^th Semester).
Eligibility for Application	40% in English (Hons.). Candidates passed Honours in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

N.B. Regarding details of submission of form, publication of Merit List, date of counselling, date of admission, admission from waiting list (if necessary), address by the Vice-Principal, commencement of classes etc., candidates are advised to follow the college website.

Course Curriculum Approved by Board of Studies and W.B.S.U

Course Features:

Class Hours	10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Six days a week
Course Curriculum	Framed by the Department as approved by the Board of Studies for P.G. Course in English, following the guidelines of WBSU and UGC.
Course Duration	4 semesters completed in 2 years Semester I : July to December Semester II: January to June Semester III: July to December Semester IV: January to June
Teaching Methods	Interactive classroom teaching with audiovisual facilities, seminar presentations and project guidance
Internal Assessment	Continuous internal assessment based on class participation and written tests
Course fees	Rs. 50,000 (15000/- at the time of admission; 10000/- at the beginning of the 2^nd Semester; 15000/- at the beginning of the 3^rd Semester and rest of the 10000/- at the beginning of the 4^th Semester).
Eligibility for Application	40% in English (Hons.). Candidates passed Honours in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

N.B. Regarding details of submission of form, publication of Merit List, date of counselling, date of admission, admission from waiting list (if necessary), address by the Principal, commencement of classes etc., candidates are advised to follow the college website.

Course Curriculum Approved by Board of Studies and W.B.S.U.:

Semester	Courses	Credit	Marks
I	Core I: Language Studies I Core 2: Language Studies II Core 3: Colonial & Postcolonial Indian Writing (Fiction & Non-Fiction) Core 4: Colonial & Postcolonial Indian Writing (Drama & Poetry) Core 5: Indian Literature from the Peripheries. AECC: Academic Writing	4 4 4 4 4 2	50 50 50 50 50 25
	Marks allotted Semester I:		275
II	Core 6: Shakespeare & Earlier English Renaissance Core 7: The Literature of the Later English Renaissance Core 8: Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century (Drama & Poetry) Core 9: Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century (Fiction & Non-Fictional Prose) Core 10: Literary Theory from Plato to T.S.Eliot SEC: Language Essentials for Copy Editing/ Course on Data Curation	4 4 4 4 4 2	50 50 50 50 50 25
	Marks allotted Semester II:		275
III	Core 11: Romantic Literature Core 12: Nineteenth Century Fiction Core 13: Victorian Poetry & Non-Fictional Prose Core 14: Modern & Postmodern Critical Theory DSE: English Language Teaching I/American Literature I GEC: Literature & Popular Culture/Gender & Literature	4 4 4 4 4 4	50 50 50 50 50 50
	Marks allotted Semester III:		300
IV	Core 15: Modernism & After I Core 16: Modernism & After II Core 17: Other Literatures Written in English Core 18: Project/Dissertation DSE: English Language Teaching II/American Literature II	4 4 4 8 4	50 50 50 100 50
	Marks allotted Semester IV:		300
Total marks for four semesters:			1150.