About
“Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.”
--Boris Pasternak
The Department, formally opened in 1998, is carrying the legacy of Brahmo Samaj’s monumental contribution to Indian education, led by Ananda Mohan Bose, barrister-at-law, and the first Indian wrangler at the Cambridge University, Sivanath Sastri, the famous scholar and religious reformer and Heramba Chandra Maitra, the learned Principal of the City College, who was conferred an honorary D. Lit. by the University of Calcutta in 1931.
The English Department at Heramba Chandra College has been offering three years Honours course to the students following C.U. syllabus since it started in the college. From 2018 the CBCS has been introduced by the University of Calcutta for this course. Hence, the department has decided to follow the new pattern and syllabus proposed by the university.
Our department provides students with an ideal education of the English Literature and language through flexible and innovative methods that make a proper balance between creativity and critical inquiry. In our department, teachers and students play an equally active role in the learning process.The department believes that a teacher should have maximal authority, and minimal power. It stresses on the class discussions that can enhance student understanding, add context to academic content, broaden student perspectives, highlight opposing viewpoints, reinforce knowledge, build confidence, and support community in learning. Our department does not always want the best students but wants to bring out the best in them. Student–teacher relationship is excellent and friendly. The interaction of student and teacher is at the center of the department. The teachers are easily accessible. The faculty members dedicate themselves to teaching excellence and brainstorming creativity. Faculty areas of specialization are wide-ranging and encompass several literary periods and genres of English literature.
As one of the progressive departments of the college, it offers the students scope to creative writing and critical thinking along with the University syllabus. Our department has published two well known departmental journals ("Pegasus" and "Musings"). It has currently taken the initiatve to publish the departmental magazine "The Brainchild". The department inspires the students to chisel their thought into one logical shape. It also arranges several interactive sessions related to the ongoing cultural, social and moral issues. The eminent literary and theatrical personalities such as Dr. Ananda Lal, Debashis Deb, Dr. Siddharta Biswas, Sam Mukherjee and many more have visited the department.
Our teachers primary role is to coach and fascilitate student learning and overall comprehension of material. In the department student learning is measured through both formal and informal forms of assessment including PPT, viva, group projects, student portfolios, class participation and excursion. The department is known for its projection of films, organization of seminars and workshops. The result is that our students exhibit remarkable and innovative writing skills and they, whether planning to enter professional or academic job markets after the prescribed course, leave with proper cum-savvy allowing them to communicate, collaborate, and problem solve in an increasingly-globalized multi-cultural landscape.
Above all, the department stresses on the quality education and believes—
“The ideal of all education, all training, should be this man-making.”
---Swami Vivekananda.
Faculty Profile