Postgraduate Department of English - A Profile

St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College Celebrates its 150th anniversary in the year 2014–2015. In this century and the half the College has reached many milestones. It has seen the making of many prominent faces; people who have made not only Bengal, but India proud. 2015 is the centenary year for the Department of English as well. In the last one hundred years the Department has maintained a high standard, dealt firmly and satisfactorily with ever increasing demands from the learners, appointed a faculty that boasts of high academic standards as well as continuous research.

The primary reason behind the decision to open a Postgraduate Department in St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College arose out of a demand from the learners themselves. As it is, with the growing increase in student numbers and equality, the demand for seats in postgraduate institutions is ever on the rise. Since our college is centrally located, and we have a very large demand for seats at the under graduate level (at least a 50:1 ratio as far as application and seats are concerned), it is only to be expected that the postgraduate department will be equally successful.

St. Paul's Cathedral Mission College began its odyssey of postgraduate teaching in 2013 in the Department of English. The said department, being the oldest in the college, celebrated its centenary in 2015. The only department in the college to boast of a postgraduate section, we are looking forward to the first ten years of postgraduate teaching in 2023. 

The Department is also unique in having its own journal Symposium, with ISSN number (ISSN 2320-1452). This journal has already seen twelve issues and is highly regarded in the English Literature teaching community of the state.

The Postgraduate Department of English began with the Annual Curricular System, before being succeeded by the Credit Based Curricular System (CBCS) in 2018. The semester system also heralded in more control and centralization of the parent university, in matters of curricular formation, question setting and evaluation of answer scripts, all of which has now been centralized. The Department is constrained to take copious help from guest teachers from various institutions of the city and beyond, in addition to the overwhelming support given by all the teachers of the Department. The Department also takes pride in organizing student seminars, conferences, seminar lectures and special lectures by illustrious academics to facilitate the curricular study. We have a good and expanding stock of books in the Seminar Library. We also provide our students with digital resources and study materials. The Department also takes in constructive feedback from its students and looks to it that the actions thereof are implemented. 

The Department has successfully distributed M.A. certificates to its students till the year 2021 in three Convocation programs. We feel proud to assert that we have a success rate of 100%. Our students get absorbed in the education sector as well as the government and private sectors. Some have also brought us glory in pursuing higher education and research. We also feel happy that the course and the college is well sought after, as we have a demand ratio of 1:10 for our limited number of seats. 

The Dean of Postgraduate Studies is in-charge of the administrative and curricular functioning of this section of the Department of English. In June 2021, the Department entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of English, New Alipore College. To this effect, we have jointly organized webinars and participated in student as well as teacher exchange programs.

ABOUT THE COURSE

The two-year “Master of Arts” programme under the CBCS system is for a minimum duration of four (04) consecutive semesters of six (06) months each, i.e. a period of two (02) years and commences according to notification provided by the University of Calcutta.

A candidate is required to complete the entire course within four years from the date of her/his admission, failing which the enrolment of the candidate shall stand cancelled. 

Admission to the Postgraduate programme shall only be in the first semester at the beginning of each academic year as determined by University regulations.

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

• Participation by our students in college webinars and also in webinars of other institutions. 
• Continuation of higher studies in M.Phil and Ph.D by some of our ex-students.
• Completion of thirteen years of our Departmental journal Symposium 
• Good academic performance of our students with regular first classes. 

Inauguration