About the Department of English

The Department of English runs Undergraduate Honours and General Courses under the Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) introduced from 2018-19 session. As per the Syllabi of the courses, approved by the University of Calcutta, the dept. offers both Core Courses and General Elective Courses, and also offers Ability Enhancement Compulsory Courses (AECC) in English language to all undergraduate students of the college.

At Raidighi College, the undergraduate course of study in English literature intends to offer the students a fair idea about the trends in British Literature, primarily. With students coming mostly as first generation learners and from rural interiors, it seems challenging at first to inculcate within them the unmistakeable sense of urbanity that comes with the linguistic paradigm of British Literature. However, beyond that, throughout the three years, the department tries to do justice to the broader name it comes under --- 'humanities'. More than practical utility, a course on literature comes with a promise to provide an insight into the finer humanitarian values of the world, and nourish the scope of creative faculty and imagination in the young minds. In time, if a student is able to get into this scheme of things, the course transcends beyond literary boundaries and plays its part in making the students better, compassionate citizens.

Besides, on practical grounds, English, being a language of official purpose, prepares the students for various scopes of employment through competitive examinations, keeping them at par with the formal trends and practices of the world. A thorough reading of English literature in the undergraduate course also opens up scopes for higher studies for the students to pursue, and join the fields of research and teaching.