Initiation and Brief Overview

Started in 1985, the Department of English is operating as an Honours Department since 1992. From its inception, the Department has a sustained academic record of excellence with University rank-holders form many of its past and current batches. At present, the English Department has a five-member faculty (2 associate professors, 1 assistant professor, 2 State aided college teachers).

On the basis of its performance and on the strength of its faculty, NAAC (2^nd Cycle, 2016) recommended opening an autonomous PG course (MA English) for the Department. As soon as the Department and the College gets Government approval, it will initiate and run a PG course in English.

Vision and Outlook

We focus on inculcating a love for literature among our students, with particular effort towards building their analytical abilities and academic writing skills and work towards honing their critical and creative thinking abilities. Spoken and written fluency in the English language is desirable among students, as class lectures are entirely in English.

In future, our students typically move on to academic as well as non-academic jobs in both private and public sectors. Many of our students go on to choose and work in fields like research, teaching, media, content writing, public relations and advertisement.

Teaching-Learning

Lectures and Audio-visual modes

Apart form classroom lectures or the chalk and talk method, the Department uses ICT based classes and audio-visual aids in smart classrooms to stimulate learning interests. PowerPoint presentations and films related to texts and authors are a staple part of our teaching and learning process.

In accordance with the larger discipline of our College, the entire syllabus (opted for teaching) is completed before the semester exams take place.

Tutorials

Extra tutorial classes are taken for students of Semesters 1 and 2. In these classes the students are divided into small groups so that more individual attention can be devoted to their academic supervision and guidance.

Classwork, tests and presentations

Regular assessments through written classwork and class-tests and end of the semester mock-exams ensure that the students are well prepared for their final end-semester examinations. Constructive feedbacks and suggestions on their written assignments/tests are shared with the students.

Besides cultivating their skills in writing assignments and tests, our students also get initiated into the basics of academic research and short paper presentations. As part of their internal examinations, and in keeping with the guidelines of the University syllabus, the students are asked to submit short research papers or do short paper presentations on given texts/areas. These practices help greatly in shaping their critical thinking abilities and familiarize them with the ground rules of research.

Online Teaching-Learning Platform

Since May 2020, we use Google Workspace (G Suite for Education) for our regular online teaching-learning activities as well as for various departmental programmes like extension lectures and webinars. During the pandemic, online teaching, sharing materials with students, setting assignments and tests as well as evaluation and feedback are being carried on as per scheduled routine.

Parent-Teacher Meetings

The Department arranges at least one Parent-Teacher Meeting for each batch in a year to discuss the progress of the students with their guardians. In addition, any parent or guardian is welcome to get in touch with the Department regarding any issue/s concerning the student.

Departmental Feedback

The Department has its own feedback system, which is collected from each passing out batch via a printed or a virtual form. A detailed feedback is taken on teaching learning, evaluation, extension activities, skills learnt and future plans.

Infrastructure

The Department maintains a Seminar Library constituting of relevant critical books and materials of reference that are not part of or available in the College Central Library. The Department also has a collection of films and educational Audio-Visual material related to the Core Course syllabus.

In addition to the critical reference library, the Department also has a storybook and leisure reading Library, to encourage general reading among the Departmental students.

The Department has a smart TV, a laptop and a DSLR camera. These Departmental assets are used for teaching-learning purposes and for documenting and recording special Departmental events.

Departmental Highlights

English for Academic Purpose Add-on Course

The Department of English, RKSMVV has collaborated with Elta Global, to offer a unique, professional, add-on course English for Academic Purpose. The EAP course is designed to develop writing skills, strengthen vocabulary and grammar and build structuring and organization skills – key elements for any academic or professional writing. Along with these foundational building blocks, the course also includes modules on developing content, smart presentations, referencing, proofreading and avoiding plagiarism. The course is available for students of this college as well as for female students affiliated to other institutes and young professionals.

Student Internships

The Department tries to arrange short-term internships for competent students and ex-students, as and when the Department finds an opportunity matching a student’s profile. Such internships are meant to provide a professional exposure and hands-on experience for the students involved and add value to the their profiles.

In 2020, Rhitobrita Chakraborty, Sulagna Sarkar and Akanksha Krishnatre interned as content writers with an international travel company Dreamland Escapes.

In 2018, Chandrama Basu, an ex-student of the Department and a JRF scholar, was a research assistant for Ms. Marielle Morin, Research Engineer at CNRS/CEIAS, Paris. Chandrama assisted and accompanied Morin in her visits to the colonial public libraries in and around Kolkata. She helped her locate and visit contact persons, transcript interviews and translate library records into English.

Free Coaching for NET

The Department has started a discipline-centric free coaching for UGC NET examinations for its students and ex-students. The facility is made available through an online platform so that it is accessible for ex-students as well.

Students’ Research Circle

The initiative is conceived as a forum of academic exchange between the faculty, current students and our ex-students. This will be an online platform where young researchers can present their ongoing research projects or completed studies in an academic gathering. The audience will similarly be rewarded by opportunities of engaging with varied fields and new methodologies of research in literature and culture studies.

Email: english@rksmvv.ac.in

Find us on Facebook and Instagram

Courses offered 

The following courses are offered under the NEP and Choice Based Credit System:

• Honours

• Generic Elective

• Skill Enhancement

• Ability Enhancement (Modern Indian Language)

Syllabus for NEP

https://wbsu.ac.in/web/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/English-NEP-Syllabus.pdf

Programme outcome for English Major (NEP)

The syllabus followed for English Major was modified (by the BoS, English, WBSU) as per the UGC guidelines of the NEP, with effect from the batch admitted in 2023.

In addition to the earlier CBCS outcomes, the current course outcomes focus on service learning with an added emphasis on hands-on work or learning through work. The NEP also has a fourth year option for UG students, where they will be engaged in research projects under the guidance of teachers. This is designed to hone their skills for planning, undertaking and executing original research in fields like literature and culture studies.

Syllabus for CBCS

https://wbsu.ac.in/web/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/UG-ENGLISH-HONS-SYLLABUS-REVISED-_9TH-AUGUST-2020-SEM456.docx

https://wbsu.ac.in/web/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Sem-2_4_6-UPDATED-ENGLISH-SYLLABUS_FINAL.pdf

 Programme Outcomes

• Developing a knowledge base in a wide ranging socio-cultural-literary field that includes texts, histories and contexts from all around the world spanning a breadth from Ancient European to Postmodern literature
• Understanding and appreciating histories, cultures and texts (taught in English translation) of varied geographies like South Asia, America, Africa and Latin America.
• Learning critical reading and writing critical appreciation of texts
• Developing critical thinking, analytical skills and techniques of scholarly writing
• Acquaintance with critical theories and learning to apply them as analytical and critical lenses
• Understanding and critiquing the canon
• Getting to know fundamentals of research mythology and academic ethics
• Developing research abilities and presentation skills through writing research papers and project presentations
• Promoting a sympathetic understanding of human mind and a matured world-view, understanding the ways in which literature distills individual and universal truths
• Establishing a solid foundation for PG degree (in English or analogous disciplines in Liberal Arts like Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Theatre or Film Studies) and for later academic research
• Honing skills necessary for professions related to creative and critical writing, content developing, journalism, editing/publishing, public relations, advertisement and mass media, teaching and communication.

 Course  Outcomes

Core Courses

As per the CBCS curriculum, there are fourteen core courses (6 credit each) in the English Honours syllabus. The scope of the syllabus is extensive, including representative texts from diverse cultures across the world.

Classical Literature

CC 1 Indian Classical Literature (Sem I)
CC 2 European Classical Literature (Sem I)

The two courses familiarize students with the ancient classics from the Indian subcontinent and Europe and is a foundational course that bears reference to the later core courses. CC1 offers students critical readings of selected texts from ancient Indian literature along with their socio-cultural contexts. Simultaneously, students are also acquainted with classical literary theories for a more precise appreciation of the aesthetics of the ancient texts. CC 2 includes ancient European epics, narrative poems and dramas that are seen as important origins and influences for later European literatures. The learners get detailed insights into Platonic and Aristotelian theories that are considered fundamental for any student of Western literature.

British Literature

CC 4 British Poetry and Drama (14^th – 17^Th C) (Sem II)

CC 7 British Poetry and Drama (17^th -18^th C) (Sem III)

CC 8 British Literature (18^th C) (Sem IV)

CC 9 British Romantic Literature (Sem IV)

CC 10 19^th C British Literature (Sem IV)

CC 12 Early 20^th C British Literature (Sem V)

Six core courses together cover the span of British literature from Medieval to Modern Age. The texts along with the respective background-studies provide students with a strong idea about the literary periods and the contemporary social changes affecting the literary characteristics of the corresponding eras. They also develop a detailed critical understanding of the texts and authors in the syllabus. Thus these courses help students to have an over-arching as well as a meticulously detailed understanding and appreciation of British canonical literature.

CC 3 Indian writing in English (Sem II)

The course offers an in-depth knowledge about the socio-cultural history of colonial and postcolonial India through a selection of texts by Indians writing in English. Indians writing in English constitute a significant and thriving branch of English literature. Beginning with early writers like Derozio and Dutt and going on to current and modern ones like Bond and Rushdie,

the course straddles a range of genres like poetry, fiction and drama in Indian English.

CC 5 American Literature (Sem III)

Students get acquainted with the American dream, social realism, folklore, politics of race, gender and colour through a variety of texts including American poetry, fiction and drama. Through this course, they are initiated in a subsidiary branch of English literature.

CC 6 Popular Literature (Sem III)

This unique course brings together texts and contexts outside the so-called canonical boundaries and invites the students to engage with a critical understanding of the contexts of popular or entertaining literature through readings of genres like comic books, crime fiction, fantasy and child-centric literature.

CC 11 Women’s Writing (Sem V)

Studying seminal women-centric texts authored by women writers across ages and geographies, help to ground the students not only in comprehending of the politics of gender but also instills a knowledge of feminist perspectives and the possibilities of resistance and negotiations through literature. Through this paper, the students get an idea of the multivalent aspects of Feminism, a theoretical area closely allied with literature and criticism.

CC 13 Modern European Drama (Sem VI)

The course examines plays of key European playwrights from the 19th through 21st centuries, namely Ibsen, Brecht, Beckett, and Ionesco. A brief history of European theatre in the specified timeframe is also studied to initiate students to the socio-cultural background that shaped the dramatic works. The course allows the students to identify and critically analyze the key critical concepts and practices of modern European drama – from Realism to Epic theatre, from Problem plays to the Theatre of the Absurd.

CC 14 Postcolonial Literature (Sem VI)

The course deals with literatures from previously colonized spaces like the Caribbean countries and Latin America, Africa, India and Australia. Through representative texts this course familiarizes students with aspects of decolonization – hegemony, hybrid identities, postcolonial cultures and globalization. Going through the colonial histories and postcolonial texts from varied regions, the students also get an idea of the interconnections and commonality of the socio-culturally diverse writings.

Discipline Centric Elective Courses

DSE01 Old English Literature, Philology and Rhetoric and Prosody (Sem V)

DSE02 Literary Types and Terms (Sem V)
DSE04 Literary Criticism (Sem VI)

DSE05 Partition Literature (Sem VI)

The DSE courses taught focus on specific areas to help students gain specialized knowledge in the corresponding domains, beyond the compulsory core courses. These courses thus provide diversified options for students to delve into allied branches of English literature. The Discipline Centric Elective Courses offered by our Department are mentioned above.

DSE01 focuses on Old English or Anglo Saxon history and literature, a brief section on the history of language and rhetoric and prosody. This course helps provide a base for history of origins and developments of English language and literature along with a knowledge of rhetorical devices and metrical scansion.

DSE02 concerns literary types and terms. The students are acquainted with the history, development and generic characteristics of Tragedy, Comedy and Novel along with frequently used literary terms. This course provides a solid foundation for appreciating a text within its generic tradition.

DSE04 concentrates on literary criticism – a branch of literary study that combines interpretation and aesthetics aiming for reasoned appreciation and evaluation of texts, genres, authors or literary tendencies. The function of this course is twofold. Firstly, the students sample some of the greatest works of literary criticism beginning with Wordsworth’s ‘Preface’ to the Lyrical Ballads (1802) to Gerda Lerner’s treatise on Patriarchy (1986). Secondly, it grounds them in reasoned and erudite argumentative literary opinions that are valuable tools for critical appreciation.

DSE05 introduces a momentous and painful episode in the history of India – the partition of the nation, through the literature that mourns the loss and records the trauma, dislocation and death of masses amidst fury, fear, violence and anarchy. The assigned texts address the pre-partition map of the undivided colonized nation as well as the horror and violence of partition as experienced on the personal front. The course presents several concerns related to the moment and its aftermath – mass-migration, loss of identity, trauma, ideas of home and exile, memoirs and memories as alternative histories – that combine to help students understand the painful and bloody chapter in Indian history from several perspectives.

Skill Enhancement Course

Creative Writing (Sem III)

ELT (Sem IV)

The Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC) are practical programmes aiming to teach students skills related to literary professions. The Creative Writing course acquaints the students with the art and craft of creative writing and engages students in various creative assignments like writing for the media and writing for publication. ELT teaches the foundations of English Language Teaching, an upcoming and significant field of employment related to English language.

Generic Elective

GEC01 The Individual and Society (SemI)
GEC02  Poems and Short Stories (Sem II)
GEC03  Novels and Plays (Sem III)

GEC04  (Sem IV)

The GE courses focus on representative texts and contextual background studies from an extensive area including texts focusing on caste/class and gender, violence, colonization and war in a local as well as a global context. The students are closely acquainted with the varied sections of the culturally diverse Modern Indian Literature as well as with British canons like Shakespeare and Dickens. They study various genres in the process, drama, novel, poetry, short fiction and non-fictional prose by British, American and Indian authors.

Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course/Modern Indian Language

English Communication (Sem II)

This basic level English course is one of the options available to students among Modern English Languages offered by the College. It aims to boost students’ proficiency in English language by polishing their spoken, reading and writing skills in the language.

Core English for General Students

LCC I (Sem I)
LCC 2 (Sem II)

These courses meant for students of the general stream, aim to teach language through literature and are meant for upgrading their basic skills in language and comprehension.

Programme outcome for English Major (NEP)

The syllabus followed for English Major was modified (by the BoS, English, WBSU) as per the UGC guidelines of the NEP, with effect from the batch admitted in 2023.

In addition to the earlier CBCS outcomes, the current course outcomes focus on service learning with an added emphasis on hands-on work or learning through work. The NEP also has a fourth year option for UG students, where they will be engaged in research projects under the guidance of teachers. This is designed to hone their skills for planning, undertaking and executing original research in fields like literature and culture studies.

Extension Lectures/ Interdisciplinary Seminars/ Webinars/ Workshops

2022-2023

2021 – 2022

2020 – 2021

2019  – 2020

2018 July 2019 June

Educational Trips/ Literary Fest/ Meets & Fairs / Theatre Visits

2022July -2023 June

2021-2022

2020- 2021

2019-2020

2018 July -2019 June

STUDENT PROGRESSION REPORT

 Batch of 2022 

Revelio – Literary Meet and Culture Fest

Started in 2019, by the Department of English, Revelio is a literary meet and cultural fest that celebrates the joys of learning through unconventional mediums. Conceptualized as an amalgam of a high-brow Meet, where eminent guest speakers would come to talk about their celebrated works or hold workshops on their fields of excellence; and a youthful Fest, throbbing with the energy of the young college-goers who can showcase their talents through their original and creative compositions at various open competitions, our event is named REVELIO.

Revelio 2019  (17- 11-2019)

• ‘Translating the Margins: Facts, Fictions and Findings’ – Dr. Sipra Mukherjee’s talk on her award-winning translation of Manoranjan Byapari’s book Interrogating My Chandal Life: An Autobiography of a Dalit
• “Performance and songs as the Confluence of Music and Literature” – talk by Mr. Kabir Chattopadhyay, lyricist, singer-musician and PhD scholar at Trinity University
• A workshop on cartoons and cartooning conducted by the singer and cartoonist Mr. Upal Sengupta
• Students’ Competition – “It’s my own invention” – an original composition performed by the students and judged by the invited guests

Revelio 2021 (20^th and 21^st Feb, 2021, online)

• “From Kabul to Kolkata: Of Memories, Belonging and Identity”, a talk by Nazes Afroz, author, translator, photographer and freelance journalist.
• The Spoken Word (Slam Poetry Competition)
  Announcement of Prizes for Doodle-do, Framed, The Spoken Word
• Beyond Graduation: The Wider Horizon – Higher Studies Counselling by Departmental Alumni
• Departmental Reunion celebrating 25^th year of the Department of English

Celebrating Shakespeare

In the history of English and world literature, Shakespeare holds an unparalleled place. Our students aim to celebrate this literary giant in their own ways and reflect on how his contributions are an important part of our lives in ways that often go unnoticed.

Every year the Departmental students commemorate the Bard of Avon by staging adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, creating celebratory videos or witty skits.

In 2019 April, the students stages an original play titled ‘Shakespeare Lives’

In 2020 during the pandemic closure, students produced a short video with original artworks titled ‘Remembering Shakespeare’.

In 2021, with the continuation of the pandemic, the students produced an original skit on Shakespeare’s contribution to our everyday vocabulary, titled ‘Shakespeare – Our Contemporary’.

The Notebook

The Notebook is a literature and creative arts blog run by the students of the Department of English. The blog primarily follows the journey of the students through different events, exploration of new art forms and writing about interesting topics. It also provides a solid platform for our students to explore and share their own passion in various fields. 

https://rksmvvthenotebook.wordpress.com/category/rksmvv/

After Hours

After Hours is a Department run literary club that offers it members, students and faculty alike, a platform to share their mutual love of literature and the other arts in all forms and mediums. The idea behind the conception of the club was to encourage the students to take part in various activities like creating memory projects, researching illustrations or discussing their favourite book covers.

Students’ Research Circle

The Students’ Research Circle is an online platform, where our current and ex-students can talk about and present their academic papers/MA disseminations/M.Phil or PhD research/Postdoctoral studies. The initiative is conceived as a forum of academic exchange between the faculty, current students and our ex-students.

For the maiden session, held on 10^th July 2021, Ms. Namrata Chowdhury, ex-student of our department and currently an Asst. Professor of English at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and a doctoral scholar at West Bengal State University, talked on ‘Sustaining the Politics of Cultural Memory in the Design of Calcutta’s South Park Street Cemetery in Sandip Ray’s Gorosthaney Sabdhan (2010)’.

Co-curricular Awards

Won by Departmental Students at Prestigious Events

Akanksha Krishnatre of Semester IV, ranked 1^st as the best speaker against the motion, in the debate held on the motion ‘Charles Dickens: A rebel novelist?’ at Oxford bookstore, on 22^nd February 2020.

Sunanda Roy of Semester IV, ranked 2^nd, in the folk unplugged singing competition, at Amity University on 4^th March 2020.

Rishika Ghosh of Semester IV, ranked 2^nd, in the poster competition ‘Revisiting Gandhi in modern times’ at Belur Vidyamandir on 4^th March 2020.

Rishika Ghosh of Semester III, ranked 1^st, at the ‘Safe Drive Save Life’ poster competition, Organized by the Kolkata police in the September of 2019.

Riya Bahadur and Akanksha Krishnatre of Semester II, ranked 1^st and 2^nd respectively, for the prize for best speakers for and against the motion, in the debate on Environment Organized by Belur Vidyamandir on 6^th February 2019.

Ashmita Kar was awarded the 3^rd prize in Dhrupad and Keyal category in the Sate Level Competitions 2016-17 held by West Bengal Rajya Sangeet Academy.

Ashmita Kar of 3^rd year, ranked 2^nd in Bhajan category, at the Talent Search Contest organized by Dover Lane Music Conference and Academy on 26^th December 2016.

OUR ACHIEVERS

 Special Achiever

Asmita Kar  (Batch of 2019) – Champion in the prestigious Pan- Bengal ZEE Sa re Ga Ma Pa music competition in 2023

University Rank Holders

Anwesha Saha (Batch of 2019) – University topper in English Honours in 2019.

Akanksha Krishnatre (Batch of 2021) – University topper in English Honours in 2021.

Shreyosy Maiti (Batch of 2021) – 3rd rank holder in English Honours in the University

Srijani Pal (Batch of 2021) – 4th rank holder in English Honours in the University

Abhisikta Ghosh  (Batch of 2021) – 9th rank holder in English Honours in the University

Tinni Giri, Batch of 2018

University First rank holder in English Honours

Compeleted MA, currently preparing for NET and further studies.

Chandrama Basu, Batch of 2016

University Fourth rank holder in English Honours

Qualified NET, JRF scholarship holder (2018)

Currently, State Appointed College Teacher (I), English Department, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanabis Mahavidyalaya, Kolkata.

Sayantika Chakraborty, Batch of 2011

University First rank holder in English Honours

Qualified NET (2015),

Currently pursuing PhD from Florida University, with fully funded scholarship

Formerly Assistant Professor in English at St Paul’s College, Kolkata.

Namrata Chowdhury, Batch of 2011

Record Marks: 70% in Part I English Honours (Cumulative Aggregate 62.13%)
Qualified NET (2014)

Currently Assistant Professor, English Department, St Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

Pursuing PhD from West Bengal State University.

Completed PhD

 Dr. Debarati Dutta

“The fashioning of democracy and the project of Multitude: A postcolonial critique of resistance through Hardt and Negri”, IIT, Kharagpur, 2018.

Dr. Rimi Ghosh Dastidar

“Metrical Measurement of Human Speech with Special Reference to Bangla Versification”, Jadavpur University, 2018.

Currently pursuing PhD

Sohini Sen

‘Scottish and Indian Interface in the Poetry of Alan Riach and Bashabi Fraser’, Bankura University.

 Namrata Chowdhury

‘The Gastronostalgic Reconstruction of the City of Calcutta in Literature and Popular Culture’, West Bengal State University.

Sayantika Chakraborty

‘Feminization of Disasters: Gender and Post-colonial Ecology in South Asian Fiction’,

University of Florida.

Arpita Pandey

‘Painting, Patronage, Popular Culture: A Case Study of Art in Calcutta form 1770 to 1870’, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Chandrama Basu

‘Beyond Sensationalism: Alternate Readings of Yellowbacks from 1850 to 1890’, Presidency University.

 Aitraa Saha

‘Sex Pedagogy and Various Media’, IIT, Madras.

 Careers chosen by our Alumni

Faculty in Universities and Colleges:

Dr. Debarati Dutta, Dr. Rimi Ghosh Dastidar, Saswati De, Namrata Chowdhury, Sohini Sen, Sayantika Chakraborty, Triparna Chatterjee, Kathakali Sengupta, Enakshi Chakraborty.

Faculty in Government and Private Schools:

Koel Niyogi, , Ananya Chatterjee, Kasturi Sengupta Dasgupta, Sulagna Roy, Sayani Karan Pradhan, Sanhita Chakraborty, Ritu Bhattacharya, Indrani Mukherjee, Swastika Basu, Sushmita Dutta,  Bhaswati Deb Roy, Ushasi Chatterjee, Jyotsna Rai, Shrabanti Panja, Nupur Kar Sengupta, Shreya Deb Ghosh, Subarna Ghoshal Batabyal, Debika Dey, Tami Sikdar Majumdar, Ishani Ghoshal.

Corporate/Private Sector/ IT Professionals:

Sonali Dey Majumdar, Suvashree Chakraborty, Chhandasi Nandi Saha, Aditi Bandopadhyay, Pranamita Paul, Sudeshna Roy, Arpita Paul, Poulomi Lahiri, Sulagna Sarkar, Bidipta Chatterjee Ghosh, DebdattaTopdar, Satarupa Saha, Arpita Banik

 Govt./Public Sector Officers:

 Soumita Chakraborty, Sananda Goswami

Bank Executives:

Swatilekha Saha Das, Hena Saha

Media/Journalism/Content Writers and Content Developers:

Rupa Ganguly Talukdar, Moumita Das, Pritha Basu Sarker, Rhitobrita Chakraborty, Sulagna Sarkar

Law:

 Bipasha Dutta Nath, Chandrima Ukil

Librarian:

 Sangsthita Chakrabarty

Published Author/ Artist/ Performer:

Lopamudra Banerjee, Madhumita Gupta, Ashmita Kar, Arpita Pandey

Entrepreneur:

Mitali Purkait Ghosh, Digital Concepts

Aditi Dasgupta, Symbiotique

Sayanti Das, Wolf Publications (Formerly an employee of IBM)

Debarati Roy, Elta Global (Formerly a senior trainer at the British Council)

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

Semester VI, Class test 2023

CC13

Time – 1 hour

1. Give answer to the following questions (answer any one):   10 marks

1. What do you understand by absurd drama? Write with reference to Waiting for Godot.
2. Comment on the treatment of time and setting in Waiting for Godot.

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

Class test, 2020 Semester IV

CC10

Time – 1 hour

1. Give answer to the following questions (any one): 15 x1 = 15

1. “There she stands/As if alive” – How does the poem reveal the characters of the speaker and the person spoken about in the brief expanse of the dramatic monologue?

1. Critically comment on Browning’s The Last Ride Together as an unusual poem of unrequited love.

2. Give answer to the following question :             5×1= 5

1. Earth being so good, would heaven seem best?

Now, heaven and she are beyond this ride.

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

Class Test

Semester IV

CC10, 2022

DAVID COPPERFIELD QUIZ

Time Allotted:  30 minutes                                                                         Full marks: 30

15×2=30

1. How does Steerforth meet Little Em’ly?
2. What memorable event happens to David on his birthday?
3. Who said the following: “I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.”
4. Why is Mr. Dick unable to finish the Memorial?
5. Why did Mr. Murdstone beat David? What did David do to him? How was David punished?
6. Who brings the Strongs back together and how?
7. Why was Miss Betsey disappointed when David was born? What was her reaction?
8. Who appears to lose all of Miss Betsey’s money?
9. How is Uriah Heep’s appearance described?
10. Why does David slap Uriah?
11. With whom does David live while he works at the wine factory?
12. Why was David illtreated by Steerforth’s mother?
13. Why did Martha try to kill herself?
14. How did Steerforth and Ham die?
15. Why was Miss Betsey separated from her husband?

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

Semester I, class test 2021

CC2

Full Marks 20                                                                                     Time – 1 hour

Give answers to the following questions – (Any four )

1. Who is the “great goddess of the woods”? How do you think her greatness has been portrayed by Ovid in the third book of Metamorphoses?                                                             1+ 4=5

2. Briefly comment on Ovid’s introduction of Tiresias. Why do you think he has been included among the Theban legends in the Book III of Metamorphoses? 3+2 = 5

3. “Echo had a body… she wasn’t just a voice” – what are the reasons behind her transformation? Divine fury or human emotion which one do you think plays the greater role in her metamorphosis? 3+2= 5

4. Whom does Narcissus fall in love with? How does he describe his beloved? Why does the narrator term it as “immaterial hope”? 1+2+3 = 5
5. Do you think Nemesis is responsible for the tragic turn in Narcissus’s life? – Give justifications of your answer. 5

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

Class Test 2022

Semester III

ENGACOR05T (CC5)

Time Alloted: 1 Hour                                                                                                                Full marks: 20

SECTION – I

1. Answer 5 of the following questions in not more than 100 words each 5×2=10
2. Who tells Sethe that her scars resemble a chokecherry tree?
3. What is Beloved doing when Sethe first sees her?
4. Why does Denver stop going to Lady Jones’s school?
5. Who are the “men without skin”?
6. After whom is Denver named?
7. What finally convinces Sethe that Beloved is her daughter’s ghost?

2. Give answer to the following questions 5×1 = 5
3. What is the significance of the novel’s non-linear narrative structure.
4. Discuss the role of Stamp Paid in the novel.

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

Class Test 2023

Semester IV

CC8

Full Marks 10                                                                                     Time – 45 minutes

1. Give answer to the following questions: –

Locate and annotate –                                                                                                 5

1. And fixed on Cambria’s solitary shore

Give to St. David on true Briton more…

1. What does the term “French metropolis” stand for in the poem?       3

What are the neo-classical features of the poem?

Class test _ Sem 4  April 2023

Answer 1 a) and b) or c)

2. Locate and annotate
3. And fixed on Cambria’s solitary shore

Give to St. David on true Briton more…     5  marks

1. What does the term “French metropolis” stand for in the poem? 2 marks
2. What are the neo-classical features of the poem? 7 marks

Class test

Sem 6

Answer any 1:   10 marks

• What do you understand by absurd drama? Write with reference to “Waiting for Godot”.

OR

• Time and setting in “Waiting for Godot.”

Sem II

CC4

Long questions (any one):

How does Chaucer blend religious and secular elements in the famous opening section of the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales?

Critically comment on Shakespeare’s use of the sonnet form with reference to any one sonnet in your syllabus.

Analyze Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress as a seduction poem that brilliantly uses the ‘carpe diem’ theme.

Short (any one):

“For I myself shall like to this decay,

And eke my name be wiped out likewise.”

Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad

Sem IV

CC 10

Long question (any one):

“There she stands/As if alive” – How does the poem reveal the characters of the speaker and the person spoken about in the brief expanse of the dramatic monologue?

Critically comment on Browning’s The Last Ride Together as an unusual poem of unrequited love.

Short:

Earth being so good, would heaven seem best?

Now, heaven and she are beyond this ride.

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

Semester I

Mock Test (CC1 & CC2) 2021

Full Marks 50

Time 2 hours

1. Answer any three form the questions below: (15 x 3)

1. i) Critically comment on the issues of Dharma that are raised through Draupadi’s questions in the public court after the game of dicing.
2. ii) Would you consider Mrichchakatikam a successful Prakarana? Justify your response.

iii) Comment on Banabhatta’s presentation of the parrot-narrator Vaishampayan in Kadambari

1. iv) Discuss Oedipus as an ideal tragic hero.
2. v) Analyze the role of pride in the Iliad
3. vi) Discuss the comic devices used by Plautus in The Pot of Gold.

2. Answer any one from the following questions: (5)
3. How is Karna portrayed in the dicing episode of Book II of the Mahabharata?
4. Describe the King’s Court from Kadambari.

• Comment on the Vidushak in  Mrichchakatikam.

1. Comment on the role of Creon in Oedipus
2. How does Agamemon test his warriors?
3. Comment on the character of Staphyla.

• Comment on the significance of Juno’s role as the spiteful goddess in the third book of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan

 Department of English 

Policy on Advanced and Slow Learners vide Meeting held on 12^th September 2019

 Policy Statement

• In accordance with the institution’s guidelines on Slow and Advanced Learners, the department has framed a Policy to develop the students’ potentials to the fullest.

• The Policy is designed to address the wide difference in the students’ language and comprehension skills and abilities.

• The Policy is based on acknowledgement of student demography and diversity in the department, namely rural/urban, vernacular/ English medium, exposure, or the lack of it, to literary and cultural texts.

• Taking into consideration the Semester-bound Teaching-Learning system, the department has tried its best to accommodate methods that are best suited to the system.

• The procedure of addressing the needs of the Slow and Advanced learners involves the following stages:

1. Student Orientation: The newly admitted students will be familiarized with the syllabus, primary and critical texts, teaching-learning methods and levels if difficulty, evaluation systems and the career/professional opportunities.

1. Assessment: Advanced and Slow Learners in each new batch of students will be assessed through the following evaluations:

1. Class responses in the teaching-learning process
2. Earlier readings in the subject and related areas
3. A written exercise after about a month of classes to evaluate comprehension and expression abilities, including language skills
4. Written performances through class work and class tests

1. Identification: Based on these assessments, a list of advanced and slow learners will be prepared for each new batch of students.

Advanced learners will have better performance skills, greater receptive and critical thinking abilities and wider readings in areas related to the subject.

Slow learners will show poor class performance and lesser comprehension of the classroom teaching-learning. 

1. Measures:
   

Advanced Learners: 

1. Will be introduced to critical/advanced materials (in addition to regular class hand-outs) to sharpen their critical thinking abilities
2. Will be encouraged to participate in research-based projects/students’ papers/critical debates within and outside the institution
3. Will be guided to explore research techniques for projects and assignments
4. Will be sent to suitable seminars/conferences/workshops convened by other institutions
5. Will be encouraged to take up internships
6. Will be encouraged to take available and relevant MOOCs in addition to class teaching.

Slow Learners: 

1. Will be engaged in individual discussions with faculty members for clarification, outside the scheduled time table.
2. Will be provided with suitable, easy-reading materials (in addition to class hand-outs)
3. Will be taught in class through visual-based/innovative teaching methods to generate interest
4. Will be given easy assignments to develop answer writing skills
5. Will be provided with suggested questionnaires to prepare them for examinations
6. Will be provided personal counselling and encouragement, in and outside classes

1. Evaluation:

1. Through end-semester results.
2. Each batch will be re-evaluated the next year. Thus for UG students, each batch will go through three assessments during their six semester (3 years) UG duration.
3. Based on their performance, students can be moved from Slow to General, General to Advanced, or even General to Slow.

1. Documentation: The department will keep a record of the advanced planning and the subsequent activities undertaken and the resultant outcome and will submit an annual report (for all programmes and for all current batches) to the IQAC by 31^st May each year.