6, Greek Church Row, Kolkata - 700026
Affiliated to the University of Calcutta
AISHE CODE : C11920
Estd. 19th July, 1945
The history of the Department of English dates back to the very foundation of Women’s Christian College in 1945. Ms Stella Bose, Founder Principal of the College, headed the Department, and with the help of Ms Allen and Mr P.D. Bose, created a strong base for the study of English language and literature in this small college.
The Honours option in the 3-year B.A. Degree Course (under the University of Calcutta) came into existence in the late 1940s. Since then, Ms Anjali Chatterjee, Ms Jyotsna Chatterjee, Ms Premi Gergen, Ms Asha Biswas, Ms.Smritituku Roy, Dr Dora A. Mondal, Ms Soma Chatterjee and Dr Sunetra Sinha were, over the years, inductees into the departmental faculty. In terms of student number and activity, the Department of English has grown into one of the largest and most vibrant of the constituent units of Women’s Christian College.
At present, it is a matter of great pride that our Principal Dr Ajanta Paul is a part of this Department, whose other faculty members are Mr Kushal A. Biswas, Dr Devalina Gopalan and Ms Adharshila Chatterjee. Ms Soma Roy retired in December 2023. Ms Dishari Chakraborty is currently a part-time faculty member.
A quick check-list of some student achievers from the Department of English in recent years:
ACHIEVEMENT | |
Students | Achievements |
Samantha John and Disha Gomes | Winning Team members of the WCC Founders’ Memorial Debate, 2019 |
Shrestha Gudaba and Rumiya Chakraborty | Winners of Intercollege quiz on American Jazz, Jazzonia, held at the American Center, 2020 |
Dishari Chakraborty | Runner-up in an online essay writing competition organised by Calcutta Girls' College, 2021 |
Arunima Biswas | Best Speaker Against the Motion at the Founders Memorial Debate,2022. St Teresa Award winner, 2023. |
Suparna Mal | Best Young Poet at a national-level online inter-collegiate competition organised by KPR College, 2022; semi-finalist at Speak for India National Debate (state-level) 2024; St Teresa Award winner, 2024 |
Debjani Das | First at district-level in Debate competition organised by Election Commission of India, 2023 |
Taniya Bhattacharya | Second at district-level in essay Competition organised by Election Commission of India, 2023; Third at inter-college poster competition organised by Deshbandhu College for Girls, 2022 |
Koyel Mukherjee | Champion of Champions at WCC Annual Sports, 2024 |
The Department focuses on:
i. Multilingual, multidisciplinary, multimedia approach: Helping students to encounter texts in different languages, in forms other than the printed word, and offering inclusive or intermedial readings.
ii. The use of language as a powerful tool for a wide variety of purposes - communicative, critical and creative.
iii. Reducing paper wastage: Using scripts with fewer pages for class assignments and internal examinations; conducting CIE online rather than on paper.
SL NO | SUBJECT | VIEW / DOWNLOAD |
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1 | CBCS Syllabus for UG English | |
2 | CCF Syllabus for UG English |
SOME CAPACITY BUILDING AND SKILL ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVES, UNDERTAKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Departmental students have presented papers at students’ seminars at Basanti Devi College (2022) and New Alipore College (2023). Arunima Biswas (then in Semester 5) had a paper published in WORDS, the journal of the Department of English, Basanti Devi College, in 2022-23 |
Students from the Department have participated in elocution/poetry-reading sessions in New Alipore College (2019), Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture (2023) and at the Oxford Bookstore (2025). They have participated in poetry festivals organised by regional and national literary such as GIEWEC and The Poetricians.
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Prof Nilanjana Gupta, Prof Ashok Sengupta, Dr Avishek Sarkar, Dr Aparna Singh, and Prof Padmasana Chattopadhyay were among the invited resource personnel to feature in seminars, webinars and special lectures on various curricular texts and topics between 2019 and 2024. |
Final-year English Honours students participated in a Value Added Course on “Transitions: from Text to Film” organised by the Department in collaboration with Boi Boibhav Foundation in 2023. Eminent litterateur-writer-critic Samik Bandopadhyay and an impressive array of resource-persons, including the department's faculty members, conducted the VAC. |
The Department's Reading Club collaborated with Sonali Chakraborty Foundation to organise an Inter-College Quiz to observe the 250th birth anniversary of Raja Rammohun Roy.
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Students from the Department took part in a dramatic performance in New Alipore College to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday in 2024, and won performance awards. Members of the Department's Drama Club staged their interpretation of Arthur Miller's work in a programme organised by the American Center in 2024. |
The Department established an Academic Linkage with the Department of English, Shri Shikshayatan College, Kolkata, in June 2023.
Names of Some Distinguished Alumnae | Employment Details | |
1. | SUKANYA CHATTERJEE, GRADUATING CLASS OF 1990 | TEACHER TRAINER OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (ICSE, CBSC) IN SCHOOLS ACROSS BANGALORE |
2. | KAMALIKA MITRA, GRADUATING CLASS OF 1995 | HUMAN RESOURCES AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLES COORDINATOR, HONEY CREEK COMMUNITY SCHOOL, MICHIGAN |
3. | TRIPARNA KALI, GRADUATING CLASS OF 1995 | ICICI BANK CHIEF MANAGER SINCE 2006 |
4. | DR. ANUPARBA BANERJEE, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2001 | MEDIATOR, HIGH COURT AND DIRECTOR OF BENERJEE AND ASSOCIATES LAW FIRM |
5. | DR. AMRITA BASU ROY CHOWDHURY, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2005 | SACT, DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN’S STUDIES, LADY BRABOURNE COLLEGE |
6. | TAMALIKA GANGULY, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2007 | PUBLISHED POET IN BENGALI; ELOCUTIONIST; CERTIFIED MAKER OF ORGANIC BEAUTY PRODUCTS |
7. | ANURIMA PAUL, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2014 | UNIVERSITY TOPPER (FIRST CLASS FIRST), 2014; SACT I, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, SHYAMAPRASAD COLLEGE |
8. | JAISMITA ALEXANDER, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2018 | SENIOR CORRESPONDENT AT THE TELEGRAPH [ONLINE] - MY KOLKATA |
9. | MEDHASHREE GHOSH, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2017 | PUBLICATION ASSISTANT AND PROOF REASER AT ASIATIC SOCIETY, (GOVERNMENT OF INDIA) |
10. | MILI MISTRI, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2019 | OFFICE ASSOCIATE, CORPORATE HR, ITC LTD. |
11. | TRIPARNA PATI, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2021 | ACADEMIC EXPERT AND SUBJECT MATTER SPECIALIST AT TRUMPLIN GROUP |
12. | SHRUTI KUMARI, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2023 | CABIN CREW , INDIGO AIRLINES, [ON CAMPUS RECRUITMENT] |
13. | AYANTIKA BHADRA, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024 | AI ASSOCIATE AT AMAZON GO |
14. | RITUPARNA PAUL, GRADUATING CLASS OF 2010 | ADJUNCT FACULTY OF ENGLISH,HILBERT COLLEGE, HAMBURG, NEW YORK |
The Department is proud to have an impressive array of alumnae who have gone on to carry a bit of their alma mater to different parts of the state, country and abroad. Here is a brief sampling to suggest the width and breadth of areas that have been impacted positively by our alumnae.
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Publications (ISBN 978-93-88332-62-0)