Department of English

Year of Establishment: 1922

The Department of English is the oldest PG Department in the state of Orissa and one of the oldest English departments in India. UG course in English started in 1916 and PG course started in 1922 with an endowment for Chair Professor in English made by the Queen of Sonepur (erstwhile Subarnapur of Odisha). The faculty strength of the Department is constituted by 1 Professor, 5 Associate Professors and 10 Assistant Professors. The Department offers UG, PG, M. Phil and Ph. D. programmes. In the Post Graduate course currently we offer American Literature and Indian Writings in English as optional Special Papers. Our aim is to prepare students for careers in research, teaching, and writing. The study of literature and culture in the Department of English is predicated on the objective of demonstrating how rigorous attention to text and textuality opens up readers to the larger issues that challenge humankind. Further training in the English literature course enables the students to choose from a variety of career options. Our students have qualified in state and national level tests such as UGC-NET/JRF, UPSC and OPSC. After completing the UG course, most of our students go on to work as personality development trainers, content writers and journalists, whereas PG students find employment mostly as teachers in schools and colleges across the state and as copy-editors and content writers. The Department’s Seminar Library has a rich collection of 9000 books including e-books. The Department’s faculty are actively engaged in research and, at present, are directing projects funded by World Bank-assisted OHEPEE and the ICSSR.