Government General Degree College, Chapra

Affiliated to the University of Kalyani

Department of History

Government General Degree College in Chapra is a niche of opportunities and possibilities in a sleepy hamlet of Nadia, the land which is associated with the memory of the great bhakti saint of sixteenth century, Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The medieval bhakti tradition along with Sufism gave birth to the latter-day boul tradition in undivided Bengal. Interestingly, the hamlet, Shikra was part of that circuit which had once been enthralled by the songs of the famous boul mystic, Lalan Fakir, who was contemporary of Jyotirindranath Tagore. The songs of Lalan and kirtan, a classical form of music developed by the followers of Chaitanya, had had a huge influence on the songs of Rabindranath Tagore, younger brother of Jyotirindranath. This cultural setting inspires us in the Department of History of this college to make a difference. We, in our department respect the composite culture of India. Hence, we try to disseminate unbiased historical knowledge about our nation and society and the mankind. Moreover, while the education system of our country tries to kindle the democratic spirit among the pupils, we in History department are avowed to that and thus our department works for national interest.

From a humble beginning in 2015 with only one teacher, Ajoy Ghosh the department has strengthened itself brick by brick over the past years. It’s now functioning with three substantive teachers, Arunava Sinha and Jaydeb Mandal alongside Ghosh. The department has aptly adapted itself to the change in Under Graduate Curriculum from 1+1+1 pattern to Choice Based Credit System under the aegis of the University of Kalyani. Our college offers three-years Honours course in history. History is also one of the most popular subjects among the students of Programme courses in the college. Since the catchment area of the college is predominantly rural, our department relentlessly tries to facilitate teaching-learning experiences based on modern and contemporary methods. Besides, we have built a rich seminar library for our students.

During this ongoing pandemic situation we are successfully conducting virtual classes for our students. In this regard our department has developed expertise in the field of interactive teaching and learning using advance technology. Our college has built two smart classrooms with the financial assistance from the Higher Education Department of West Bengal Government. History department tries to use this facility extensively to provide the learners profound learning experience. Nevertheless, being the teachers of History the faculty members strongly believe that the tradition of chalk and talk method in teaching-learning process creates as well as fosters an emotional bonding between the teachers and the pupils. Students are encouraged to discuss freely on the subject. Thus our department ensures a democratic spirit in the teaching-learning process.

History has always been one of the oldest and sought-after subjects in the academia. History teaches about achievements and failures of human civilization from a vivid perspective, which enables common men as well as the ruling class to decide their respective course of action in national life. That is why during renaissance in Europe or during the nineteenth century awakening in India people sought inspiration from history. History as a discipline has been evolving since the days of Herodotus and Thucydides and all through the ages it has been attracting great minds of the world like, Livy, Kalhana, Ibn Khaldun, James Mill, Voltaire, Edward Gibbon, Hegel, Marx, Comte, Burckhardt, J.B. Bury, Jadunath Sarkar, R.C. Majumdar, D.D. Kosambi, Eric Hobsbawm, RanajitGuha, RomilaThapar, Ramachandra Guha, Niall Ferguson and many more. Thus, they have developed for the mankind valuable traditions of historiography, or in other words, crafts of history. Here in our department we both, the teachers and the students, often engage ourselves inside or outside the classroom in the delicate discussion of historiography. Our coveted goal is to inspire our students to delve into, what historian E.H. Carr asked, “What is history?”

Our Objectives:

In history department, we aim to empower the Under Graduate students to achieve a plethora of instructional objectives in the fields of knowledge, understanding, critical thinking, practical skill, interests and attitudes. These are as follows,

  • Knowledge: The students are expected to acquire knowledge of various terms, concepts, events, ideas, problems, personalities and principles related to the study of history, so that they could recall and recognize facts, events, concepts, terms et cetera.
  • Understanding: The students are expected to develop understanding of various terms, facts, and events related to the study of history, so that they could classify and compare facts, events, terms, concepts et cetera.
  • Critical Thinking The students are expected to develop the ability to think critically and rationally so that they could identify a problem, analyse the problem, select relevant facts, establish relationship among them, draw and verify inferences and evaluate. Thus they will develop an ability to distinguish fact and fiction.
  • Practical Skill: The students are expected to develop some practical skills like drawing and interpreting maps, statistical charts and diagrams; preparing models and tools et cetera.
  • Interests: The students are expected to develop interests in the study of history and the activities related to history, e.g. numismatics, philately, antiquarianism, touring historical places, performing historical play, writing historical literature et cetera.
  • Attitudes: The students are expected to show positive attitudes like, respecting other people, different ways of life and different belief systems; appreciation for cultural pluralism and belief in equality of dignity and rights for all human beings.

Course outcome:

After successful completion of undergraduate courses in history a student becomes knowledgeable and employable. Above all she/he becomes a sincere citizen of the country. She/he becomes champions of democratic values and human rights. She/he becomes employable in various fields, e.g. journalism and mass-communication, civil services, teaching or entrepreneurship. Besides, she/he becomes eligible for various courses of higher degree, e.g. M.A., B.Ed., L.L.B., M.B.A. etcetera.

Facilities offered:

  • Routine class-room teaching and online teaching for the students of Honours and Programme courses go on throughout every semester.
  • Remedial classes and counselling classes are taken for the slow learners to improve their performance.
  • We have developed a student-friendly internal assessment system which assesses a student round the year.
  • Revision classes are taken based on students’ feedback.
  • From time to time our department arranges special lectures and seminars by visiting professors in order to introduce the students with new researches in history.
  • The department often conducts field trips for students to concretize their knowledge and stimulate their curiosity.
  • The seminar library of the department is well equipped with plenty of text books and reference books.

Syllabus

Sl.No. Type Download
1 History-Hons & Prog Download

Question Paper

Title Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 1 1st Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 2 1st Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 3 2nd Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 4 2nd Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 5 3rd Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 6 3rd Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 7 3rd Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 8 4th Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 9 4th Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 10 4th Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 11 5th Semester Download
History Question Paper CC 12 5th Semester Download

Learning Materials

Sl.No. Date Title Download
123 Jan 2023ভারত ছাড়ো আন্দোলনDownload
223 Jan 2023পলাশীর যুদ্ধDownload
323 Jan 2023পল্লব যুগের স্থাপত্য - অরুণাভ সিনহাDownload
423 Jan 2023The Reign of Ashok (273-232 B.C)Download
523 Jan 2023The Rise of Magadhan ImperialismDownload
623 Jan 2023Mughal ArchitectureDownload

Faculty

Ajoy Ghosh

Qualification: M.A
Designation: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (HOD)
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Arunava Sinha

Qualification: M.A, M.PHIL
Designation: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
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Jaydeb Mandal

Qualification: M.A, M.PHIL
Designation: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
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