DEPARTMENT OF ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

The Department of English, Vivekananda College, Agasteeswaram, Kanyakumari, since its inception from 1967, has been rendering its noble service by proffering the student-community with the various required skills such as Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The students are mostly first-generation students and they hail particularly from the socially and economically downtrodden families of rural background.  The Department was started under the regular stream. It offers a wide range of specialisations under the choice-based credit system. The students who have chosen English as the major paper can be experts not only in Literature, Linguistics and English Language Teaching but also in Environmental Science and Journalism. The high-spirited faculty members apply various innovative approaches and novel methods so as to prepare the learners to confront the challenges of communication that they would face in the job market and on other important occasions of the academic as well as the social occasions that are filled only with the individuals of competitive spirit. Every year, the department organises and conducts a week-long Bridge Course in English with an intention of refreshing and updating their knowledge especially on grammar.  In addition to the academic endeavours, the faculty members also exhibit keen interest in transforming the learners into competent individuals by equipping them with effective communication skills, enhancing their critical approach to the literary works and updating them with the emerging trends in literature. It is noteworthy to mention that most of the students are scholarship holders as they belong to socio-economic backward class. The department with the committed involvement and the timely academic assistance of the Head of the Institution renders the qualitative and exemplary educational services to improve the educational standard of the students in a changing and complex global society. The department library which consists of the primary and the secondary sources facilitates the students to achieve a very remarkable academic performance as well as excellence in other literary competitions. Motivation which is an integral part of the teaching process influences the minds of the students to get them enrolled for higher education also.  At random intervals, depending on the availability of time, many kinds of literary activities such as enacting a scene from any literary work of any author of their own interest, performing mime, literary dance, tableau, ballad singing, conducting literary quiz competitions, writing poems and essays, narrating their memorable experiences, etc are conducted. They are all being conducted with a sole aim of transforming the learners of anticipation into the empowered individuals of determination and confidence. The constant efforts are put forth to root out the rote-learning practice and replace it with creative thinking through brainstorming technique. Hence, more importance is given to gaining knowledge and human values than scoring marks and securing ranks in the examinations. Timely assessment of their educational standard, performance and competence is executed through periodical internal tests, assignments based on the portion from the prescribed syllabus and other new topics, spoken English viva-voce exams. Ample opportunities and practices are given to make them acquire and enhance the basic learning skills namely spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, basic canons of grammar, idioms and phrases and their literary meanings, synonyms and antonyms,  sentence patterns, tongue-twisters, homophones, coining acronyms, palindromes, phonetic transcription, etc. It is a surprising factor that our students of rural background get employment opportunities and placements in a number of companies of urban location. The students of high academic excellence are given extra-coaching to participate in the various literary as well as extra-curricular competitions that would be held in the college and in other colleges. The students are offered leadership qualities by making them get involved in planning, organising, conducting literary associations, seminars and conferences. Having understood that the language laboratory plays an important role in the language learning process, a language laboratory is installed in Information Technology Block of the college to enable the students to have a good command over the language with clarity and accuracy. The teaching process which incorporates the real life situation with the necessary human values is an eye-opener to the learners. Moreover, the staff members, in addition to their regular teaching service, are the members of the various committees formed by the college committee. To be very precise, the faculty members contribute a lot for the overall development of the students in general and the personality development of them in particular. The different and new avenues of literature are introduced to enable them prefer intensive study and undertake research work while pursuing higher studies. The department runs successfully with the coordination and cooperation of eight Government aided staff members and one self- finance staff. The department has a proposal of extending its service to the Community Development by adopting a Government School, Agasteeswaram. The purpose behind the service is equipping the students with the basic skills of English Language to enable them overcome the barriers of both oral and written communication. Two of our staff-members namely K. Sumathi and S. Raja Prabha are awarded with doctorate degrees by Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli. Other staff members by name P. Sujatha, A. Suresh and M. Senthil Kumar pursue their Ph. D research work and the remaining staff are yet to register for the same. Our Institution though located in the rural area undertakes strenuous efforts to transform both the staff and the learners the Nation Builders both in Quality and in Quantity.  

VISION AND MISSION:

“Illuminate and enlighten the ignorant minds to emerge as competent individuals with academic excellence, language proficiency and all the fine human values to confront and conquer the challenges of Global Scenario of Gadgets!”

FACULTY MEMBERS :