About the Department
The department of History is one of the oldest departments in the Saldiha College. It runs a prestigious programme of under-graduate studies which was launched in 1966 under the guidance of the then Principal and other eminent persons. The Department of History at Saldiha College offers both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programs. The Department focuses on a comprehensive understanding of historical events, cultural studies, and research. It provides students with opportunities for in depth study and analysis, preparing them for various academic and professional careers in History. The encouraging learning environment, rigorous history work and reputed faculty ensure a steady flow of young scholars from the Bengal region year after year to the Department. In order for the students to understand the character of the present and to imagine a future shaped by the past, they are taught to place contemporary challenges within particular historical settings. The Department believes that this kind of intellectual orientation will give students the historical background knowledge necessary to make thoughtful decisions and judgments in their daily lives.
Why Study History
History is the laboratory of human experience. Major aspects of a society's functioning, including elections, economic crises, or military alliances, cannot be set up as exact experiments. History must therefore be our laboratory and our primary source of evidence in the fascinating quest to discover why our complex species behaves as it does in social contexts. People need to have some idea of how societies work in order to manage the complexity of a world that is changing all the time and grasp their own place in the greater scheme of things. The only substantial body of evidence for this reflection and analysis comes from history.
Future events are a direct result of past events. Whenever we attempt to understand the cause of an event, such as a change in the political party system's dominance, the fall of a dictatorship, or the expansion of human rights and freedoms, we have to search for causes that developed earlier. Often, in order to determine the reasons behind change, we must go farther back in time. Understanding how things change, starting to understand the forces that lead to change, and knowing what aspects of an institution or society endure over time are all only possible through studying history.
There are many shocks in history: The past is not the present dressed up in fancy clothes! We investigate the "pastness" and strangeness of the past via history, examining the manner in which individuals in bygone eras loved, lived, and interpreted their surroundings. This exploration is exciting and intriguing, and in the end, it broadens our understanding of society and human existence.
Objectives:
The department's objectives are (a) to provide at the Graduate’s level as well as Master's level a broad knowledge of human history and particularly of the areas and themes of special concern to the department and modern approaches to its study through a suitably structured and balanced syllabus, and (b) to promote historical research in hitherto unexplored areas, especially in South West Bengal region. The department's major achievements have been in the areas of syllabi innovation and promotion of South West Bengal studies. New grounds have been broken in regional history and in the history of the bordering areas or countries. (c) The capacity to evaluate the facts and formulate strong, evidence-based arguments. (d) Educate students about local, national, and world history, focusing on significant events, movements, and figures that have shaped human civilization. (c) Promoting critical thinking. (f) Preparing for Carrier- Equip students with the skills necessary for carrier in education, research, archival work, museums, public history as well as related field.
Departmental details
Year of Establishment: 1966
Programme offered: B. A (Major History), Type: Undergraduate, Duration: Four Years (NEP) Eligibility: 10+2
M. A, Type: Post Graduate, Duration: 2 Years, Eligibility: U.G.
No of Sanctioned Full Time Teaching Post: 04
At Present No of Full Time Teaching Post: 04
No of SACT Teacher Present: 02