The Department of History is one of the earliest departments of the college since it was established in 1967. It offers courses in BA (Honours) History and BA Programme. It has been an endeavour of the department to provide students with a reflective and interactive learning environment which grooms them to be thinking young people who learn to draw inferences from the past and address the present aptly. The Department feels, this will not only enhance the student’s ability to excel in their chosen fields (the study of history) but will also endow them to become knowledgeable, thinking citizens who can contribute in the harmonious working of our plural society.
The Department has qualified, competent and dedicated faculty members, who are constantly endeavouring to enhance teaching standards in a fast-changing scenario. Papers are distributed keeping in mind the period of specialization and area knowledge of the faculty concerned. Regular lectures and tutorials are supplemented by trips to the National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art and various historical sites in and around Delhi.
The Department of History, Mata Sundri College for Women has encouraged and enthused students to venture beyond the confines of classroom to acquire better understanding of the disciple of History through interactive and creative activities from time to time. Lectures of eminent historians, workshops, national seminars, visit to museums, fieldtrips to archaeological and heritage sites are some of the activities which help them acquire deeper understanding of the discipline. Every year GAATHA office-bearers are elected and they perform their duties enthusiastically and diligently. The students are also encouraged to participate in various intra as well as inter college competitions. As this is a women’s college the importance of gender sensitization is understood by the department.
Though our Department since inception had been organising activities to make the students aware of their heritage and to instill in them a sense of belonging, however, formally it launched its Heritage Society on 31st October 2020. Mata Sundri College for Women, from a historical perspective is `wrapped in time‟. The college itself is located near the historic gurudwara which is associated with the wife of the tenth Sikh Guru, Mata Sundri ji, who lived here in the 18th century. Around our college, there are extremely important historical monuments, which virtually span the entire history of India from ancient to modern times. Our nascent heritage society has not only organised mentoring sessions, lecture presentations but also an International Seminar.
Cinema is a powerful tool of social change and it is considered an important medium for the students of History. The powerful medium of visual presentation including film is used by the department to go beyond the classroom lectures. Our film society, Aks, has been always instrumental in using this medium for the same.
Students are encouraged to express themselves and voice their opinion through the e-newsletter of the department, “Chronicle” . It provides students a platform where they can showcase their literary and creative skills. The Department has released six volumes since it released its first volume on 21st January 2017.
The students are required to attend not less than 67% of the lectures during each semester in order to enable them to appear for university examinations.
A continuous process of internal assessment takes place during each semester that includes theory as well as practicum courses. The assessing procedures usually include written assignments, projects, house exam and presentations. Final examinations are held in the month of November and May.
It is mandatory for a student to secure minimum 40% marks in each theory paper during final examinations, 40% in the internal assessment, 40% in all Practicum courses taken together and 40% in the aggregate for each semester, to pass the examination.