Department of Journalism And Mass Communication

BA(Journalism and Mass Communication)

The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication has been recognized by the college as the ‘Department of the Year’ for session 2018-19 for its students’ excellent performance in curricular and extracurricular activities throughout the year.

The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication started its journey in the year 2004 as a general subject. From the year 2008, it was offered as an Honors subject. Today, the department offers Journalism both as an Honors and General subject. The demand to pursue the subject is growing every year with more and more students enrolling for the course. The subject has a perfect blend of theory and practical. The students are trained in a way that helps them gather skill sets to be industry ready. The Department organizes events, lectures, activities and in the process, develops a curriculum that help the students prepare for the life ahead.

Dr Payal Sen Choudhury and Prof. Nilanjana Gautam joined the department in 2004. After a few months Prof. Nilanjana Gautam joined Loreto College. Prof. Bulu Mukherjee was the Teacher- in- Charge guiding the department. From the session 2006-07 the administration appointed Prof. Payal Sen Choudhury  as the Head of the Department. She was soon joined by Prof. Maitrayee Sen, who later joined Howrah Girl’s College from 2008. The honours department was taken forward primarily by Dr Payal Sen Chowdhury, Prof. Manashi Sen Gupta and Prof. Abhiroop Mukherjee. Later on, Professor Sen Gupta and Mukherjee joined Sri Shikshayatan College and Vidyasagar College respectively. From 2010 January Prof  Samima Yasmin and Prof Samarpita De joined the department. Dr Amartya Saha joined the department in the substantive post of Assistant Professor in 2016. Dr Payal Sen Choudhury joined DumDum Motijheel College in 2019.

The Department currently has three faculty members Smt Samima Yasmin (State Aided College Teachers), Smt Samarpita De (State Aided College Teachers) and Dr Amartya Saha (Assistant Professor, Head of the Department). The department has prominent industry experts coming to teach regularly. The department also organizes for special lectures every session.

The Department has a series of activities and events throughout the year and encourages its students to take part in college activities. The Department has been the Winner in the college’s prestigious AVENSIS program winning the 1^st position in Exhibition and Drama categories in the year 2019 and 2018 respectively. The Department has a regular Social Outreach Program.

            The Department offers both General and Honors Courses under the University of Calcutta under 1+1+1 (2017 Revised Syllabus) system and the CBCS system.

The faculty members of the department are constantly involved in research activities and they participate in seminars and workshops at international, national and state levels. Two faculty members of the department, Dr Payal Sen Chaudhury and Dr Amartya Saha completed their doctoral research while working in the department.

The students engage in research activity and complete a dissertation with proper research methodology as a part of their curriculum. They also engage in making a well-researched academic documentary film as a part of the curriculum.

The faculty members engage in industry projects as mentors and experts. The students work on Audio Visual and Print Media projects throughout the year creating engaging content.

The Department has a dedicated lab and classrooms for the students. The lab is equipped with editing systems and have the support of the latest software. The students also have access to DSLR cameras from the department. There is ICT enabled classroom where teachers teach using tools of E Learning. Conventional facilities are present along with more advanced facilities. The Department has dedicated subject related books in the College library and updates its resources every year.

1. INDUSTRY LINKAGE OF THE DEPARTMENT:

Internship in

KOLKATA TV

STATESMAN

TIMES OF BENGAL

2. SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON SPORTS

Awards in Sports

Intra-college cricket tournament: Abhishek Bhattacharjee, Provakar Patra, Souhardya Deb, Rishav Chakraborty, Sayan Chakraborty.

Intra-college football tournament (3^rd place): Souhardya Deb, Antareep Chakraborty, Abhishek Bhattacharjee, Provakar Patra, Sukalpa Dey, Souvik Das.

Inter-college table tennis tournament (1^st place): Rishav Chakraborty.

Annual Sports (1^st place in relay, 2^nd place in 200m flat race): Simran Singh.

3. SOCIAL OUTREACH PROGRAM

Bhalo Achi Bhalo Theko is an initiative organised by the department to reach out to different section of the society. As a part of this, two events were organized by the department:

1. Oldage Home Visit before the Durga Puja to celebrate the Sharadiya Festival. The students interacted with the residents. Organized for games, performed cultural programs and gave gifts. The program was presided by the Principal and General Secretary of Student’s Council
    
2. The Department celebrated Children’s Day with street children at Emanuel Society Kolkata. Cultural performance was followed by Sit and Draw Painting session. Cake cutting involved all the students and the department gifted the children with footballs and colours and a drawing copy to paint their dreams.
    

4. CONSERVATION OF HERITAGE
An initiative was taken by the department to create awareness about the dying art form of Bengal - Pata Chitra. Pata chitra can be classified as a part of the traditional form of communication. The students went for a workshop in the village of Nimtouri. There they interacted with the painters and leart about the style of painting and how painting is accompanied by indigenous songs to tell a story of social relevance like the menace of Deforestation and Polio awareness. They learnt the art and reproduced the art form for Avensis where they told the story of 10 Years of Mumbai Terror Attack. This enactment of the classical art form, won them the 1^st Prize in Exhibition.

5. DOCUMENTARIES and SHORT FILMS
Apart from the compulsory documentary film that is made for the curriculum, the students worked on the following projects:

The students made a documentary film on the firecracker industry in West Bengal’s rural outskirts and highlighted the health risks of the worker. IPS officer, social activists, doctors were interviewed for this.
The students made a documentary on the dying art form of Baluchari Silk industry. The film showcased the working conditions of artisans. The film researched the old designs of Baluchari Silk which are today getting lost because of the changing demands of market.

The Students made a Short Film on the education system which was screened at KIFF 2018.

5.MOU of DEPARTMENT:

1. With the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Vijaygarh Jyotish Ray College
    
2. With industry partner, Amos Institute of Television Production. It is a collaboration done to train the students with industry standard equipment.

6.FIELD TRIP & EXCURSSION

The Department organises for field trips and excursion. Previous excursions have been to Bishnupur and Purulia.

7. MENTORING BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS & ACADEMIC EXPERTS: Workshops and Special Lectures

 The Department regularly organises workshops and seminars from Industry stalwarts and academic experts. Sessions are open for students of all the years. Students are also invited from Journalism Department of other colleges under the University of Calcutta.

List of prominent workshops and special lectures:Workshop on Documentary Film Making by noted film maker and cinematographer Ranjan Palit.

1. Workshop on Feature Writing and Aspects of Journalism by Senior Features Editor, Statesman, Smt Gopali Bandopadhyay
2. Special Lecture on TV Journalism by senior journalist Shri Snehasis Sur, TVNC, Doordarshan.
3. Workshop on TV Journalism by Special Correspondent Times Now, Shri Tamal Saha.
4. Special Lecture on Film Appreciation and Review by noted Film Director and Journalist Smt. Sudeshna Roy.
5. Special Lecture on Newsroom practices by former resident editor of Hindustan Times, Shri Rajib Bagchi
6. Workshop on Page Make up and Newspaper Designing by Shri Abhijit Chatterjee, Senior Sub Editor, Eastern Chronicle.
7. Workshop on Culture and Mass Media by Chairperson, UG BOS, Prof Abir Chattopadhyay
8. Special Lecture by Dr Debjyoti Chanda, HOD Mass Communication and Videography, Rabindra Bharati University
9. Special Lecture by Shri Somsubhra Gupta, Centre of Mass Communication and Videography, Rabindra Bharati University
10. Workshop on Video Editing by Prof Maqsood Alam, Postproduction Head NSHM Media School with over 20 years’ experience in video editing