The Department of History, since its inception in 1956, under the headship of Prof. Dhanushkoti Chetty, has been splendour of glory and a grandeur diadem of Sir Theagaraya College and it is recognised as one of the pioneer departments. It was upgraded to a Post Graduate Department in the academic year, 1981-1982 under the headship of Prof. Neela Radhakrishnan. It was poised to become a research department affiliated to the University of Madras in 2010. The department is reminiscent of the contribution of its stalwarts who have paved the way to success and glory through their hard work and sacrifices. We take pride in the illustrious alumni who have passed out of the portals of this magnificent institution.
There exist six faculty members at present in the Department, which is being headed by Dr. G.Balamurugan. The faculty members have been diligently involved in academic work, besides participating in professional conferences and seminars. As a research Department, faculty members evince interest in guiding research both at the M.A. and at Ph.D. levels. We take effort to organize seminars, lecture series, workshops, exhibitions and endowment lectures providing students with the opportunity to interact with noted historians across the globe. Series of publications at the International and National levels came forth from the faculty. Students of the Department imbibe the research culture from the faculty, in addition to being extraordinary in their academics.
The faculty members are committed and devoted in creating a student-centric environment for providing wholesome education, ready to support, guide and nurture the students. Along with academics, the department also ensures that the students in organizing an participating in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, both within and outside the campus.
The syllabi of both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses are enriched to equip students to face competitive exams such as the Civil Services and UGC NET / SET. Keeping in tune with the changing times, the department has introduced papers of inter-disciplinary and contemporary relevance like Women Studies, Human Rights, International Relations, Public Administration, Tourism, Basics of Archaeology, Archives Keeping, Historiography and Historical Methods, etc.
As a part of the practice of learning through observation, the department arranges field visits to places of historical significance in every semester. The field visits highly benefit the student community to make learning more tangible and attractive. The department actively tries to incorporate micro & macro learning patterns to instill a sense of purpose among the students to achieve their goals.
Qualification : M.A.,M.Phil.,Ph.D.,
Qualification : M.A.,M.Phil.,Ph.D.,
Qualification : M.A.,M.Phil.,
Qualification : M.A.,M.Phil.,Ph.D.,
Qualification : M.A.,M.Phil.,
Qualification : M.A.,M.Phil.,Ph.D.,
The Department Library is equalized with more than 1,000 Books and Journals apart from that a Book Bank facility has been maintained in the department with more than 100 books for the students.
From the academic year 2020-2021 two subjects have been added to the syllabus in U.G. level viz, Basics of Archaeology and Archives keeping. These two papers deal with theoretical and practical approach in learning for the students. Keeping in concern, the department initiated an Archaeological Museum in the department in which a good number of antique objects like prehistoric tools, coins (Numismatics), terracotta, carnelian and glass Beads, collected from various archaeological sites like Arikkamedu and Gudiyam and contributed by the faculties as well as students.
History Association
The departmental association promotes co-curricular activities such as debate, quiz, oratorical competitions, and lectures from subject specialists and infuse affinity for the subject and ultimately prompt students to choose a career aligned to it.
‘Madras Week’ Celebration
To emphasize the importance of regional history, from the year 2011, the department has been celebrating “Madras Week” during the month of August every year. In connection with that various events are being organized such as Heritage Walk to Historical Sites, Exhibition of various Historical Photographs, Numismatics, Philately, and competitions for students viz. Quiz, Debate, Oratorical, Essay Writing, Pencil Sketching, and display of rare photo collections.
Student’s Outreach Programmes
The department provide opportunities to the students to attend various workshops such as Diploma in Archaeology, Workshop in Epigraphy, Palm-leaf Manuscript Reading by International Institute of Tamil Studies and Tamilnadu Archaeology Department, and Ilantamizhar Ilakkiya Pattarai, Department of Tamil, University of Madras. A certificate course is conducted on ‘Good Governance and Effective Participation’ in collaboration with YUVA Active Advocacy Forum, a Non-profit NGO.
National Seminar
Students Academic Achievements:
Academic Year, 2017-2019
Mr. K. Dhinakaran, (2017-19) M.A., student has obtained First Rank with distinction from the University of Madras, Chennai and bagged following medals and prizes.
Academic Year, 2018-2020
One of our P.G. student Mr. A. Parthasarathy, (2018-20) has obtained First Rank with distinction from the University of Madras, Chennai and bagged following medals and prizes.
