Mount Carmel College gives you the opportunity to study written English with an option of studying diverse range of literature including fiction, plays, poems and essays. The courses offered by the department of English in Mount Carmel enable you to hone your skills and acquire knowledge about the writings of particular authors, starting from movements and periods in great detail so that you can develop your own interests in English literature and language- ones that will remain with you for the rest of your life.

Studying English will equip you with writing and analytical skills that will prove to be an advantage in many other professions and situations. In order to distinguish between the different levels of English literature, the department of English is responsible for three subjects at the undergraduate level.

• Optional English (English Literature):
  Course description:
  Our focus is on a plural and flexible approach in English studies. This course is designed with the view that the study of literature has to be contextualized in order to help students address academic and cultural challenges that they meet in their everyday lives. The Courseware trains students to not only read, understand and interpret literary texts, but also to arrive at newer questions with a fresh critical perspective. In order to meet the demands of new generation learners, our course is reconstituted every year to meet global challenges and changes.
  
  Syllabus:
  In each of the first four semesters, students will have to attempt one paper in Optional English. In the fifth and sixth semesters, they will have to attempt two papers each. Based on current requirements, our syllabus is moulded every year to suit present day requirements from students.
  
  First semester:
  The first semester begins the study of literature from the Elizabethan to the Augustan age. Poetry as well as drama belonging to this period is studied in detail to provide students with an overview of early literature. In order to equip students with better speaking and translation skills, the course incorporates the study of phonetics.
  
  Second semester:
  The second semester evolves to the pre romantics and romantics in chronological order to help students better understand the evolution of literature in English with time. The semester incorporates poetry, and in depth study of a novel as well as linguistics
  
  Third Semester:
  In the third semester, students explore poetry, essays and short stories of the Victorian and early modern age. This semester involves the study of a novel as well as the provision of skills required for efficient textual analysis so that students learn the basics of independent fiction as well as creative writing and interpretation
  
  Fourth Semester:
  Fourth semester explores poetry and short stories of American literature. We also introduce the study of a play as well as language of the media in order to meet demands of a dynamic multimedia society.
  
  Fifth Semester:
  The fifth semester includes two papers, one being literatures of India and the other being European and Non European writing. Both incorporate drama, short fiction, poetry as well as a novel.
  
  Sixth Semester:
  The sixth semester continues with the study of Literatures of India and European and Non European writing in detail; incorporating the study of more novels, extensive poetry as well as fiction, and the introduction of a play or a film.
  
  A core subject that may be studied in one the following combinations:
  PyEC: Psychology, Optional English, Communication Studies
  PyEJ: Psychology, Optional English, Journalism
  PyEE: Psychology, Optional English, Economics
  
  
• General English: A compulsory language subject for all first and second year students
  The teaching and learning of English has undergone tremendous change in recent years. In an increasingly globalized world, certain vital skills need to be imparted to the students- to think critically and imaginatively, to communicate effectively and meaningfully, and to pursue learning as a lifelong activity and become agents of change. The different kinds of text that have been chosen for General English reflect the changing and eclectic nature of our world. Students will acquire the mindset and vocabulary to understand the cultural, social and technical dimensions of language
  
  Course description:
  The study of General English in Mount Carmel College incorporates a challenging, well designed syllabus that provides the context in which students:

• Develop the abilities of speaking, reading, writing and listening skills
• Develop the ability to use language for personal, social and inter personal needs
• Develop powers of analytical, critical, creative and reflective thinking
• Develop language to think, create, act and react
  
  Syllabus:
  Apart from short stories, the syllabus includes writing and grammar for the first four semesters of undergraduate study, ranging from personal writing to report writing as well as remedial and contextual grammar; we also have training in English for competitive examinations.
  
  The aim of this syllabus is to help students develop their language skills, which will facilitate their learning of other subjects in their three years of undergraduate study. It will also help them cope with the demands and challenges of the workplace and society once they have completed their studies. We envisage a change from the earlier traditional content-based approach in favour of one that is skill-based.

• Additional English: A language subject offered as an alternative to first and second year students who have not previously studied Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Sanskrit or French.
  
  Students of Additional English take up the course in lieu of an Indian or foreign language. The class comprises of students not only from India but from other countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Fiji Islands, Ghana and U.A.E. Being acquainted only cursorily with the cultures and literatures of India, the need was felt to imbibe the knowledge of the same and inculcate interpretative skills.
  
  Syllabus
  The syllabus for Additional English had been planned so as to represent a cross section of the composite and mosaic nature of the various life experiences that make up the Indian Psyche- the colonial experience, independence and post independence discourses, the caste struggles, gender related issues and the urban-rural divide.
  
  In the second year, we expand our realm of study to literatures from around the world. Our focus is contemporary issues that shape the modern individual- globalization, multiple cultural encounters, specific socio- political influences and the consequent identity formation. We also wish to imbibe a critical sensibility that debates about complex issues like racism and influences of powerful institutions like the media. With the text selection, an attempt to combine the European canonical texts with that of post colonial nations has been made for a more diverse study.
  Students are tested on their ability to understand and interpret different ways in which language is used in literary texts and also to use language tools effectively for critical analysis.