An American Corner at Presidency

KOLKATA: In its new avataar, Presidency University has started an American Corner to promote American studies. It's been started as part of the English department to initiate students into American literature and social studies.
For the past two years, the department has been liaising with the American consulate for this and finally, the corner has started with the consulate gifting books and CDs to start with.The newly formed university is expected to modify its syllabi to a great extent and it is expected that America will gradually step into them, breaking the earlier mould where Europe, especially Great Britain, ruled. The consulate is expected to fund a lot of exchange activities between this university and its counterparts in the US, seminars and specialised studies.
An informal survey conducted for the purpose by the college showed that there is a lot of interest in learning more about American literature, society and culture. Although the American Corner will be housed in the English Department, students and faculty members of the other social science departments will also have access to these books on American literature, history and politics.
"Education is an area where the US and India have forged deep ties. Universities in the US offer high quality education and currently Indian students are the largest group of international students in the United States. Since the esteemed college has now been granted university status, the establishment of an American Corner has come at the appropriate time. As the institution expands, it could re-frame the existing curriculum initiate studies in new areas by moving out of the South Asian/Indian paradigms and taking a more global approach while formulating a curriculum that would also include American Studies," said Beth Payne, the US consul-general in Kolkata.
Principal Amitava Chatterjee said that promoting American Studies as a discipline has been a long-time plan. The American Center very often holds programmes on American literature, history and politics and these are new genres of studies that are opening up for modern universities.