 Namaskar. Hello. I am Dr. Sakmaya Lama from the Department of History and the Sujukumar Bhujan School of Social Sciences. And I welcome you to this program organized by Krishnakanta Khandikoi State Open University. The objective of this program is to introduce you to the core structures of the BA program in history offered by Krishnakanta Khandik State Open University through the School of Social Sciences named after the renowned historian of Assam, Sujukumar Bhujan. Besides being a historian, Sujukumar Bhujan was a prolific writer and a poet. He was instrumental in professionalizing the discipline of history. His appropriation of literature and history in reconstructing the past serves as an inspiration to all the practicing historians. Before we move on to the different details of the core structure of the BA program in history, let us talk a little bit about the university. Krishnakanta Khandikoi State Open University is a premier institution offering various programs in open and distance learning system for those who are desirous of pursuing higher education but are unable to do so due to unfavorable circumstances. The open and distance learning system offers the flexibility of time and space for the learners to complete their course or any programs of their interest offered by the university. Before we go into the details of the program structure or the outline of the program that is offered in the Department of History that is the BA program, I would like to talk about the technicalities related to this particular program and the learner must be aware of it. First of all, we expect them to have an enriching learning experience and secondly, we expect them to have a deeper interest in understanding the knowledge of history as well as to develop the skill for historical inquiry. We also expect them to complete the program within the stipulated time to submit their assignment on time and throughout the program to stay connected with the university. Pursuing a program from an open university is an isolated experience for any learner and in order to relieve them of this isolation, there are various support services provided by Krishnakanta Khandikoi State Open University. Some of the support services that I am talking about are the self-learning materials and the study centers are a means of providing support whether it is related to the academic or administration. Some of the ICT-enabled support services are the university website, library, the Android phone application of the university, video program like Eklavya and Gyantaranga, phone-in program eBidya, ESLM which are the web portals from where the learners can download all the study materials and also social media. Social media is very important where the learners can connect directly with the authorities or with the faculties and can clarify any of their inquiries or doubts. As for the design of the course, the BA program in history offered by Krishnakanta Khandikoi State Open University has been revised as per the new UGC regulations of 2017. The syllabi has been prepared after a thorough set of discussions with the subject experts from different universities along with the in-house faculties. The course has a total of 56 credits and when I am talking about the credits I am talking about the number of hours to be put in by the learner. The BA program in history consists of both the major as well as common papers. There are a total of 14 papers in the program and all the papers are compulsory for the learners. As regards the admission process, any candidate who has cleared his 10 plus two examinations from any institutions, colleges or university recognized by UGC is eligible to take admission for this particular course. The university with regard to the evaluation process follows a two-tiered evaluation system where the learner is evaluated one in a continuous basis through the assignments and another which is the term-end examination which consists of 80 marks. Assignment carries 20% of the weightage whereas the term-end examination consists of 80% of the entire marks. Another issue that I would like to talk about is the career prospects. As for the career prospects, any learner who pursues history as an academic discipline can apply for competitive examinations and in most of the competitive examinations history is one of the most sought after subjects. Anyone pursuing history as an academic discipline has the opportunity to work not just in the governmental positions but also to work in the NGOs or to take up teaching as a profession or even research in the same time in modern times. The opportunities for anyone pursuing history is very wide. A graduate in history can also have a career in institutions like the public libraries, museums, archives. They can also take up career in journalism, media, tourism and hospitality, heritage consultancy and even films. Before I begin to talk about the course structure in details let us talk about the subject. What is history and why is history a relevant subject for studying? History as many say is a dead or a dull subject and when I say dead and dull I mean to say that for many history is just about memorizing the dates or the events and this is very dull for many of the students but if we have to look into the deeper dynamics then we understand that history is not just a subject but an intellectual activity and when we have to define history I will go by the definition of E. H. Carr who says that history is a never-ending dialogue between the present and the past and it is in this sense that I wish to say that the relevance of history lies in the fact that it offers the possibility of a better understanding of the society and the force that lead us to the present situation. Coming to the program outline the BA program in history is a three-year program which consists of six semesters and a total of 14 papers. Six of the papers are common papers and eight are major papers. In semester one we have one paper which is the history of India from prehistory till the beginning of the 15th century CE. In the second semester there is one paper again history of India from the Sultanate to the Mughals. The third semester the learner has to study two papers which is India under the East India Company and history of Japan and China. In semester four there are again two papers India under the ground and history of Europe from 1789 to 1878. Semester five consists of four papers history of Assam up to the 16th century CE, cultural history of India, aspects of European history 1878 to 1960s, Indian historiography. Sixth semester consists of four papers again history of Assam from the 17th century to 1947 CE, cultural history of Assam, history of ancient civilization and socio-economic history of modern India. Going into the details of the particular papers that we have been talking about in the first semester the learner will be acquainted with the history of India right from the origin to the 13th century CE. In this particular paper the learner will be able to understand the origin of human evolution right from the prehistoric time gradually moving on to the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic period and then gradually to the state system as we see from the study of the Ganas and the Mahajanapadas. And we also in this particular paper will study about the rise of the Morians, the rise of the Guptas and the other regional kingdoms. The second semester consists of the paper of history of India from the Sultanate to the Mughals and this paper covers the medieval Indian period which is marked by the rise of Muslim power in India. And it is in this paper that we will be discussing about the invasion of the Arabs, the Ghaznavite invasion, the Khoris, the coming of the Delhi Sultanates, the rise of the Mughals and we will end this paper by studying the Marathas. Semester 3 consists of two papers, first India under the East India Company and this particular paper will look into the downfall of the Mughals leading to the rise of the East India Company as a mercantile company to an administrative power in India and the paper will end with 1857 revolt. The second paper that the learner has to study in this particular semester is the history of Japan and China. In this particular paper will study this two countries which started off as an isolated one but then played a major role in the subsequent events and this paper will cover the period till World War II. In semester 4 the learner will have to study two papers, one India under the Crown and the other history of Europe from 1789 to 1878. In the paper India under the Crown the title itself is very very significant because prior to this in the third semester we had a paper in East India under the East India Company and right now that we will study in the fourth semester will be India under the Crown and it is the difference lies in the political changes that happened post 1857 revolution. In this particular paper we will be talking about the change of administration from a mercantile company to that being taken over by the British Crown. In this particular paper we will also discuss the growing anti-colonial sentiments among the Indians as revealed through the peasant revolts the rise of the political parties. The period is also marked by the growth of communalism, socialism and it is through this paper the learner will be able to understand partition and the independence as well along with the national freedom struggle. The other paper history of Europe from 1789 to 1878 during in this particular paper we will begin with the discussion of the French Revolution and the French Revolution is a very important event because it brought about a significant change not just in France but in the entire world. The learner will get to study the rise of nationalistic feeling in Europe leading to some of the most historical revolutions which includes French Revolution. Besides France there was a growing movement of liberation in the Balkan Peninsula the demand for unification of Italy and Germany and all these issues are being covered in this particular paper. As we move on to the fifth semester the semester consists of four papers and the papers are History of Assam up to the 16th century and in this particular paper the learner will get the idea of the Assam history from the legendary period till the rise of the Ahoms. In the next paper cultural history of India the learner will be able to understand the various cultural developments that took place in India right from the prehistoric period till the beginning of the new Vaishnavite movement in Assam by Srimanta Hongkarde. In the same paper the cultural history of India emphasis has been laid for the interest of the learners to study on certain issues like art, literature, music, painting and such other topics. The third paper in semester 5 is Aspects of European History 1878 to 1960s. This paper is a continuation from the earlier paper which the learner has studied in the fourth semester History of Europe from 1789 to 1878. The period covered in the European history in the fifth semester begins in 1878 to 1960s. This paper will cover certain crucial developments that took place in Europe at that point of time. The learner will be acquainted with the idea of imperialism and how the extreme form of imperialism led to not just one but two world wars. The paper also discusses the changes that took place in the economy and the society owing to the growth of the idea of capitalism and socialism. The last paper in semester 5 that the learner has to study is Indian Historiography which is one of the most important paper for any practicing historian or for the student of history. Historiography is nothing but the art of writing history and how over the time history has been interpreted by various branches of study. History has been interpreted over time from various perspectives and in this particular paper we will look into some of the perspectives which has been put forward by various schools of thought basically the Orientalist, the Nationalist, the Colonialist, the Marxist, the Subaltern and some other schools of thought. In this particular paper we will also study about some of the historians like Abul Fazal, Ranjit Koha, Bipan Chandra, Urvashi Bhuttaria and such others. Semester 6 consists of four papers. They are History of Assam from the 17th century to 1947 CE, Cultural History of Assam, History of Ancient Civilization, Socioeconomic History of Modern India. In the paper Assam History from the 17th century to 1947 the learner will be acquainted with the rise of Ahoms from the reign of Rudra Singha till the time of independence in 1947. In this paper History of Assam from the 17th century to 1947 CE it will cover the period from the rise of Ahom in its peak of power to its downfall leading to the passing away of Assam in the hands of the colonial interest. The paper will also discuss the colonial policies taken towards the hill states and also the changes that were felt in the economy and the social structure because of the colonial interventions. The paper will also cover the nationalist freedom struggle that took place in Assam and besides the issues about the hill tribes and the policies towards the natural resources taken by the colonial government this paper will also cover the issues of the rise of Ashmi's nationalism led by the middle class of Assam. It will discuss in detail the part played by the students, the general citizens, the common citizens, women all alike in the national freedom struggle. In the next paper is a Cultural History of Assam and this particular paper focuses only on Assam which is unique in its own because when we look into the mainstream history course Assam as an area of study has been ignored and we have tried to include the study of the history of Assam particularly for our learners for their interest. This paper Cultural History of Assam is very interesting for our learners as it covers a wide range of topics from religion, folk culture, material culture to cinema, art and literature. The other paper in semester 6 is a History of Ancient Civilization and through this paper our learners will be acquainted with some of the world's oldest civilization. Some of the civilizations which has been discussed in this paper include Mesopotamian civilization, Greek civilization, Roman civilization, Chinese civilization, Egyptian civilization and Indian civilization. The last paper in semester 6 is the Socioeconomic History of Modern India. While history talks about the political events and the rulers it is important that the socio-economic aspect should not be ignored or lost and this particular paper serves the interest of the learners who take deeper interest to know the society and the economy of any time period. Here we will talk about modern India and especially the nature of economy and society prior to the coming of the British and how it changed with the colonial entrance and what impact it had on the citizens. Some of the very relevant issues that are being talked about or discussed in this paper are rural in-depthness, peasant struggle, women in agriculture, famines and a banking system and such others. So this is what we have to offer in this BA program of history and I am sure that you will love it and you will take deeper interest to pursue this particular program. Thank you.