About the Syriac Department

 

 

 

The Department of Syriac (the West Syriac, a dialect of Syriac) has been functioning as the part of St John’s College, since its inception in 1964, so for roughly sixty years now. The first Principal of the college, Fr. Philip C Pantholil was also the first Head of the Department of Syriac. He taught Syriac as second language for pre-degree students and undergraduates.

A glimpse of former faculty members:

1.Rev.Fr. Philip C. Pantholil

2.Rev.Fr. Pious Cheriyil OIC 

3.Rev.Fr. John Kannamkara

4..Rev.Fr. Augastine Mangalath

5.Rev. Fr.Dr.James Steephen Olikal.

Now Fr. Renji Maniparampil is serving as the Assistant Professor.

 

At present, Degree Courses have Syriac as second language in the following order:

9 Hours per week for BA/ B.Sc students across four semesters

4 Hours per week for B.Com CBCS students across two semesters

5 Hours per week for Career Related Courses (BA English and Communicative English and B.Com Accounts with Data Science) across two semesters.

 

Students who desire to learn a new language are given the opportunity to opt Syriac as their second language and also the students who have already selected the same during their Plus Two study get an ocassion to study in graduate level.Students who are interested to study the Holy Bible, Syriac Literature and History of Syriac churches in India and also of Christianity opt it.

Syriac students are trained to learn 'how to approach a new language with a systematic mind and are equipped in different skills like writing, reading,translating, transliterating, making sentences, grammatical analysis, hearing and grasping of a new foreign and ancient language

.