The Department of Sociology was established in the year 1994 with the objective of offering Honours level courses to the under-graduate students of Burdwan Raj College. It was the pioneering department in the entire South Bengal to offer such a course under The University of Burdwan. The Department played a major role in the region for applying the pedagogical model of using and nourishing the discipline of Sociology for teaching and research endeavours. The Department, therefore, could create a legacy of its own within a short period of time.

The introduction of Sociology at the UG level at Burdwan Raj College took place at a time when there were global experiments with innovative and need-based curricula in social sciences in particular. Globalization of disciplinary discourses brought forward new ideas and practices related to sociological thought, theory, methods, and issues, and as a corollary, Burdwan Raj College became the first academic institution in the state of West Bengal to introduce new concepts, ideas, and practices. The syllabus that was offered to our students reflected more on global developments in the field of sociology while at the same time stressing more on indigenous knowledge, experiences, and issues of concern for the whole society. The curricula thereby allowed the students not only to expand their knowledge base as per the global standard but also to develop and nourish their personal thoughts and values in framing answers to the questions. The curriculum also permitted the students to conduct field visits to carry out extension outreach programs for the benefit of society at large. At the same time, the practice allowed them to gain methodological insights while applying theoretical knowledge in conducting field-based research.

The experience of Burdwan Raj College was soon replicated while introducing the discipline of sociology in many other colleges in the region. The students who benefited out of such experiments also could become torch bearers in their academic life later.

This Department holds the unique distinction of producing university rank holders uninterruptedly ever since its inception. A high percentage of our students get placement through SSC, MSC, NET, SET and other establishments both in private and public sectors. Most of the rank holders of the University of Burdwan both at the UG and PG levels hail from this Department.

Our teachers have published papers in peer reviewed journals including edited volumes, got a UGC Minor Research Project and was involved in UNICEF sponsored project works.