POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

 

PAPER- I :  POLITICAL THEORY AND INDIAN POLITICS

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1. Political Theory: meaning and approaches.

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2. Theories of state : Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluiralist, post-colonial and Feminist.

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3. Justice : Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques.

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4. Equality : Social, political and economic; relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.

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5. Rights : Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; Concept of Human Rights.

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6. Democracy : Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy—representative, participatory and deliberative.

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7. Concept of power : hegemony, ideology and legitimacy.

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8. Political Ideologies : Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.

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9. Indian Political Thought: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist Traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M. K. Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, M. N. Roy.

 

10. Western Political Thought : Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.

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Indian Government and Politics :

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1. Indian Nationalism :

(a) Political Strategies of India’s Freedom Struggle : Constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience; Militant and Revolutionary Movements, Peasant and Workers Movements.

(b) Perspectives on Indian National Movement; Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical Humanist and Dalit.

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2. Making of the Indian Constitution : Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.

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3. Salient Features of the Indian Constitution : The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine.

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4. (a) Principal Organs of the Union Government : Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and Supreme Court.

    (b) Principal Organs of the State Government : Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and High Courts.

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5. Grassroots Democracy : Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.

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6. Statutory Institutions/Commissions : Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission.

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7. Federalism : Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.

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8. Planning and Economic development : Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; Role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.

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9. Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.

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10. Party System : National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; Patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behaviour; changing socio-economic profile of Legislators.

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11. Social Movement : Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements.

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PAPER- II: COMPARATIVE POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

 

​Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics :

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1. Comparative Politics : Nature and major approaches; Political economy and  political sociology perspectives; Limitations of the comparative method.

 

2. State in Comparative Perspective : Characteristics and changing nature of  the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and advanced industrial and developing societies.

 

3. Politics of Representation and Participation : Political parties, pressure  groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.

 

4. Globalisation : Responses from developed and developing societies.

 

5. Approaches to the Study of International Relations : Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.

 

6. Key Concepts in International Relations : National interest, security and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation.

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7. Changing International Political Order :

(a) Rise of super powers; Strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and cold war; Nuclear threat; 

(b) Non-aligned Movement : Aims and achievements.

(c) Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; Relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world.

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8. Evolution of the International Economic System : From Bretton woods to WTO; Socialist economies and the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance); Third World demand for new international economic order; Globalisation of the world economy.

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9. United Nations : Envisaged role and actual record; Specialized UN agencies— aims and functioning; need for UN reforms.

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10.Regionalisation of World Politics : EU, ASEAN, APEC, AARC, NAFTA.

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11. Contemporary Global Concerns : Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice terrorism, nuclear proliferation.

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INDIA AND THE WORLD 

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1. Indian Foreign Policy : Determinants of foreign policy; the institutions of policy-making; Continuity and change.

 

2. India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement Different phases; Current role.

 

3. India and South Asia :

(a) Regional Co-operation : SAARC-past performance and future prospects.

(b) South Asia as a Free Trade Area.

(c) India’s “Look East” policy.

(d) Impediments to regional co-operation : River water disputes; illegal cross border migration; Ethnic conflicts and insurgencies; Border disputes.

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4. India and the Global South : Relations with Africa and Latin America; Leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.

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5. India and the Global Centres of Power : USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.

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6. India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; Demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.

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7. India and the Nuclear Question : Changing perceptions and policy.

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8. Recent developments in Indian Foreign Policy : India’s position on the recent crises in Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, growing relations with US and Isreal; Vision of a new world order.

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