1.Political theory: meaning and approaches. 2.Theories of the state: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and feminist. 3.Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques. 4.Equality: Social, political and economic;relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action. 5.Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; concept of Human Rights. 6.Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy-representative, participatory and deliberative. 7.Concept of power: hegemony, ideology and legitimacy. 8.Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism. 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.
Indian Nationalism: 1. Political Strategies of India’s Freedom struggle : constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience ; millitant and revolutionary movements, Peasant and workers’ movements. 2. Perspectives on Indian National Movement: Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical humanist and Dalit. Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives. 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. 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. Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements. Statutory Inst i tut ions/Commissions: Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Comission for scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission. Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes. Planning and Economic Development : Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalilzation and economic reforms. Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics. 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. Social Movements: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements
1- Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; political economy and political sociology perspectives; limitations of the comparative method. State in comparative perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and, advanced industrial and developing societies. Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies. Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies. Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory. Key concepts in International Relations: National interest, Security and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation. Changing International Political Order: (a) Rise of super powers; strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and Cold War; nuclear threat; (b) Non-al igned movement : Aims and achievements; (c) Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world. Evolution of the International Economic System: From Brettonwoods 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. United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; specialized UN agencies-aims and functioning; need for UN reforms. Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA. Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, nuclear proliferation..