Syllabus (POLITICAL SCIENCE)
Course Type: MAJ-1
Semester: 1
Course Code: BPLSMAJ01T
Course Title: Understanding Political Theory
(L-P-Tu): 5-0-1
Credit: 6
Practical/Theory: Theory
Course Objective:
Learning Outcome: Course Outcome: Understanding Political theory is integral and indispensable for a comprehensive and critical study of political science. The course is designed to train a student in the foundational issues of political theory, which is relevant for any i
Learning Objectives:
- The Course projects the global and interdisciplinary orientation of Political Theory. It also emphasizes the interplay of theory and practice in the political process.
- To understand the difference between ideology and thought as well as between theory and ideology.
- To understand the relationship between ideas and politics.
- To understand the core doctrines of each of the ideologies and to make sense of politics through different ideological perspectives.
- To introduce the student to the basic concept and Ideologies. To acquaint the students with the contemporary debates across the ideologies.
- To enable the students to face the competitive examinations (UPSC, PSC, NET/ SET)
Course Content: 6*6=36Classes (6 Classes per topic)
- What is Politics & Political Theory, Approaches to the study of Politics: Liberal, Marxist, Behavoiural and Post-behavioural.
- Critical and contemporary perspectives in political theory: Feminism & Post-modernism.
- Basic concepts: Rights, Liberty, Equality, Justice, Democracy & Citizenship.
- Ideology: Meaning & variants – Anarchism, Liberalism, Neo-liberalism and Socialism.
- Theories of the State: Idealist, Marxist & Gandhian.
- Modern Western Marxism: Gramsci’s ‘hegemony’.
Suggested Readings:
- Rajeev Bhargava’s What is Political Theory and Why do We Need It (OUP),
- David Marsh and Garry Stoker edited Theory and Methods in Political Science,
- Macmillan etc, Catriona McKinnon(ed) Issues in Political Theory (OUP, 2008).
- Easton, David (1966), Varieties of Political Theories, New Jersey, Prentice Hall
- Joad C.E.M. (1924), Introduction to Modern Political Theory, OUP
- Sanders, D. (1995) Behavioral Analysis, in Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds.) Theory and Methods in Political Science. London: Macmillan
- Debnath, Arnab and Naskar, Gobinda (2022) Rajnoitik Tottwa: Dharonasomuho, Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi.
- Mukherjee, Pradipta, (2021), Rajnaitik Tottwa: Dharana O Bitarko, Progressive Publishers, Kolkata.
Basic Features
Undergraduate degree programmes of either 3 or 4-year duration, with multiple entry and exit points and re-entry options, with appropriate certifications such as:
- UG certificate after completing 1 year (2 semesters with 40 Credits + 1 Summer course of 4 credits) of study,
- UG diploma after 2 years (4 semesters with 80 Credits + 1 Summer course of 4 credits) of study,
- Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year (6 semesters with 120 credits) programme of study,
- 4-year bachelor’s degree (Honours) after eight semesters (with 170 Credits) programme of study.
- 4-year bachelor’s degree (Honours with Research) if the student completes a rigorous research project (of 12 Credits) in their major area(s) of study in the 8th semester.
Note: The eligibility condition of doing the UG degree (Honours with Research) is- minimum75% marks to be obtained in the first six semesters.
- The students can make an exit after securing UG Certificate/ UG Diploma and are allowed to re-enter the degree programme within three years and complete the degree programme within the stipulated maximum period of seven years.
