SIDHO--KANHO-BIRSHA UNIVERSITY

Curriculum
BACHELOR OF ARTS(BA) HONOURS IN POLITICAL
SCIENCE
(with effect from 2017
2017-2018)

BACHELOR OF ARTS(BA) HONOURS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

SEMESTER-I

Title:CC1

Understanding Political Theory

Syllabus:

1. What is Politics & Political Theory, Approaches to Political Theory:

Normative, Empirical and Marxist.
2. Critical and contemporary perspectives in political theory: Feminism & Post-
Post
modernism.
3. Basic concepts: Rights, Liberty, Equality, Justice, Democracy & Citizenship
4. Ideology: Meaning & variants
variants—(a)
(a) Anarchism(b) Liberalism (c) Neo-
Neo
liberalism (d)Socialism
5. Theories of the State: Idealist, Marxist & Gandhian.
6. Modern western Marxism: Gramsci’s ‘hegemony’.
Reading References:

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).

Title:CC2

Constitutional Government and Politics in India

Syllabus:

1. 1. Philosophy of the Indian Constitution, Significance of the Preamble, Salient

features of the Indian Constitution.
2. 2. Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of the State Policy.
3. 3. Nature of the Indian Federation, Recommendations of Sarkaria Commission
and Venkat Chellaiah Commission.
4. 4. State Autonomy: Meaning of the concept in Indian context, variants and
factors.
5. 5. Regionalism: emergence, evolution and recent trends.

6. Grass roots Politics: Institutions, Problems & Prospect.

Reading References:

SudiptaKabiraj’s Politics of India, Rajni Kothari’s Omnibus (Orient Blackswan),

SajalBasu’s Regionalism, Ethnicity and Left Politics (Rawat), Sujit Chowdhury,
Madhav Khosla and Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s New Book Oxford Handbook of Indian
Constitution (OUP), India’s Living Constitution edited by Zoya Hasan, E. Sridharan
and R. Sudarshan, Permanent Black, Oxford Companion to Politics in India edited by
NirijaJayal et al (OIP), the Indian Constitution by Madhav Khosla (OIP), Working in
a Democratic Constitution by Granville Austin (OIP).
 SEMESTER-II

Title:CCIII
Governance and Democratic Politics in India

Syllabus:
1.Governance: Meaning & Origin
2. Empowerment & Decentralization: Merits & Interrelations.
3. Participation and Governance.
4. Role of Civil Society & NGOs.
5. Quest for Good Governance: Its indicators & parameters.
6. Minimum government and maximum governance.
Reading References:
Governance Discourse by Bidyut Chakraborty and Mohit Bhattacharya (ed.) [OUP, 2008], Globalization
and Politics in India by Baldev Raj Nayyar (ed.) [OUP, 2007], NoorjahanBava edited Development Policies
and Administration in India [Uppal, 2000], Governance in India by M. Laxmikanth (Tata Mc Graw Hill),
Surendra Munshi and Biju Paul Abraham edited Good Governance, Democratic Societies and
Globalization (Sage, 2004), Public Policy in India by Rajesh Chakrabarty and Kaus (OUP).
Title:CC IV
Political Process in India
Syllabus:
Disintegration of the Congress system & advent of coalition era.
Politicization of caste, new trend of Ambedkarization of politics.
Judicial autonomy and Judicial Activism.
Indian Secularism; Factors leading to the rise of communalism.
Lokpal debate with special reference to Jana Lokpal movement.
Political culture in India.

Reading References:
Rajni Kothari’s Politics in India (Orient BlackSwan), Sudha Pai’s Dalit Assertion (OUP, 2014),
Explaining Indian Democracy: A Fifty Year Perspective Vol.1 The Realm of Ideas, Explaining Indian
Democracy: A Fifty Year Perspective Vol.2 The Realm of Institutions by Lloyd Rudolph and Susanne
Rudolph (2015, OUP), R. Kothari’s (2002) The Congress System in Zoya Hasan edited Parties and Party
Politics in India (OUP), Judicial Activism in India by S.P.Sathe (OUP, 2003), Lokpal Bill Anna’s
Movement that shook India by Shashi. B. Sahai (Kalpaz Publications, New Delhi, 2014). Also see
Thomas Pantham’s Understanding Indian Secularism: Learning from its Recent Critics, in R. Vora and
Subhas Palshikar edited Indian Democracy: Meaning and Practices (Sage), NeeraChandhoke’s (2010)
Secularism in Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Nirija Gopal Jayal edited Oxford Companion to Politics in India
(OUP) & Gail Omvedt’s Ambedkar And After: The Dalit Movement in India, in Ghanshyam Shah edited
Social Movements and the State (Sage, 2002), SajalBasu edited BharaterSamaj Bhavna (Prachi
Publication).
 SEMESTER III

Title:CC V

Comparative Government and Politics

Syllabus:

1. Comparative Govt & Comparative politics: Distinction & Three Approaches to

the understanding of Comparative Politics: Institutionalism, Developmentalism
& Neo-Institutionalism.
2. Comparative study between British Prime Minister and American Presidency.
3. Constitutional development in Nepal.
4. Democracy & its crises in Pakistan: Brief historical sketch & recent trends.
5. Local Government in India & Bangladesh: A comparative study.
6. Comparative study between Indian & US Judiciary.

Reading References:

Comparative Politics Today A Worldview by Almond (Pearson, 2011), S. N. Roy’s

Modern Comparative Politics (Prentice Hall), Theoretical Foundations of
Comparative Politics by Subrata Mukherjee and Sushila Ramaswamy (Orient
BlackSwan), Comparative Politics edited by Tapan Biswal (Mc Millan), Palekar’s
Comparative Politics (Prentice Hall).

Title:CC VI

Public Administration

Syllabus:

1. Public Administration: Definition & Evolution; Contribution of Woodrow Wilson,

Distinction between Public & Private Administration.

2. Scientific Management School & Human Relations approach.

3. New Public Administration & New Public Management.

4. Major concepts: Hierarchy, Unity of Command, Span of Control, Authority,
Centralization, Decentralization, Line & Staff.

5. Bureaucracy: Views of Karl Marx & Max Weber.

6. E-Governance.

Reading References:

Henry Nicholas’s Public Administration and Public Affairs (Prentice Hall, 1999),
Mohit Bhattacharya’s New Horizons of Public Administration (Jawahar Publisher,
New Delhi, 2008), A Dictionary of Public Administration by S.R.Maheswari (Orient
BlackSwan), Public Administration: From Government to Governance by Bidyut
Chakrabarty and Prakash Chand, Pankaj Sharma’s E-Governance (APH Publishing,
2004), Public Administration by Bidyut Chakrabarty (Orient Blackswan)

Title:CC VII

Indian Administration

Syllabus:

1. Indian Administration: A broad historical Perspective

2. Union Administration-PMO-Cabinet Secretariat, Distinction between Secretariat &

Directorate.

3. Institutional Reforms in Indian Civil Service: Background, motives and

Globalization & liberalization as drivers of reforms in Indian Civil Service.

4. UPSC: Composition & Functions.

5. State Administration: Composition of State Secretariat, Role of Chief Secretary,

Divisional Commissioner, DM.

6. Rural Administration, role of BDOs; Participatory Planning.

Reading References:

Hoshiar Singh and Pankaj Singh’s Indian Administration, Arora and Goyal’s Indian
Public Administration, Public Administration in India by Siuli Sarkar (Prentice Hall),
Indian Administration by S. R. Maheswari (Orient BlackSwan), Panchayati Raj by
Kuldeep Mathur (OIP)

Title:SEC I

Legislative Process in India

Syllabus:

1. The Union Legislature –The Rajya Sabha or the Council of States—its

Composition, power and functions. The Lok Sabha of the House of People-Its
composition, power and functions. Speaker of Lok Sabha-His Election, Tenure of
office, Power and Functions; Relations between the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

1. Classification of Bills: a) Public Bill or Govt. Bill

b) Private Members’ Bill

Types of Public Bill: i) Ordinary Bill, (ii) Money Bill and (iii) Financial Bill,

(iv) Budget, (v) Vote on Account.

1. Procedure of Passing bills and role of President.

2. Role of Opposition in Parliament.

Reading References:

To be proposed soon.
 SEMESTER IV

Title:CC VIII

International Relations: Basic Theories and Approaches

Syllabus:

1.International Relations as an academic discipline.

2. Realism &its different variants.

3. Liberalism: Classical & Modern

4. Marxist theories of International Relations: World System theory, Critical theory &
New Marxists.

5. Social Constructivists: Meaning, Features & Trends.

6. Feminism as an alternative perspective

Reading References:

Introduction to International Relations by Jackson and Sorensen (OUP), International

Relations by Michael Nicholson (Palgrave McMillan, 2002), International Relations
Theories by Dunne, Kurki and Smith (OUP, 4th Edition, 2016), Peu Ghosh’s
International Relations(Prentice Hall)
Title:CC IX

World Politics: Issues and Challenges

Syllabus:

1. Non-Alignmed Movement: its origin and Evolution.

2. Climate Diplomacy in the post-WWII era.

3. Human Rights: Three Generations of Human Rights & Humanitarian Intervention.

4. Politics in Middle East: Oil politics and Palestine Crisis.

5. International migration in a Globalising World.

6. Arab Spring in Egypt, Tunisia & Libya.

Reading References:

RumkiBasu’s International Politics (Sage), Andrew Heywood’s Global Politics,

(Palgrave-McMillan, 2011), Baylis and Smith’s Globalisation of World Politics
(OUP), International Relations by Tapan Biswal (McMillan), MiddleEast Politics by
Mac Queen (Sage).

Title:CC X

Western Political Thought

Syllabus:

1. Ancient Political Thought: Greek & Roman Period

2. Medieval Political Thought: Main features with reference to St. Augustine,
St. Thomas Acquinas&Marsilius of Padua.
3. European Renaissance & Machiavelli: His concepts of Power & Secularization of
Politics.
4. Hobbes’s Materialism and John Locke’s ideas of liberalism, natural rights, property
& limited Government.
5. Rousseau: General Will.
6. Karl Marx: Pillars of Scientific Socialism.

Reading References:

History of Political Theory vol.1 & 2 by Klosko (OUP), Political Thinkers by

Boucher and Kelly (OUP), Gramsci by Steve Jones, Western Political Thought by
Shefali Jha (Sage)

Title:SEC II

Parliamentary Procedures in India

Syllabus:

1. Parliamentary Procedure when the House is in session: Question Hour, Zero

Hour, Stared and Unstarred question.
2. Various Motions: Adjournment motion, Calling Attention, Casting vote, No-
confidence motion, Resolutions, Cut motion.
3. Committee system in Indian Parliament; Different Committees.
4. Privileges of the Members of the Parliament.

Reading References:

To be proposed soon.
SEMESTER-V

Title:CC XI

Indian Political Thought

Syllabus:

1. Ancient Indian Political Thought: Basic Features, Kautilya’sSaptanga theory,

&Dandaniti.

2. Political thought in medieval India.

3. Raja Rammohun Roy—his social activism and liberal thought.

4. Swami Vivekananda: concept of nation-making & socialism.

5. Rabindra Nath Tagore: concept of Atmasakti& shift from nationalism to humanism.

6. Ambedkar: Different dimensions of his political & economic thought

Reading References:

Indian Political Thought A Reader edited by Aakash Singh &Silika Mohapatra

(Routledge), Bidyut Chakrabarty and Pandey edited Modern Indian Political Thought
(Sage, 2009), Political Thought in Modern India edited by Pantham and Deutsch
(Sage), Sources of Indian Tradition vol 2 edited by Stephan Hay (Penguin India),
Illegitimacy of Nationalism by AshisNandy (OUP) and its Bengali Translation
Jatiwatabad o Bharatchinta by SajalBasu (Bookpost Publication, 2015).,
BharatiyaRashtrachintar Bikash o RajnaitikAndolan edited by
RadharamanChabraborty (Progressive Publishers), Bharatbasha: Rastrabhavna by
Satyabrata Chakraborty (Ekushe), Indian Political Thought by K.S. Padhy (Prentice
Hall).
Title:CC XII

Modern Political Philosophy

Syllabus:

1. Modernity & its discourse: Enlightenment, its basic features.

2. Utilitarianism: Basic features, Later shifts in the thought of J.S. Mill.

3. Anarchism: its origin and core points.

4. Feminism: Different Waves; Eco-feminism.

5. Libertarinism.

6.Communitarianism.

Reading References:

Contemporary Political Ideologies edited by Roger Eatwell (Rawat), Political

Ideologies by Andrew Heywood.

Discipline Specific Electives

FOR-5TH SEMESTER HONS

Title:

Indian Foreign Policy I

Syllabus:

1. Basic tenets of Indian Foreign Policy.

2. Non-alignment as a strategy of Indian Foreign Policy.
3. India’s emergence as a ‘soft power’.
 4. India’s neighbourhood policy: Basic features; Gujral Doctrine.
5. India’s extended neighbourhood.
6. Look-East & Act-East policy.

Reading References:

India’s Foreign Policy in a Unipolar World edited by Harsh V Pant (Routledge, 2009),
India’s Foreign

Policy by Muchkund Dubey (Orient Blackswan, 2016), Challenge and Strategy by

Rajiv Sikri (Sage)

DSE-2
Title:

Human Rights in India

Syllabus:

1. Indian Constitution & Human Rights.

2. History of Dalit movements.
3. History of Civil Liberties movement in India.
4. Human Rights Commissions: National & State.
5. Human Rights Violations in India, cases and trends.
6. Role of Media, Civil Society & Judiciary for the protection of Human Rights

Reading References:

Human Rights, Democratic Rights and Popular Protest by S. Guha Roy (Progressive
Publisher), Peoples’ Rights edited by Monoranjan Mohanty, P.N.Mukherji and
OlleTornquist (Sage), Judicial Activism by S P Sathe (OUP).
DSE-3

Title:

Political History of Bengal (1905-1962)

Syllabus:

1. . Partition of Bengal in 1905 and Swadeshi movement, Rabindranath and his

concept of aatmasakti, Aurobinda, JatiyaSikha Parishad, different Sabha and
Samities, Revolutionary activities in Bengal
2. Peasant and Workers movements in Bengal.
3. Role of women protagonists in Bengal
4. Quit India movement in Bengal
5. Independence, the second partition of Bengal and related issues: refugee
problem and communal harmony.
6. Formation of Prafulla Chandra Ghosh ministry, followed by the government
of Bidhan Chandra Roy.
2. Reading References:
1) BharaterMuktisangrame Bangla by Krishna Dhar, Information and
Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, 1997
2) 2)Hastantar by Shankar Ghosh, Ananda, 2010,
3) BangaliRajnitirPanchasBacchar by Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, A.
Mukherjee, 1999
4) The Marginal Men by Prafulla Chakravarty, Naya Udyog, 1990

SEMESTER VI

Title:CC XIII

Political Sociology

Syllabus:

1. The Basic Features of Political Sociology.

2. Political Culture & Political Socialization—Key Aspects & Classification.
 3. Elite theories: Mosca, Pareto &C.Wright Mills.
4. Authority: Weberian Classification
5. Ethnicity and politics in India
6. Increasing Dalit mobilization and transformation in mainstream Indian politics

Reading References:

Political Sociology A Critical Introduction by Keith Faulks, Satyabrata Chakraborty’s

Political Sociology, Power, Politics and Society: An Introduction to Political
Sociology by Dobratz, Waldner and Buzzell (Routledge), Political Sociology by Tom
Bottomore (B.I. Publications), Rastra, SamajRajniti edited by Satyabrata Chakraborty
(Ekushe), SajalBasu edited BharaterSamaj Bhavna (Prachi Publications)

Title:CC XIV

Environment and Politics

Syllabus:

1. Environmental concerns in globalising world.

(Pollution of Global Commons, Global Trade versus Environment, Global warming

etc.)

2. North South divide in environmental negotiations.

3. Sustainable Development: Meaning, features and critique.

4. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992):

Basic features of the Convention/ Key provisions.

5. India’s stand in environmental negotiations.

6. Environmentalism, Major strands of environmentalism; Some major environmental

movements in India (Chipko, Narmada BanchaoAndolan and Silent Valley
movement).
Reading References:

Fairness in International Climate Change by FriedrickSoltau (Cambridge University

Press), Contours of India’s Foreign Policy by Mohammed BadrulAlam, Ram Chandra
Guha’s Environmentalism (Penguin Allen Lane), Handbook of Climate Change and
India edited by Dubash (OUP), BharateSamajikAndolan edited by SajalBasu(
BookPost Publications, M-9564839401).

FOR 6TH SEMESTER

DSE-4
Indian Foreign Policy II
Syllabus:

1. Evolution of India’s Nuclear Policy.

2. India’s bilateral relations with US & Russia.
3. Sino-Indian relations: Brief Historical Sketch & Contemporary Developments.
4. Indian Ocean and India’s maritime security.
5. India & the UNO: India’s participation in different UN peace-keeping missions
& her demand in favour of UN reform.
6. 6. Post-Cold War Indian Foreign Policy—Continuity & Change

Reading References:

SumitGanguly edited India’s Foreign Policy (OUP), India’s Foreign Policy A Reader
edited by Kanti Bajpai and Harsh V Pant (OUP, 2013), Neighbours, Major Powers
and India’s Foreign Policy by Aneek Chatterjee (Orient Black Swan), Does the
Elephant Dance by David Malone (OUP), Indian Foreign Policy edited by Atish Sinha
and M. Mohta (Academic Foundation), Challenge and Strategy by Rajiv Sikri (Sage).

DSE-5
Human Rights
Syllabus:

1. Human Rights: Meaning and expanding scope.

 2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights & Different Covenants and
Agreements .
3. Protective mechanisms in International Laws.
4. Women & Child Rights as Human Rights.
5. Crimes against humanity: Major forms & Humanitarian Intervention.
6. Global Human rights: major issues and need for global awareness

Reading References:
Human Rights and Development by Peter Urvin (Viva), PrasangaManabadikar
edited by Suvendu Dasgupta (Peoples Book Society, College Street), Gender
Disparity in India by Siuli Sarkar (Prentice Hall), History of Human Rights by M R Ishay (Orient
Blackswan), TheFuture of Human Rights by Upendra Baxi(OIP), J Macrae and Z Anthony edited War and
Hunger (London: Zed Books), Naomi Rohit-Arriaza edited Impunity and Human Rights Law and Practice
(OUP).

DSE-6
Title:Essentials of Indian Constitution and the Polity
Syllabus:

1. Indian Constitutional History- Different visions reflected in the making of the

Indian Constitution: Gandhian, Nehruvian &Ambedkarite notion of Social Justice;
Role of Constituent Assembly
2. Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy
3. Indian Federalism: Different aspects of Centre-State Relations, impact of Coalition
era on Indian federalism
4. Constitutional Amendment Procedures: Role of Parliament and the Supreme Court
5. Indian Party system: Features, National and Regional parties-their ideology and
functions; recent trends in Indian party system.
6. Indian Judiciary-Features, Structure and functions; Judicial Activism
Reading References:
1. D. D. Basu: An Introduction to the Constitution of India
2. Manas Mukul Bandyopadhyay: India's Constitutional Government and Politics in
Practice Revisiting in the 21st Century (Palmview Publishing, February 2020)
3. J.C. Johari: Indian Government and Politics
4. BidyutChakrabortry: Indian Constitution: Text, Context and Interpretation (Sage,
2019)