SYLLABUS FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE

1. Political Theory (Book: Andrew Heywood)

1.1Concepts Politics, Political Science, Political Theory, Political Thought,
Political Ideology, Political Philosophy
1.2Political Theory Meaning, Nature, concerns, decline, resurgence since
1970s, approaches
1.3Definition, meaning, elements, and Theories of the State Liberal,
Neoliberals, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and Feminist
1.4Justice, Rawls theory of Justice and its communitarian critique, Social
Justice
1.5Equality
1.6Rights
1.7Duties
1.8Citizenship
1.9Liberty
1.10 Democracy
1.11 Secularism
1.12 Individualism
1.13 Franchise and Methods of Representation
1.14 Sovereignty: Austins theory, Pluralist theory
1.15 Concept and role Power,Authority, Hegemony, Ideology, Legitimacy
1.16 Political Ideologies Idealism, Anarchism, Liberalism, Socialism,
Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism, Feminism, Behaviouralism, Postbehaviouralism, Church-state relationship, Theory of Two swords,
Authoritarianism, New Freudianism, Existentialism, Modernism, Postmodernism:Michael Focoult, Imperialism, Communitarianism,
Environmentalism, Orientalism, Multiculturalism, Social Democracy,
Libertarianism,
1.17 Indian Political thought Manu, Bhishma, Sukra, Kautilya & Shanti
Parva, Dharamshastra, Arthashastra, Nitishastra and Buddhist tradition,
Syed Ahmed Khan, Aurobindo, Gandhi, Ambedkar, MN Roy, Joy Prakash
Ambedkar, Savarkar, Gokhale, Govind ranade, Raja Ram Mohan Roy,
Vivekanada, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Jawaharlal Nehru, BG Tilak, JM
Neharu, Jay Prakash narain, Madan Mohan Malviya, Dayanand Saraswati,
Thiruvalluvar, Deen Dayal Upadhayay, Gayatri Spivak and Chandra
Mohanty, Hayek, Popper, Russell, Oakshott
1.18 Western Political Thought Hammurabi, Confuciuss, Socrates, Mozi,
Xenophon, Diogenes of Sinope, Aeschines, Mencius, Xun Zi, Saint
Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Bodin, Marsiglio of Padua, Herbert Spencer,
Cicero, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, John S. Mill,
Bentham, Harold Laski, Hegel, Marx, Green, Lenin, Mao, Gramsci, Rawls,
Nozic, Communitarians, Hannah Arendt, Thoreau, Friedrick Nietzsche,
Georges Sorel, Eduard Bernstein, Bunde Veblen, John Dewey, Weber, Sun
Yat-sen, August Comte, David Ricardo, Adam Smith, Kant, Frederick the
Great, David Hume, Thomas Carlyle, Arthur Schopenhauer, Charles
Fourier, Benjamin Constant, Malthus, Henri de Saint Simon, William

Godwin, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Muhammad ibn

Abd-al Wahhab, Montesqieu, Baruch Spinoza, Francis Bacon, Voltaire,
James Harrington, Emile Kurkheim, Sigmund Freud, Walter Benjamin,
Noam Chomsky, Foucault, David Easton, Mohammad Ali Jinnah;The
critique of Bourgeois Civilization: Marcuse and Macpherson; Marxist
currents: Mao-Tse-Tung, Guevara, Fanon, Althusser, Poulentzas
1.19
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Third World Political Theory

Nature and Content of Third World Political Theory
Gandhi
Mao Zedong
Frantz Fanon
Che Guevara
Amilcar Cabral
Kwame Nkrumah
Julius Nyerere

2. Comparative Politics
2.1 Definition, meaning, origin Nature, Scope, Evolution and Limitation of
Comparative Politics
2.2Political economy and political sociology perspectives of Comparative
politics
2.3Major approaches traditional, structural-functional, systems and Marxist
2.4Constitutionalism concepts, practice, problems and limitations
2.5State in Comparative politics characteristics and changing nature in
capitalist and socialist economies, and advanced industrialist and
developing societies
2.6Politics of representation and participation Political parties, pressure
groups, interest groups, social movements in advanced industrial and
developing societies
2.7Forms of govt: Unitary-federal, Parliamentary-Presidential
2.8Organs of govt: Executive, Legislative, Judiciary their interrelationship in
comparative perspective
2.9Party system, Pressure groups, Interest groups, Electoral system, role of
opposition.
2.10 Bureaucracy types and roles
2.11 Political development, Political Modernization, Political Culture,Political
Socialization, Political Communication, Political Elite
2.12 Elitist theory of democracy
2.13 Power, Authority and Legitimacy
2.14 Revolution: Theories and types
2.15 Dependency: Development, and underdevelopment
2.16 Judicial review, rule of law, separation of power
3. INDIAN GOVT AND POLITICS
1. Indian Nationalism and National Movement constitutionalism to mass
satyagraha, Non cooperation, Civil Disobidience, Militant and revolutionary
movements, peasants and workers movement

2. Perspectives on Indian National Movement Liberal, Socialist, Marxist,

Radical, Humanist, and dalit
3. Making of the Indian Constitution, Legacies of British Rule, different
social,economic, political perspectives & ideological bases
4. Features of Indian Constitution: Preamble, Fundamental Rights,
Fundamental Duties, DPSPs, Parliamentary System, Amendment, Judicial
Review, Basic Structure Doctrine, Constitution as an instrument of socioeconomic change.
5. Union Government President, VP, PM, Council of Ministers, Working of
the Legislature, Executive and Supreme Court
6. State Government Governor, CM, Working of the Legislature, Executive
and High Court
7. Panchayati Raj Institutions and Municipal Government, Grassroot
Democracy, Significance of the 73rd and 74th Amendment, Working,
Grassroot movements
8. Statutory Institutions NITI Aayog, Planning Commission, NDC, UGC, CVC,
NGRC, NCW etc
9. Regulatory Institutions TRAI, SECI,RBI, NHAI, IWAI,ICAI, IDRA, CCI etc
10.Quasi-Judicial Institutions National Green tribunal, Armed forces tribunal,
Central Administrative Tribunal, CIC, SIC etc
11.Constitutional Institutions UPSC, SPSC, CAG, ECI, FCI, NCSC, NCST,
Attorney General etc
12.Armed Forces tribunal, and military law in India
13.Central Administrative Tribunal and administrative law in India
14.Federalism: Theory, Practice and Problem in India, Constitutional
Provisions, Emerging Trends in Centre-State relations, integrationist
tendencies & demands of autonomy and separation, inter-state dispute,
centre-state dispute, UT-Centre relations.
15.Judicial Activism, Judicial Reforms, PIL etc
16.Planning and Economic development nehruvian and gandhian
perspective, role of planning and public sector, green revolution, land
reforms and agrarian relations, liberalization and 1991 economic reforms
17.Class, Caste, religion, ethnicity, dalit and regional issues, problems of
nation-building and integration
18.Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social
bases of parties, patterns of coalition politics, pressure groups, interest
groups, public opinion, media, subaltern, trends in electoral behavior,
changing socio-economic profiles of legislators, Election Commission and
Electoral reforms, Election System in India
19.Social Movement: Civil Liberties & Human Rights Movement, Womens
Peasant, Dalit, Environmentalist etc.

20. Problems of the Indian Political System: Linguism, Regionalism, Communalism,

Terrorism, Casteism, Corruption and Criminalisation etc.
4. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
4.1Theories of political geography - Heartland and Rimland

4.2Electoral Geography Geography of Voting, Geographic Influences on

Voting pattern, Geography of Representation, Gerrymandering.
4.3Political Geography of Resource Conflicts Water Sharing Disputes,
Disputes and Conflicts Related to Forest Rights and Minerals.
4.4Politics of Displacement: Issues of relief, compensation and rehabilitation:
with reference to Dams and Special Economic Zones
5. PUBLIC FINANCE AND POLITICAL ECONOMY
5.1Role of Govt in Economic activity Allocation, distribution and stabilization
functions; Private, Public and Merit Goods
5.2The Public Budgets Kinds of Budgets, Zero-base budgeting, different
concepts of budget deficits, Budgets of the Union Government of India
5.3Theories of public expenditure effects on savings, investment and
growth
5.4Burden of public debt
5.5Public Expenditure Hypothesis; effects and evaluation
5.6Theories of Taxation, types, incidence and effects
5.7Public Revenue Different approaches to the division of tax burden,
incidence and effects of taxation, elasticity and buoyancy, taxable
capacity
5.8Public debt Sources, effects, burden and its management
5.9Fiscal federalism Theory and problems; Problems of Centre-State
Financial relations in India
5.10 Fiscal Policy Neutral and compensatory and functional finance;
balanced budget multiplier
5.11 Union Finance Trends in Revenue and Expenditure of the Government
of India
5.12 State Finance Trends in Revenue and Expenditure of the State
Governments
5.13 Public Debt Indias Public Debt since 1951 growth composition,
ownership pattern and debt management
5.14 Union-State Financial relations Horizontal and vertical imbalances,
the Finance Commissions
5.15 Fiscal reforms in India
6. Ancient Indian History
1. Sources of Indian History
2. Role of Geography in History
3. Pre-History and Proto-History
4. Indus Valley Civilization
5. Megalithic Culture
6. Aryans and Vedic Period
7. Period of Mahajanapadas
8. Mauryan Empire
9. Post-Mauryan Period(Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas, Western
Kshatrapas)
10.Early State & Society in Eastern India, Deccan & South India
11.Guptas, Vatakas and Vardhanas
12.Regional States during Gupta Era
7. Medieval Indian History

1. Early Medieval Period(750-1200)

2. Cultural Traditions in India(750-1200)
3. 13th Century
4. 14th Century
5. 15th and early 16th Century
6. Akbar
7. Mughal Empire in the 17th Century
8. Economy and Society in the 16th and 17th Century
9. Culture in the Mughal Empire
10.18th Century
8. Modern Indian History
1. European Penetration of India
2. British Expansion of the British Raj
3. Early Structure of the British Raj
4. Economic Impact of British Colonial Rule
5. Social and Cultural Developments
6. Social and Religious Reforms
7. Indian Response to British Rule
8. Factors leading to Birth of Nationalism
9. Rise of Gandhi
10.Constitutional Development 1858-1935
11.Other Strands in National Movement
12.Politics of Separatism
13.Consolidation of a Nation
14.Caste and Ethnicity after 1947
15.Economic Development & Political Change
9. Modern World History
1. Enlightenment and Modern Ideas
2. Origins of Modern State
3. Industrialization
4. Nation-State System
5. Imperialism and Colonialism
6. Revolution and Counter-Revolution
7. World War I
8. World War 2
9. World after WW2
10.Liberation from Colonial Rule
11.Decolonization and Underdevelopment
12.Unification of Europe
13.Disintegration of USSR and the Rise of the Unipolar World
10.
International Relations Theory
1. Introduction to International Relations
2. Classical Realism
3. Neo-realism
4. VARIANTS OF NEOREALISM: OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, NEOCLASSICAL AND
HEGEMONIC REALISM
5. CLASSICAL POLITICAL THEORY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
6. Liberalism
7. Rational choice theory

8. Marxism
9. English School
10.Constructivism
11.Feminism
12.Neo-marxism and critical theory
13.Post-structuralism and Post-modernism
14.IR Theory and the third world
15.Post-colonialism
16.Normative theory and International ethics
17.Advanced Political Theory: Look down

18.
19.Political Realism/ Structural Realism/ Classical Realism
20.Subaltern Realism
21.Idealism
22.Global Society, Interdependence, Liberal Institutionalism(GS/CI/LI
Approach)
23.Liberalism
24.Post-liberalism
25.Constructivism
26.The English School

27.Feminism
28.Marxism and Critical theory
29.Neo-liberalism
30.System Approach
31.Dependency Approach
32.Modernism
33.Post-modernism
34.Gramscianism
35.Post-Gramscianism
36.Social Constructivism
37.Complex Interdependence
38.The Green theory
39.Orientalism
40.Post-realism
41.Foundationalism
42.Anti-Foundationalism
43.Behaviouralism
44.Positivism
45.Structuralism
46.Post-structuralism
47.Rationalism-Grotian
48.Revolutionism-Kantian
49.Functionalism
50.Colonialism
51.Post-colonialism
52.Utilitarianism
53.Transgender Perspective
54.Third World Perspective
55.Power
56.Empire
57.Sovereignty
58.National Interest
59.What is International Relations?
60.Security
61.Cosmopolitanism
62.Neorealism
63.War
64.Diplomacy
65.Deconstructionism
66.Imperialism
67.Capitalism
68.International Regionalism
69.Prisoners dilemma
70.Socialism
71.Communism
72.Nationalism concept
73.National Power concept
74.Industrial Military Complex
75.Levels of Analysis Approach
76.Balance of Power concept

77.Security Dilemma
78.Normative Theory
79.Non-Alignment
80.IR Theory beyond the West
81.Anarchy
82.Post-Positivism
83.Ancient Chinese Thought and International Relations
84.Ancient Indian Thought and International Relations
85.Islamic Thought and International Relations
11.
International Politics
1. Origin, Definition, Meaning, Nature, Scope, Features and Characteristics,
Limitations.
2.
12.
International Organization
13.
International Law
14.
Globalization and Multiculturalism
15.
International Trade
16.
Indian Foreign Policy; India and the World
17.
Geopolitics, Geo-economics and Resources
18.
Diaspora and Migration
19.
Development, Gender and Human Rights
20.
International Security and Terrorism
21.
Area Studies
1. US, Canada, and Latin America
2. Africa
3. Europe
4. West Asia
5. Russia and CAS
6. East Asia
7. South East Asia
22.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
23.
DEFENCE AND STRATEGIC STUDIES
1. Military Geography
2. National Security
3. Indian National Security
4. Strategic Studies
5. Indian Defense Establishments
6. Indian Military History
24.
GEOGRAPHY
International Politics
Theoretical Aspects of International Relations
Advanced International Relations Theory
Theories of International Political Economy
Realism and World Politics
Culture, Norms and Identity in World Politics
Globalization & the State
International System, Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics

Patterns of Change and Development in International Politics

Comparative Analysis of Foreign Policy
International Organization
Theoretical Issues in International Organization
International Economic and Financial Organizations
International Regional Organizations
Development of International Organization
UN and Global Problems
India and International Organizations
India and the United Nations
Globalization of Human Rights
Great Powers in the International System
Diplomacy and Disarmament Studies
Origin and Evolution of Contemporary Diplomacy
International Negotiation-Theory & Practice
Economic and Military Dimensions of Diplomacy
International Business Negotiations
International Environmental Negotiations
India and Disarmament
Science, Technology & National Security
Contemporary Issues in International Security
Strategies of Peace and War
Introduction to Peace and Conflict Resolution
National Security and International Relations
Peace and War in the Nuclear Age
Arms Race, Arms Control and Disarmament
Superpower Diplomacy: Structures, Processes and Problems
Third World Diplomacy
Political Geography
Concepts and Issues in Geopolitics
Geopolitics: Theories and Issues
Political Geography
Advanced Political Geography
The Oceans and Politics
Geography and Politics of Sustainable Development
Political Geography of South East Asia
1. African Studies
i. The end of the European empires
ii. The French and the Maghrib
iii. Africa and the world
iv. Geocultural Aspect
v. Historical Aspect
vi. Colonialism in Africa
vii. Political Aspects
viii.
Economic Aspects

ix. Social Aspects

x. Africa and the World
xi. Ideologies in Africa
xii. Govt and Politics in N.Africa
xiii.
Development Strategies in Sub-saharan Africa
2. South East Asia(Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Timor, Brunei)
i.
Basic features of the region
ii.
Colonialism and Nationalism
iii.
Developments in Post-Independence Period
iv.
Foreign Policy of South East Asian Countries
3. European Studies
i.
Western Europe
ii.
Central and Eastern Europe
iii.
Federated Yugoslavia
4. Russian and Central Asian Studies
a.
Erst While USSR and Post-Soviet Russia
i.
Soviet Period from lenin and stalin
ii.
Soviet Union under Khrushchev and Brezhnev
9. Mikhail Gorbachev
10.Post-Soviet Russia
11.