Syllabus for
BA (Political Science/Honours/Honours with Research)
Academic Year  (2023)

B.A. Honours Program with Research in Political Science at Bangalore Bannerghatta Road Campus, CHRIST (Deemed to be University) equips the students to understand affairs of state in three ways:  first, by excelling in advanced theoretical and application-oriented curriculum; second, by experiencing political, administrative and policy field through internships; and third, by harnessing the practical world of domestic and international politics to develop original thought while doing dissertation research projects.

Programme Outcome/Programme Learning Goals/Programme Learning Outcome:

PO2: Exhibit problem solving skills by academic praxis combining the theoretical, philosophical and application oriented skills through rigorous academic exercises based on case study analysis.

PO3: Develop critical thinking skills by continuous evaluation of empirical political phenomenon at local, national and international level through class based and event based learning.

PO4: Develop compassion towards fellow human beings and environment through working as a team member and interning in environmental sensitization activities

PO5: Strengthening personal integrity and positive attitude by serious, punctual and honest academic engagement inside and outside the classroom environment.

PO6: Develop empathy and inclusiveness in a multicultural environment within and outside the institution through constant engagement to understand the cultural and socio-economic diversities.

PO7: Strengthen the communication skills through clarity in conveying information and listening to others patiently in the dynamic institutional academic environment.

CIA 1- 20 marks 

MSE- 25 marks 

CIA 3-  20 marks 

Attendance - 05 marks

ESE- 30 marks

This course examines the relationship between language use, enormous variety of language experiences, belief systems, and behavioral patterns. On the other hand Etiquette helps smooth the path of our daily activities, whether it's meeting others in our daily interactions talking to someone on the phone, offering condolences properly or understanding how to talk to colleagues at a business conference. Being aware of the beliefs attitudes and etiquettes of individuals will help one to become more tolerant from one individual to the next and from one group to the next.

Course Objectives

• Students will practice critical thoughts in comprehending the notion of culture, its relationship with language
• To identify etiquettes and the key concepts of cross –cultural Communication.
• To familiar ways to apply proper courtesy in different situations.
• To help better understand the change that constantly undergoes in personal and social use.

Greeting a person, saying good bye to another person, Thank You, Excuse me, Introduction to oneself, Yawning, Coughing, Interrupting, Offering help, refusing help, requesting privacy, speaking in a low voice, waiting for help, accepting or declining an invitation, expressing admiration, The key principles of common courtesy, professional manners and the Golden Rule as they are practiced in the workplace environment, Classroom Etiquette and Student Behavior Guidelines, The guidelines for maintaining a civil classroom environment.

Introduction to adjusting to a new culture, Theories on second language and culture acquisition, communication, National Standards, Culture acquisition through family and Homestays, Distinguish among the three main forms of communication in the workplace: verbal, nonverbal, and virtual. Proper and improper uses of workplace communication, the potential repercussions of poor listening in the workplace, the proper and improper use of technology in the workplace.

Why Etiquette Matters, identify common cultural differences, taboos, and customs that may be practiced in the workplace, discuss ways to navigate and honor cultural differences in the workplace, describe how to express an appropriate awareness of international and other customs. The Common Courtesies of Life, Polite Conversation, Telephone Etiquette, Correspondence, Basic Table Manners, Overnight Guests, Wedding Etiquette, Moments of Sorrow, Appropriate Behavior for Children, Gift Giving Guidelines.

Introduction to Modern Etiquette, The Rules of the Workplace, Meetings and Introductions, Conversation and Listening Skills, Telephone/Cell Phone, Texting, Emailing and Internet Etiquette, Etiquette in Public Places, Employment/Volunteer Etiquette, Dining Etiquette, Social Gathering Etiquette (Guest and Host/Hostess), School Etiquette, Confidence Without Arrogance

Restaurant Etiquette, Cellphone Etiquette, Voice Mail Etiquette, Air Travel Etiquette, Cocktail Party Etiquette, Office Gossip Etiquette, Business Dress Etiquette, Email Etiquette, Social Media Etiquette, Job Interview Etiquette, International Etiquette

Foster, D. (2002). The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa and the Middle East: everything

Holliday, A., Hyde, M., & Kullman, J. (2010). Intercultural communication: An advanced resource book for students. Routledge

Martin, J. S., & Chaney, L. H. (2012). Global business etiquette: A guide to international communication and customs. ABC-CLIO.

Pramezwary, A., Lee, E., & Oktalieyadi, V. (2021). ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOL IN HOSPITALITY. Penerbit NEM.

Course Description

This course is aimed at undergraduate students to introduce to them the prominent debates in the economics of corruption. The course discusses how corruption acts as a constraint on economic growth using the theoretical constructs in Political Economy. It allows students to delve into the causes and consequences of corruption. In particular, the course will examine how corruption affects the emerging economies. The course will consider some of the seminal papers on the economics of corruption.

Course Objectives

 1. to create an understanding of the economic issues associated with corruption

 2. to enhance the student's understanding of the effect of corruption on growth and development

 3. to provide insights into the effect of corruption on emerging countries 

Causes and Consequences of Corruption: What do we know from a cross-section of countries? Democratic Institutions and Corruption: Incentives and Constraints in Politics, Bargaining for Bribes: The Role of Institutions.

The Privatization of Rent-Generating Industries and Corruption; Corruption in Private Sector, Why the private sector is likely to lead the next stage in the global fight against corruption.

Corruption and Policy Reform; Anti-Corruption Authorities: An Effective Tool to Curb Corruption?  Corruption and Competition: Fair Markets as an Anti-Corruption Device.

Burger, E. S., & Holland, M. S. (2006). Why the private sector is likely to lead the next stage in the global fight against corruption. Fordham International Law Journal, 30, 45.

Meschi, P. X. (2009). Government Corruption and Foreign Stakes in International Joint Ventures in Emerging Economies. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 26(2), 241-261.

Meyer, K. E., Estrin, S., Bhaumik, S. K., & Peng, M. W. (2009). Institutions, Resources, and Entry Strategies in Emerging Economies. Strategic Management Journal, 30(1), 61-80.

Nowakowski, K. (2010). Corruption in the Private Sector. Economics and Law, 6(1), 345-360.

Uhlenbruck, K., Rodriguez, P., Doh, J., & Eden, L. (2006). The Impact of Corruption on Entry Strategy: Evidence from Telecommunication Projects in Emerging Economies. Organization Science, 17(3), 402-414.

Jain, A. K. (2001). Corruption: A Review. Journal of Economic Surveys, 15(1), 71-121.

Jain, A. K. (Ed.). (2012). Economics of Corruption (Vol. 65). Springer Science & Business Media.

Rose-Ackerman, S. (1975). The Economics of Corruption. Journal of Public Economics, 4(2), 187-203.

This course is an intensive program for two semesters for all the students of the BA/BSc programmes (ENGH, ECOH, JOUH, PSYH, EPH and EMP) that introduces students to a wide range of expository works in order to develop their knowledge of rhetoric and make them aware of the power of language. The course is designed to meet the rigorous requirements of graduate-level courses and therefore includes expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and historical contexts. It would allow students to work with the rhetorical situation, examining the authors’ purposes as well as the audiences and subjects in texts. The course is designed to engage students with rhetoric in multiple mediums, including visual media such as photographs, films, advertisements, comic strips, music videos, and TED talks; students would develop a sense to comprehend how a resource of language operates in any given text. In the semester the course focuses on famous rhetorical pieces from across the world to familiarise the learners with various techniques and principles.

The objective of the course is to

● Introduce learners to various types of rhetorical pieces - written, oral text and visual texts.

● Provide an understanding of various rhetorical strategies in various compositional pieces

● Famarlize learners with various strategies of reading and writing by exposing them to effective and ineffective rhetorical pieces.

The unit will focus on understanding rhetoric and various rhetorical situations. The aim is to assert the idea that rhetoric is always contextual and there is a link between the speaker, audience and what the content of the text is. This will enable students to understand the significance of context whether local, regional, national or global while analysing and composing a text. The unit deals with human values. 

1. 1. Introduction to Rhetoric and Rhetorical Situation.

a. Lou Gehrig (1939) “Farewell Speech” (Speech) https://www.lougehrig.com/farewell/

2. SOAP Analysis: Through the analysis of the text the aim is to look at the mode in which various factors like subject, occasion, audience and purpose impact rhetoric. 

a. George W. Bush (2001) “9/11 Address to the Nation” (Speech) http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911addresstothenation.htm

b. Jawaharlal Nehru (1947) “Tryst with Destiny” (Speech) http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jawaharlalnehrutrystwithdestiny.htm

3. Ethos, Pathos and Logos: Understanding Aristotle’s concept of Ethos, Pathos and Logos is significant in understanding effective rhetoric. By looking at some of the famous rhetorical works the aim is to understand how the writer’s/ orators of some of the famous rhetorical pieces have used these elements to persuade the reader/ audience.

a. Ethos: i. King George VI (1939) “The King’s Speech” (Speech, can play part of the movie) https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/George-VI-King-s-Speech-September-3-1939

ii. Judith Ortiz Cofer (1992) “The Myth of Latin Women: I Just met a Girl Named Maria” (Essay) https://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/amccann10/Myth_of_a_Latin_Woman

b. Logos: i. Alice Waters (2006) “Slow Food Nation” (Essay) https://www.thenation.com/article/slow-food-nation/

c. Pathos: i. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1944) “Order of the Day” (Speech) https://www.whatsoproudlywehail.org/curriculum/the-american-calendar/order-ofthe-day-6-June-19

d. Combining Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

i. Rabindranath Tagore (1941) “Crisis of Civilization” https://www.scribd.com/doc/163829907/Rabindranath-Tagore-The-Crisis-of-Civilization

This unit will focus on introducing the students to multiple ways of analysis, close reading, and usage of argumentative statements and diction. In addition to that the unit will focus on how to read visual texts from a global, national and regional perspective and the impact it has on the audience. The unit enhances the reading and comprehension skills of students and prepare them to get employed in content creation.

1. Virginia Woolf (1942) “The Death of the Moth” (Essay)

https://www.sanjuan.edu/cms/lib8/CA01902727/Centricity/Domain/3981/Death%20of%20A%20Moth-Virginia%20Woolf%20copy.pdf

2. Groucho Marx (2006) “Dear Warner Brothers” (Letter) https://archive.org/details/Groucho_Marx_Letter_to_Warner_Brothers

3. ACLU (2000) “The Man on the Left” (Advertisement) https://www.mansonblog.com/2016/10/aclu-charles-manson-martin-luther-king.html

4. R. K. Laxman Political cartoons (Cartoon)

http://webneel.com/rk-lakshman-editorial-cartoons-indian-cartoonist (Political Cartoons)

5. Times of India (2017) ISRO launch cartoon (Cartoon)

https://www.tatacliq.com/que/isro-launch-breaks-record-memes/ISROLaunch

https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/times-of-india-isro-104-satellite-launch-in-response-to-new-york-times-mangalyaan-cartoon-twitter-reactions-4529893

The unit will engage with the questions on why few texts are effective rhetorical pieces as opposed to others. A few texts will be analysed to look at different rhetorical situations, and how it is effective and ineffective in persuading the audience/ reader. The selected texts deal with the issues of animal rights, nuclear rights, food crisis, and holocaust (human values) and help the students to engage with global scenario of the issues concerned. Any five of the suggested topics can be taken in class.

1. PETA, Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse (Advertisement) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/childabuseBB72.jpg

2. Anne Applebaum (2011) “If the Japanese Can’t Build a Safe Reactor, Who Can?” (Essay) https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/if-the-japanese-cant-build-a-safe-reactor-who-can/2011/03/14/ABCJvuV_story.html?utm_term=.8

3. Simon Lancaster (2016) Ted Talk: Speak Like a Leader (Speech) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGBamfWasNQ

4. Understanding Argument: Csalexander03 (2012) Why Investing in Fast Food May Be a Good Thing by Amy Domini (Essay) https://csalexander03.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/why-investing-in-fast-food-may-be-a-good-thing-by-amy-domini/

5. The New York Times (2004) Felons and the Right to Vote (Essay) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/opinion/felons-and-the-right-to-vote.html

6. Using Visual text for Argument: Objevit.cz (2017) “Holocaust + Selfie Culture = ‘Yolocaust’” (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjjV_X5re4g

Seaboyer, J., & Barnett, T. (2019). New perspectives on reading and writing across the disciplines. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(1), 1-10.

MSE- 10 marks 

CIA 3-  5 marks 

ESE- 25 marks

The course aims to provide a basic introduction to understanding discourses of science and technology as represented in select science fiction narratives. The course will help students understand some of the basic questions about the human condition that are raised, debated, and negotiated in and through representative fiction that addresses global and national concerns. Keeping the contemporaneity of issues today, the course will also emphasize how there is a crucial intersection of various ideas that cut across several disciplines with regard to technology and life, thereby making it crucially relevant to engage with it in the contemporary context. Anyone interested in questions of science, fiction, and the human condition and the cross-cutting issues of gender, environment, technology, ethics, sustainability, etc may choose this course. The course will help develop theoretical knowledge about the genre, critical reading skills, and creative writing skills through class engagements and assignments.

Objectives:

• To introduce students to the field of science fiction

• Help students identify and raise questions through these works of fiction some relevant questions in the contemporary context

• To direct students towards realising the intersection of various issues raised across different disciplines.

This unit will provide students with a basic overview of science fiction through some critical and conceptual lenses that are commonly identified across SF narratives globally. The New Critical Idiom Series: Science Fiction, would be used here to introduce aspects of SF that touch upon human values and concerns such as gender, environment, ethics, technology, etc. Locating the interdisciplinarity of the domain would be central to this module and will build theoretical knowledge and critical reading skills.

1. History of Science Fiction

2. Common Terminologies

3. Critical Concerns about Technology for Humanity

Essential readings:

1. Hollinger, Veronica. “Contemporary Trends in Science Fiction.” Science Fiction Studies. No. 78, Vol. 26, 1999.

2. Mendlesohn, Farah, and Edward James. The Cambridge companion to science fiction. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

3. Nicholls, Peter, and John Clute. "New Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction." (1999).

This unit will engage with how technology becomes a crucial part of negotiating contemporary existence as represented through SF. What are the fundamental concerns that Sf raises regarding technology and the human condition? How does technology come to be framed within SF? How are gender and sexuality framed within the discourses of SF? How SF addresses the anxieties of technology and the future would be some of the questions engaged with here. Critical reading skills and creative writing exercises will enable students to develop creative and critical skills.

1. The Matrix

2. Select Episodes of the series Stranger Things

3. Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

4. Any episode of Black Mirror

Essential readings:

● Ryder, W., Harbour, D. and Modine, M., 2016. Stranger Things | Netflix. [online] Netflix.com. Available at: <https://www.netflix.com/watch/80077368?trackId=200257859> [Accessed 8 November 2016].

● Wachowski, Andy, et al. Matrix. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 1999.

● Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Everyday Library, 2006.

● “Hated in the Nation.” Black Mirror, season 3, episode 6, 21 Oct. 2016. Netflix.

This unit will engage with science fiction in the Indian context. One of the main points of

discussion would be to understand how SF writers from India have engaged with tropes of SF that we are

familiar with and what kind of an ‘India’ is imagined thereof which has implications socially, politically,

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 and culturally. The unit enables critical insights into the concerns around human and non-human and the intersectionalities of it in the Indian context.

1. Vandana Singh “Delhi”

2. Manjula Padmanabhan, “Harvest”

3. Cargo

Essential readings:

1. Padmanabhan, Manjula. Harvest. Hachette UK, 2017.

2. Singh, Vandana. “Delhi.” Lightspeed, June, 2016, Delhi - Lightspeed Magazine. Accessed on 4 March 2023.

3. Kadav, Arati. Cargo. Mumbai: Fundamental Pictures, 2019. Netflix

2. Mendlesohn, Farah, and Edward James. The Cambridge companion to science fiction. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

3. Nicholls, Peter, and John Clute. "New Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction." (1999).

4. Ryder, W., Harbour, D. and Modine, M., 2016. Stranger Things | Netflix. [online] Netflix.com. Available at: <https://www.netflix.com/watch/80077368?trackId=200257859> [Accessed 8 November 2016].

5 Wachowski, Andy, et al. Matrix. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 1999.

6 Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Everyday Library, 2006.

7 “Hated in the Nation.” Black Mirror, season 3, episode 6, 21 Oct. 2016. Netflix.

Howell, Amanda. "Breaking silence, bearing witness, and voicing defiance: the resistant female voice in the transmedia storyworld of The Handmaid’s Tale." Continuum 33.2 (2019): 216-229.

Barnett, P. Chad. "Reviving cyberpunk:(Re) constructing the subject and mapping cyberspace in the Wachowski Brother's film The Matrix." Extrapolation (pre-2012) 41.4 (2000): 359.

Wetmore Jr, Kevin J., ed. Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on eighties nostalgia, cynicism and innocence in the series. McFarland, 2018.

MSE 30 MARKS 

ESE 35 MARKS 

ATTENDANCE 5 MARKS 

This course will introduce students to the major theoretical and applied debates

as well as major moral puzzles and challenges in the field of global ethics.

Ethics is gaining ground as an important humanities intervention in a

fast-changing world. A course on ethics is often an added advantage for students

as it helps them shape a socially-aware perspective of the social reality and

develop ethical skills and foster employability.. Drawing on interdisciplinary

perspectives and thematic issues in the fields of international politics, business,

communications and law, the course will challenge students to reflect on major

ethical theories and traditions as well as core problems such as corporate

governance, global distributive

justice, the ethics of making and sustaining peace, media ethics and legal

dimensions of ethics. By combining the works of both classic and contemporary

philosophers with contemporary applied global issues, students will be able to

critically reflect on fundamental normative questions from an interdisciplinary

perspective and reflect on the rights, responsibilities and challenges of ‘good

global citizenship’. Through this, student reflect on cross cutting issues of

human values, gender, sustainability and professional development.

This unit introduces students to the conceptual frameworks of integrity and ethics in local and

global contexts. IT exposes students to ethical dilemmas and provides conceptual clarity on nuances of

integrity, human values and ethical decision making. It develops ethical skills in order to enable better

professional behaviour and employability.

1. Global Ethics: Conceptual Definitions,

2. Historical Origins & Present Challenges

3. Introduction to the Ethics, Morals and Values

4. Cultural Relativism vs Universalism (case study)

This unit introduces students to various ethical theories, under the two categories of rationalist

ethical theories and the more recent alternatives. It enables students to apply these global and national

theoretical concepts to local and personal situations. By this application process, students reflect on cross

cutting issues of human values, gender, sustainability and professionalism and develop ethical thinking

skills that fosters employability. (Include LRNG, Employability, and Cross-cutting issues):

1. Rationalist Ethical Theories

2. Contractualist ethics

3. Deontological Ethics

4. Utilitarian Ethics

5. Discourse ethics,

6. Alternatives to Ethical Rationalism

7. Virtue Ethics

8. Feminist & Care Ethics

9. Postmodernist Ethics

This unit is based on some relevant contemporary applications of ethical theories learnt in the

previous unit. The unit sees the practical application of ethics in local, regional, national and global fields of

business, journalism, digital media and technology. It develops ethical skills in order to enable better

professional behaviour and employability.

1. Global Business Ethics and Arms Trade: The Ethics of Capitalism (Film Inside Job)

2. Global Journalism Ethics, Citizen Journalism

3. Digital Media Ethics and Whistleblowing Practices: Snowden and Whistleblowing

4. Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies (Film The Social Network)

5. Genetics, stem cell and embryo research: Embryo research and women’s rights

Ferguson, C. (2010). Inside Job. Sony Pictures Classics

Fincher, David. (2010) The Social Network. Columbia Pictures

Graham, G. (2008) Ethics and International Relations, 2nd Edition. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

LaFollette, H. (ed.) (2003) The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Practice, Oxford: OUP

MSE 30 MARKS

ESE 35 MARKS

ATTENDANCE 5 MARKS 

The course would provide students with a thorough knowledge of the conceptual and practical aspects of digital cinematography through engagement with the works of eminent cinematographers from around the world and the equipment.

The course aims to help students to:

• Appreciate cinematography as a combination of artistic and technological endeavors
• Understand the basics concepts of cinematography and shot design
• Harness the power of natural and artificial lighting to compose powerful shots
• Explore the creative possibilities of cinematography and understand its importance in effective storytelling.

Cinematography as an art; Art of visual storytelling; Evolution of cinematography; Eminent cinematographer’s from world cinema; Cinematography and effective storytelling.

Light, Camera, Lenses, Basics of Lighting; Various types of light sources and their practical application;Color temperature, Lens Choice, Lens filters, Exposure/F‐Stop/Shutter/ISO; Depth of field Camera operating; Hands-on introduction to camera equipment

Composition & Framing; Types of Shots; Shot design for single camera and multi camera productions

Camera Placement -how does it affect the meaning; Motivated Camera Movement.

• Pro, A. P. (2010). Adobe Premiere Pro.
• Team, A. C. (2012). Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 Classroom in a Book: Adobe Perm Pro CS6 Classro_p1. Adobe Press.

• Block, B. (2013). The visual story: Creating the visual structure of film, TV and digital media. CRC Press.
• Alton, J. (2013). Painting with light. Univ of California Press.

• Definition of Democracy and Democratic theory.
• Media as the fourth estate.
• Democratic responsibilities of media.
• Fundamental rights and the media's role in protecting them. 
• Media as the voice of the voiceless.
• Media as the watchdog of democracy.
• Media as the platform for deliberation (Media as Public Sphere).
• Media worker as the democratic warrior.

• Contemporary structure of media within capitalism:
• Advertising funding and its implications on media's democratic functions.
• Big business and government
• Media as Big Business.
• Use of SLAPP on media houses and self-censorship.
• Media concentration, conglomeration, commercialization and its effect on democracy.

• Media reform and democratic media.
• Media policy and democratic reform.
• Alternatives to commercial media models: Case studies of BBC, NPR, and Aljazeera.
• Critical analysis of Doordarshan and Rajya Sabha TV as possible democratic media.
• Emergence of digital news platforms and their role in democratic communication [The Wire, Quint News Laundry, The News Minute, Scroll].
• Representation of Caste and minorities in the media.
• Media trials and the creation of the common enemy.

• Social media as the new public sphere.
• Social media democratic elections in the current era (Case studies of 2016 US elections and 2019 Indian elections).
• Alternative media spaces: Exploring community radio, Video Volunteers and Alt News.
• Critical examination of alternative models of media

• Participatory Video (PV).
• Manyam Praja Video.
• Elements of Participatory Process.
• Teaching Process. Community Video Producer (CVP). Community Video Unit (CVU).

• Media trial. Sensationalism. Some instances of media trial in India.
• Celebrity power and PR teams. Me Too. Cancel Culture. Ethical Consideration.

Research Articles:

• Biswal, S. K. (2019). Exploring the role of citizen journalism in rural India. Media Watch, 10, 43-54.
• Curran, J. (1991). Rethinking the media as a public sphere. Communication and citizenship, 27-57.
• Khan, U. (2015). Indian media: Crisis in the fourth estate. Kennedy School Review, 15, 70
• Rao, S., Mudgal, V. (2015). Introduction: Democracy, Journalism and Civic Society in India. Journalism Studies. 16(5), 615-623.
• Saeed, S. (2015). Phantom journalism governing India's proxy media owners. Journalism Studies, 16(5), 663-679,
• Thussu, D. K. (2007). TheMurdochization'of news? The case of Star TV in India. Media, Culture & Society, 29(4), 593-611.

• Overall end semester  evaluation for 95 marks
• Project I: 20 Marks 
• Project II: 25 Marks
• Project III: 20 Marks
• End semester Submission Project IV: 30 Marks. Attendance 5 Marks

What is Political Science?

Is Politics a Science?

Key Political Concepts 

Politics

Power

Government

Governance

Authority

Legitimacy:

Sovereignty                                                                    

State

Nation

Nationalism

Relationship with other disciplines of Social Sciences

History

Economics

Sociology

Anthropology

Ethics

Public Administration

The origins of the State

The Divine Theory

The Evolutionary Theory

Force theory

Social contract theory

A legal definition of the State

A Structural-Functional definition of the State

Theories of State Activity

The Conservative view of the State

The Liberal view of the State

The Marxist view of the State

The Elements of Nationhood/Statehood

Territory

Population

Independence

Government

Why do we study International Relations?

       What is International Relations?

       Theories of international relations

       Levels of Analysis

              System level analysis

              State level analysis

              Individual level analysis

       National Power

       Foreign policy

Bhagwan, V. and Bhushan, V. (2011). Principles and Concepts of Political Theory. Noida: Kalyani.

Gokhale, B.K. (2006). Political Science: Theory and Governmental Machinery. Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House.

Heywood, A. (2007). Political Ideologies. New Delhi: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kapur, A.C. (2006). Principles of Political Science. New Delhi: S. Chand.

Laski, H.J. (2007). Grammar of Politics. New Delhi: Surjeet.

Mahajan, V.D. (2010). Political Theory. New Delhi: S Chand.

Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (Eds.). (2002). Theory and Methods in Political Science. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ray, B.N. (2009) Foundations of Western Political Thought. New Delhi: Kaveri Books.

Sabine, G.H. and Thorson, T.L. (1973). A History of Political Theory. New Delhi: OUP

Singhal, SC. (2009). Political Theory. Agra: Lakshmi Narain Agarwal.

 Course Description

This is an introductory course to political science. Students will be introduced to the discipline of Political Science, by learning its history and approaches, and an assessment of its critical and contemporary trends. The course helps to familiarize the students with the basic normative concepts of political theory. Each concept is related to a crucial political issue that requires analysis with the aid of our conceptual understanding.

Course Objectives

The course aims to help students to:

·       Understand the fundamental theoretical political concepts.

·       Critically reflect on the political concepts relating with contemporary politics.

·       Develop conceptual framework for understanding the political praxis.

Theory– meaning and approach

Politics – meaning and approach;

Elements of political philosophy;

Contemporary issues in political theory

State: Meaning and theories;

Anarchy.

State and sovereignty – Divine Right, Social Contract and Evolutionary.

Contemporary challenges to the state – neo liberal and neo conservative, globalisation.

Equality: Meaning, Dimensions.

Equality of opportunity, Debate on Egalitarianism, Social equality;

Liberty: Meaning, Nature and Types.

Justice: Meaning and Dimensions,

Procedural and substantive justice, social justice;

Rights: Political, Economic and Civil, Human Rights.

Rights and diversity.

Law: Meaning, Sources and kinds: Rule of Law and Due Process of Law,

Political Power, Political Authority, Political Legitimacy, Political Obligation. 

Johari, J.C. (2015). Contemporary Political Theory. New Delhi: Sterling.

Vinod, M.J. and Deshpande, M. (2013). Contemporary Political Theory. New Delhi: PHI Learning.

Bhargava, R and Acharya, A. (2008).Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman

Bhagwan, V. and Bhushan, V. (2011). Principles and Concepts of Political Theory. Noida: Kalyani.

Cohen, M. and Fermon, N. (Eds.). (1996). Princeton Readings in Political Thought: Essential Texts Since Plato. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Gokhale, B.K. (2006). Political Science: Theory and Governmental Machinery. Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House.

Hay, C. et al. (Eds.). (2006). The State: Theories and Issues. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Heywood, A. (2007). Political Ideologies. New Delhi: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kapur, A.C. (2006). Principles of Political Science. New Delhi: S. Chand.

Kymlicka, Will. (2014). Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction. Oxford University Press.

Laski, H.J. (2007). Grammar of Politics. New Delhi: Surjeet.

MacIver, R.M. (2006). The Modern State. New Delhi: Surjeet.

Mahajan, V.D. (2010). Political Theory. New Delhi: S Chand.

Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (Eds.). (2002). Theory and Methods in Political Science. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

McKinnon, C. (2008). Issues in Political Theory. New York: OUP.

Ray, B.N. (2009) Foundations of Western Political Thought. New Delhi: Kaveri Books.

Sabine, G.H. and Thorson, T.L. (1973). A History of Political Theory. New Delhi: OUP

Sen, Amartya. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Singhal, SC. (2009). Political Theory. Agra: Lakshmi NarainAgarwal.

Wanlass, L.C. (2006). Gettell’s History of Political Thought. New Delhi: Surjeet

Course Description

The course introduces the students to the development of Constitutionalism in India and its praxis. The Indian political reality will be evaluated within the ideological framework of Constitutional theory, as envisaged by the founding fathers. The course traces the ideological transformations and the judicial interpretations in realising the values of Indian Constitution. The course will elaborate Constitutional theory and critically evaluate the social reality of India within constitutional framework to understand the achievements and deviations.

Course Objectives

The course aims to help students to:

·        Understand the development of Constitutional Theory in India

·        Critically evaluate the powers and limitations of Indian Constitution

·        Develop constitutional framework for understanding and evaluating social reality

The idea of Indian Constitution – pre-independence developments – Formation of Constituent Assembly – Powers and Functions - Constituent assembly debates – Democracy, Secularism, Federalism, Form of government and Role of state

Foundations of Indian Constitution – Ambedkar’s Socialist Model and Nehru’s Democratic Socialism - Ideological framework of Indian Constitution – Preamble – Fundamental Rights, Social justice, Directive Principles and Fundamental duties.

Role of judiciary in interpreting Constitution – Constitutional Amendment and Limitations – Basic Structure Interpretation and Debate – Interpretation of Constitutional values

Constitutional Safeguards - Protection of Individual Rights and liberties - Religious rights and limitations - Social Justice and inclusiveness – Gender and Environment.

Reviewing the working of Indian Constitution – Justice Venkatachaliah Commission – Findings, gaps and way forward.

Bhatia, G. (2019). The Transformative Constitution: A Radical Biography in Nine Acts. New Delhi: HarperCollins India.

Johari, J. (2015). The Constitution of India: A PoliticoLegal Study. New Delhi: Sterling Publications Private Limited.

Rathore, A. S. (2020). Ambedkar’s Preamble: A Secret History of the Constitution of India.  New Delhi: Vintage Books

G. Austin, (2010) The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

S. Chaube, (2009) The Making and Working of the Indian Constitution, Delhi: National Book Trust.

U. Baxi, (2010) ‘The Judiciary as a Resource for Indian Democracy’, Seminar, Issue 615, pp. 61-67.

B. Kirpal et.al (eds.) Supreme but not Infallible: Essays in Honour of the Supreme Court of India, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

R. Manchanda, (2009) The No Nonsense Guide to Minority Rights in South Asia, Delhi: Sage Publications

The report of the  National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution - https://legalaffairs.gov.in/ncrwc-report

The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to the international political economy.  The discourse examines the interplay of politics and economics so that students comprehend the impact of political processes on economic development at the international platform.  Thirdly, the aim is to acquaint students with significant political economy issues namely economic crisis and inequality with the existing neoliberal order. 

 Course Objectives:

This course will:

1. introduce students to the theoretical perspectives of International Political Economy.
2. help them to understand international institution’s economic actions, processes and planning.
3. enable them to understand the issues and challenges in contemporary international political economy.
4. train students to hone their writing and presentation skills to effectively discuss complex ideas.

Mercantilism and economic nationalism:  Early forms of mercantilism; Nineteenth-century mercantilism. Classical liberalism and neo-liberalism:  Classical liberalism; Free trade liberalism; Twentieth-century liberal theory; The concept of interdependence; The rise of international institutions and regimes.

Karl Marx and Marxism; Lenin and the theory of imperialism; Dependency theory and underdevelopment; Contemporary neo-Marxist theory

The creation of the GATT; Trade liberalisation under the GATT and the rise of the ‘new protectionism’.  The rise and decline of the Bretton Woods system; Global monetary order after Bretton Woods; The IMF and international debt crises.

Poverty and inequality in the emerging world - key indicators; Multinational corporations and foreign investment in a global economy; Differing perspectives on environmentalism; The concept of sustainable development; The challenge of climate change.

Explaining regionalism; The European Union; Regionalism in the Americas and Asia; Regional trade agreements and the WTO: conflict or compatibility?

Cohen, B. J. (2017). International political economy. Routledge.

Dillman, B., & Balaam, D. N. (2015). Introduction to International Political Economy. United States: Taylor & Francis.

Pettman, R. (Ed.). (2012). Handbook on international political economy. World Scientific.

Krugman, P. R., & Obstfeld, M. (2009). International economics: Theory and policy. Pearson Education.

Stubbs, R., & Underhill, G. R. (Eds.). (2000). Political economy and the changing global order (pp. 261-88). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

This course offers the writing skills necessary for success in political fields, from campaign politics to political journalism to governmental offices and issue advocacy organizations. Syllabus intends to develop a portfolio of writing samples through the tools and techniques of expository and persuasive writing needed in the world of politics. The course emphasizes clarity and precision as well as the forms, substantive knowledge, and analysis important in political writing.

CourseObjectives:

The course aims to help students to:

• understand a range of original and classical political writing and speeches that emerged during the challenging times.
• improve critical reading and analytical skills to think and write more clearly and incisively. 
• structure an academic paper at the macro and micro level

The Communist Manifesto. Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Dr BR Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste and Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj.

Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream”, Nelson Mandela, “I Am Prepared to Die", Muhammad Iqbal’s Allahabad Address and, Emmeline Pankhurst, ‘Freedom or Death’

Racism, Castism, Regionalism, Communalism, the far right and left, #Metoo and feminism, immigration, the environment, and LGBTQ struggle,

www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf.

Wollstonecraft, M. (2022). A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Welbeck Publishing Group.

Ambedkar, B. R. (2022). Annihilation of Caste. Prabhat Prakashan.

King, M. L., Jr. (2012). I Have a Dream. Schwartz & Wade.

Mandela, N. (2013). Long Walk to Freedom. Hachette UK.

Pankhurst, E. (2015). Freedom Or Death. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/txt_iqbal_1930.html.

Joyce, J. (2000). Occasional, Critical, and Political Writing. Oxford University Press, USA.

Hall, S. (2017). Selected Political Writings: The Great Moving Right Show and Other Essays. Duke University Press.

Weber, M. (1994). Weber: Political Writings. Cambridge University Press.

The applied political writing course is a mandatory course, which students need to pass in order to complete your degree, as it is a skill enhance course aims to help students with other courses. As a part of the course, you will have a mandatory consultation on a written assignment typical of political science that instructor give you – a 1,000-word Position Paper. Guidelines on this paper will be given by the individual instructor. Consultations are available throughout your studies. 

This course will develop an understanding of how advertising affects the human mind by giving unique and valuable insight from the industry. The course will help in studying the relationship between advertising and human mind and also apply this learning to advertising strategy, positioning, brand, and marketing communications that prepare students for the competitive world of advertising and marketing.

Course objectives

This course aims to

• Introduce psychological perspectives of advertisements in real life situations. 
• Orient students towards the various functions and roles of cognitive, affective and behavioral responses in the field of advertisement.
• Help students to identify and apply the various theories and principles of advertisement psychology in the field of marketing.

Introduction to advertisements; Its objectives and importance; Types and forms of advertising; Effects of advertisements a psychological perspective; Classic and contemporary approaches of classifying advertisement effectiveness.

Influence of advertisements on buying behaviors; Dynamics of Attention,Comprehension,Reasoning for advertisements; Attitudes and attitude changes with the influence of advertisements;Principles of persuasion and attitude change; Achieving advertisement compliance without changing attitude.

Emergence of International Advertising; Advertising in Multicultural Environment; Ethics in Advertising; Integrated marketing communication and marketing mix.

Andrew,A.Mitchell.(1993).AdvertisingExposure,MemoryandChoice.LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.Hillsdale,NJ.

Linda,F.Alwitt & Andrew,A.Mitchell (1985).PsychologicalProcessesandAdvertising Effects:Theory,Research,andApplications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, NJ. London.

Rolloph,M.E.&Miller,G.R.(Eds)(1980).Persuasion:NewDirectionsinTheoryandResearch.Sage.N.Y.

Eddie.M.Clark,Timothy.C.Brock,&DavidW.Stewart.(1994).Attention,AttitudeandAffectinResponsetoAdvertising.LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.Hillsdale,NJ.

This multidisciplinary course will focus on those aspects that help individuals thrive. The course sheds its light on well-being and its components and also clears all the misconceptions revolving around it. The students will be exposed to certain theories, concepts and practice procedures of well-being and its components. This programme will help the students to reflect on their life experiences on these dimensions and to know how to improve them and flourish in their life. 

Well-being - components of well-being: subjective happiness and life satisfaction

subjective happiness and life satisfaction

Happiness - Definition, Significance Misconceptions, types and interventions  Emotion - types, emotion regulation

Definition, Significance Misconceptions, types and interventions Emotion - types, emotion regulation

Mindfulness- components: gratitude, forgiveness, kindness-compassion

Gratitude, forgiveness, kindness-compassion

·       Hupper, F. A., Baylis, N., & Keverne, B. (2005). The science of well-being. Oxford Scholarship.

·       Hupper, F. A., Baylis, N., & Keverne, B. (2005). The science of well-being. Oxford Scholarship.

·       Ivtzan, I. & Lomas, T.(Ed.) (2016) Mindfulness in Positive Psychology. New York: Routldge.

·       Kabat-Zinn, J. (2012). Mindfulness for beginners: reclaiming the present moment—and your life. Boulder, CO, Sounds True.

·       Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (Eds.). (2004). Positive psychology in practice. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. https://doi.org/10.10 02/9780470939338

·       Maddux, J. E. (2018). Subjective Wellbeing and Life Satisfaction. New York: Routldge.

The Course presents several of the operational projects implemented by, or with the support of UNESCO, to illustrate how cultural tourism policies developed in the spirit of the principles and values contained in the texts, standard-setting instruments, declarations and recommendations adopted by UNESCO, are put into practice.

To open a debate on the complex questions that surround the relations between culture and tourism, tourism and development, and tourism and dialogue among cultures.

Finding Meaning through Tourism, Tourism as a World of Paradoxes, The Centrality of Experiences, Changing Contexts and Emerging Challenges in the Context of Development, Culture, Heritage and Diversity as Tourism Resources, Understanding Culture and Cultural Resources in Tourism, Cultural Tourism as a Means of Economic Development, Developing the Cultural Supply Chain, Exploitation of Culture

Tourist – Host Encounters, The Role of Routers / Intermediaries / Media, Tourism – Tourist Education, Cross Cultural Understanding

Introduction to the Natural Environment, Tourism and the Spirit of Nature, Fragile and Vulnerable Ecosystems, Cultural Implications of Mobilizing Natural Resources for Tourism, From Ecotourism to Integrated Tourism

Developing Structures to Develop and Manage Tourism and Culture, Complexities and Challenges of Policy Making in Tourism and Culture, Responsibilities / Tensions and Actions, The Gender Dimension, Stakeholders and Collaborations

Capacity Building and Youth Poverty Alleviation through Tourism and Heritage (PATH), Case Studies on Sao Paulo’s Green Belt Biosphere Reserve

Komla E.E. and Veirier L. (2004) Tourism, Culture and Development in West-Africa: For a Cultural Tourism Consistent with Sustainable Development. UNESCO Publishing, Paris.

Posey D.A. (Ed) (1999) Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity. A Complementary Contribution to the Global Biodiversity Assessment. Intermediate Technology Publications, London (on behalf of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi).

Robertson, R. (1990) Mapping the Global Conditions: Globalization as the Central Concept. In M. Featherstone (ed.) Global Culture: Nationalism, Globalization and Modernity. Sage, London, pp. 15-30.

Steck B., Strasdas W., and Gustedt, E. (1999) Tourism in Technical Co-operation. A guide to the conception, planning and implementation of project-accompanying measures in regional rural development and nature conservation. GTZ, Eschborn.

Tour Operators’ Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development (2004) Supply Chain Engagement for Tour Operators: Three Steps towards Sustainability. UNEP-Sustainable Tourism, Paris.

Winkin Y. (2002) Cultural Diversity: A Pool of Ideas for Implementation. In K. Stenou (ed.)

UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. UNESCO Publishing, Paris, pp. 17-60.

CIA 2 - Mid Semester Examination (25 Marks)

CIA 3 - Group Activity and Written Submission on “Integrated Tourism by Mobilizing Natural Resources” (20 Marks)

Final Submission - An Individual Activity supported by Written Submission on “Designing a Structured Plan to Develop and Manage Sustainability through Tourism and Culture; An Inter-Disciplinary Perspective” (30 Marks)

This course is aimed at undergraduate students to introduce to them the prominent debates on democracy and emerging issues in economies.  The course discusses how various socioeconomic factors act as constraints on economic growth and development. This basic framework allows a student to delve into the causes and consequences of various strategies/methods taken/applied by policymakers and practitioners and how it affects the overall objective of the state/economy through a trifocal analysis of the economy, society, and market keeping the central theme of ‘Democracy.’This course will introduce students to:

• Growing crisis of wealth distribution and income inequality.
•  Sectoral significance and state intervention in policy making.
• Informal sector and labor market participation and rights.
• Analyze corruption in emerging economies through various case studies.
• Discuss the informal economy through concepts, theory, and measurement.

Theories of Democratization; Democratic and Undemocratic States; Measuring Democracy and Democratization; The Global Wave of Democratization; Causes and Dimensions of Democratization: The Political Economy of Democracy; Political Culture, Mass Beliefs and Value Change; Gender and Democratization; Social Capital and Civil Society; Social Movements and Contention in Democratization Processes: Role, impact on policy reforms and cultural change.

Theories of Democratisation; Democratic and Undemocratic States; Measuring Democracy and Democratisation; The Global Wave of Democratisation; Causes and Dimensions of Democratisation: The Political Economy of Democracy: Political Culture, Mass Beliefs, and Value Change; Gender and Democratisation; Social Capital and Civil Society; Social Movements and Contention in Democratisation Processes: Role, Impact on Policy Reforms and Cultural Change

Conventional Citizen Participation;   Institutional Design in New Democracies; Gender and Democratization; A Decade of Democratic Decline and Stagnation.

Conventional Citizen Participation; Institutional Design in New Democracies; Gender and Democratisation; A Decade of Democratic Decline and Stagnation.

A Theory of political transitions: Choice of the economic and political regime; Theoretical extensions: growth, trade, political institutions; Democracy and the public sector; the state, the treat of expropriation and the possibility of development: Social and economic wellbeing and policy reforms.

A Theory of Political Transitions: Choice of Economic and Political Regime; Theoretical Extensions: Growth, Trade, Political Institutions; Democracy and the Public Sector; the State, the Threat of Expropriation and the Possibility of Development: Social and Economic Wellbeing and Policy Reforms

A Marxian theory of democracy; The Importance of Social Class in Historical Comparative Perspective; Dependency and Development; Democracy in Developing Countries; Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies.

A Marxian Theory of Democracy; The Importance of Social Class in Historical Comparative Perspective; The Case Study of India; Dependency and Development; Democracy in Developing Countries; Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies

India’s Tryst with Destiny; Democracy, Inequality, and Public Reasoning; A case study on Gujarat experience of development: Approaches, impact, and outcome; Kerala experience of development: Approaches, impact, and outcome.

India's Tryst with Destiny; Democracy, Inequality and Public Reasoning, A Case Study on Gujarat's Experience of Development: Approaches, Impact and Outcome; Kerala's Experience of Development: Approaches, Impact and Outcome

Drèze, J., & Sen, A. (2015). An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradictions. Economics Books.

CIA 2: 20 Marks

CIA 3: 45 Marks

Attendance: 5 Marks

This course is aimed at undergraduate students to introduce to them the idea of sustainable development and public policies within that context. The course discusses the challenges of sustainable development. This course will equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to design policies that promote sustainable development.

Concepts; Historical roots; Measurement; Indicators of sustainable development; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and indicators.

Poverty; Population Growth; Public Health; Education; Biodiversity Conservation; Climate Change and Migration; Gender Discrimination.

Constraints on Public Policy -- Economic constraints; Political Feasibility: Interests and Power; Institutional Constraints; Social and Cultural Factors: Constraining and Enabling.

Sustainable Approaches -- Participatory approach to development; Inclusive growth; Gender mainstreaming; Policy Coherence and Technological Innovations.

Mulligan, Martin. 2010. An Introduction to Sustainability, Environmental, Social and Personal Perspectives. Routledge.

Sachs, J. 2015. The Age of Sustainable Development. Columbia University Press.

Moran, M., Rein, M., & Goodin, R. E. (2006). The Oxford handbook of public policy. Oxford University Press.

Bellinger, W. K. (2007). The economic analysis of public policy. Routledge.

Hausman, D. M., & McPherson, M. S. (2006). Economic analysis, moral philosophy, and public policy. Cambridge University Press.

Kates, R. W., Parris, T. M., & Leiserowitz, A. A. (2005). What is sustainable development? Goals, indicators, values, and practice. Environment (Washington DC), 47(3), 8-21.

Language and Contemporary Society is a course offered for the second semester students of the BA/BSc programmes (ENGH, ECOH, EPH, EMP, JOUH, PSYH) that introduces students to a wide range of expository, analytical and fictional and non-fictional works to develop their knowledge of rhetoric and make them aware of the power of language. The course is designed to meet the rigorous requirements of graduate-level courses and therefore includes expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and cultural contexts. It would provide students with the opportunity to work with the rhetorical situation, examining the authors’ purposes as well as the audiences and the subjects in texts. The course is designed to engage students with rhetoric in varied genres, including essays, poetry, documentary and short story. The students would develop a sense to comprehend how a resource of language operates in any given text. The course is more thematic in nature familiarising students with texts from multiple disciplines, especially in the context of India.

The unit aims to sensitise the students about the evolving politics of education in the regional, national and global contexts through expository, argumentative and analytical texts. The texts in the unit will also address larger questions of exclusion, intellectual freedom and of emerging technologies.

1. Robert Anderson. “ The ‘Idea of a University’ today”
2. Krishna Kumar. (2022). “Politics of Knowledge”
3.  Chandra Bhan Prasad (2006) “Hail English, The Dalit Goddess” (Essay)

http://www.anveshi.org.in/hail-english-the-dalit-goddess/

4. M Madhava Prasad (2015) Language, the Political Commons

https://www.anveshi.org.in/language-the-political-commons/

5. Deutsche, Welle. (2023) “AI experts say ChatGPT is changing education. But how?” -Chat GPT and Academic Writing

https://frontline.thehindu.com/news/ai-experts-say-chatgpt-is-changing-education-but-how/article66449967.ece

The unit will engage the students with the discourses on the cross-cutting issues of caste, gender, food and marginality through short stories and poems which bring out different manifestations of the issues in the local and national contexts.

1. Huchangi Prasad. (2019) Children of God Tran. by Chandan Gowda
2. Sky Baba (2013) Vegetarians only (Short Story) (Minority/Life choice/Food politics)
3. Ranajit Das: “Sherlock Holmes India Trip” (Rural Indian poverty, questions of gender, Bengali poem in translation)
4. Ruskin Bond (1988) “The Night Train at Deoli” (Short Story reflecting the romantic humanist attitude of the educated middle class towards the downtrodden)
5. Pallavi Rao (2017) “Politics of the Intimate Pt. 3: The Brahmin Mistress and the Bahujan Maid”(Essay) (Caste)

https://medium.com/@pallavirao84/politics-of-the-intimate-pt-3-the-brahmin-mistress-and-the-bahujan-maid-6becf6e2fbcb

Teaching learning strategies:

Lecture, discussions and readings

The unit deals with varied questions of social justice through essays, speeches and poems. The texts are selected from global, regional and local contexts to enhance the understanding of contemporary issues of India and help the learners to gain the understanding of human values of the marginalised sections such as workers in unorganised sector, of the society.

1. Jayati Ghosh (2016) On Anti-National Economics (Essay) (Economic policy)

http://www.frontline.in/columns/Jayati_Ghosh/antinational-economics/article8356541.ece

2. Gopal Honnalgere: “The Convicts” (a poem on social justice in peril by Kannada poet)
3. Sitakant Mahapatra: “The Election” (Poem on Rural India and Corrupted Politics)
4. Ben Rowen. 2019. The Fault in Our Star Names. https://psmag.com/social-justice/the-fault-in-our-star-names
5. P Sainath. Wrestling with the rural economy (2013)

https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/wrestling-with-the-rural-economy/

Teaching learning strategies:

Reading, Debate and Discussion

Michio Kaku. Physics of the Future:  How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, Anchor Academic Publishing, 2012.

Roshan Kishore (2017) “How a Bihari Lost his Mother Tongue to Hindi” (Essay)

http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/Nl73WC1JA8d6KVybBycNlM/How-a-Bihari-lost-his-mother-tongue-to-Hindi.html

Sen, Orjit and Pakhi Sen (2021) “Hear of Light”. (Graphic Narrative)

https://indianculturalforum.in/2021/02/02/heart-of-light/

R. Shashank Reddy. (2017) “Why India Needs a Strategic Artificial Intelligence Vision”.

https://thewire.in/tech/india-artificial-intelligence

Hariharan, Githa and Salim Yusufji. (2019). Battling for India.  Speaking Tiger: New Delhi.

Kakkoos (2017) by Divya Bharthi (Documentary) (Caste)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UYWRoHUpkU

Raja Rao: What does it mean to be Queer (2019)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIuFl3m_U4

The Collected Poems of Gopal Honnalgare. Edited by K A Jayaseelan. Poetrywala, 2020

Shashi Tharoor (2015) Speech in Oxford (Speech)

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/shashi-tharoor-garners-appreciation-his-spirited-argument-oxford-union-debate-full-text-640299

The urban spaces of India have transformed immensely with increased global influences. The course attempts to explore various aspects of cultural identity and compare those identities formed, represented, and reproduced in the metropolitan context of Bangalore. The course enables students to think of the concept of 'the city' as a dynamic entity and analyse how our understanding of, and interaction with the city produces knowledge of space, emerging subjectivity and the “Other”. The city will be examined as a physical and socio-political structure. Metropolitan cities are considered nowadays as sites in the transnational network of financial and technological activities and hence they must be studied as global spaces in addition to its local and regional specificities.

The course is conceptualized with the following objectives:

1. To introduce students to the idea of the city and enable them to ask some relevant questions in the contemporary context.

2. To introduce students to narratives as told by monumental and representational cultures of cities.

3. To make students reflect on how cosmopolitanism and diversity are expressed in urban environments. and how urban space mediate transnational and global links.

This unit attempts to look at the histories of Bangalore from cultural, literary and socio-political aspects. It aims to give a detailed understanding of how the city space has evolved during the precolonial, colonial and postcolonial eras

1. Bangalore from the Pre-colonial to the Age of Globalisation: From The Promise of the Metropolis: Bangalore's Twentieth Century Janaki Nair.

2. Past and Present of the City through folklore and other write-ups- From “Multiple City: Writings on Bangalore” Aditi De.

3. Everyday City Experiences- “Majestic: The Place of Constant Return” Zac O’Yeah.

This unit looks at the sense of the city in the global digital age and how the city is formed of politically aware people making it a public space of contestations and demonstrations.

1. Reading the City in a Global Digital Age: The Limits of Topographic Representation” Saskia Sassen

2.“The Problem” Michael Goldman, Vinay Gidwani, Carol Upadhya

3.“The City as Dichotomy” Sharadini Rath.

4.“Contestations Over Public Spaces” Lekha Adavi, Darshana Mitra And Vinay Sreenivasa

This unit tries to look the history of the city through a fictional representation. Karnad toasts to 'Bendakalooru', the place of boiled beans. The unit also proposes City Walk. Based on the ideas about the past and present of the city discussed in the previous two units, the students may take out a city walk in any area of their choice and bring out documentary evidence of the same in the form of photographs and write-ups.

1.“Boiled Beans on Toast: A Play” by Girish Karnad

2. City Walk

2. Madanipour, Ali. Urban Design, Space and Society. 2014.

3. Sabiki, Ranjit. A Sense of Space: The Crisis of Urban Design in India, 2019.

4. Shaw, Annapurna. Indian Cities in Transition.

5.Friedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat: The Globalized World in the Twenty-First Century.

We become savvy about the world on a daily basis. Cyberspace aided by the internet is one agency that enables our knowledge and entertainment production, dissemination and consumption. We interact with the virtual space much more than we often interact with the real to the extent that the simulacra we live in have become more real/hyperreal than the real itself. In this scenario, it is important to read, understand, critique and reorient our relationship with the cyber world we live in and breathe through. The course will also deal with aspects of the public as personal and the personal as public. This course is an attempt to engage with these aspects by negotiating with the virtually real.

General introduction to the key concepts related to cyberculture 

1. Lister et al : “New Media in Everyday Life” 

2. Pramod K Nayar: “Reading” Cybercultures 

 This unit will attempt to enable students to deal with new forms of literature enabled by the cyberspace. It will look at how the internet and the cyberworld has reconfigured language, grammar, meaning, form and content for the digital native cyborg who seamlessly traverse the real and the virtual, the banal and the political. This section will deal with genres and the student and faculty can mutually decide on select examples from each genre. 

• Terribly Tiny Tales 

• Fan fiction 

• Hypertext Poetry 

• Slam Poetry 

• Twitterature

This unit will discuss aspects of freedom and the empowerment of communities through the cyberspace be it through social networking sites, online shopping, youtubing, Netflix, vlogging and blogging. It will look at how choices are mediated in the name of empowering the common public and how a certain hegemony gets constructed through manipulated consent. 

1. Lloyd Morrisset: “Technologies of Freedom” 

2. Film: The Social Network 

3. Drama: An episode from Black Mirror 

4. Andrei Gornyk: “From Youtube to Ru Tube, or How I Learnt to Love All Tubes”

5. Netflix 

6. Vlogging and Blogging 

7. Online Shopping – Amazon/Flipkart 

This unit will attempt to look at the various aspects of surveillance that the digital and cybertechnology has equipped us with. It will examine how this constructs discourses of the body, gender and selfhood. This unit will also look at the manner in which knowledge and information has also been reconfigured and appropriated through digital and cybertechnology. 

1. Pramod K Nayar: Biometric Surveillance 

2. Swati Chaturvedi: I am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army.

Pramod K Nayar: “Reading” Cybercultures

Lloyd Morrisset: “Technologies of Freedom” 

Film: The Social Network 

Drama: An episode from Black Mirror 

Andrei Gornyk: “From Youtube to Ru Tube, or How I Learnt to Love All Tubes”

Pramod K Nayar: Biometric Surveillance 

Swati Chaturvedi: I am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army.

Lister, M., Dovey, J., Giddings, S., Grant, I., & Kelly, K. (2010). New media: A critical introduction. London: Routledge. Nayar, P. K. (2010). An introduction to new media and cybercultures. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. 

Snickars, Pelle and Patrick Vonderau, eds. (2009). The Youtube Reader. National Library of Sweden.

The aim of the course is to offer students the opportunity to understand, explore and appreciate the nature of human diversity and globalisation by providing a direct international experience in a virtual collaborative learning environment with students. It aims to form an intercultural perspective, provide knowledge of communication and behaviour within and between different cultures.

Course Objectives

The course aims to help students to:

• Identify and explain basic theories of human interaction within multi-cultural environments.

• Understand  basic principles of communication within various cultural settings.

• Identify and explain the specific culturally oriented communication needs of a variety of marginal or sub-cultural groups

• Definitions and a basic understanding of cross-culture communication

• Differences between cross culture and intercultural communication

• Dimensions & Models for Cultural Analysis- Popular models of cross cultural communication.

• Context, Situation & Action Chains- Culture, Technology

• Workforce and environment, 

• Countering oppression through inclusion

• Culture & Identity - Educational attainment, Geographical locations, ethnicity.

• Intercultural Relations and Globalisation (Case Study Work)

• Global Identity; Communicating with a Cross-Cultural Audience

• Reading: Cross-cultural conflict by Kevin Avruch (UNESCO EOLSS (Encyclopaedia of life support systems)

Condon, E. C. (1973). Introduction to cross cultural communication. Rutgers University.

Gudykunst, W. B. (2003). Cross-cultural and intercultural communication. Sage.

Ting-Toomey, S., & Chung, L. C. (2005). Understanding intercultural communication. New York: Oxford University Press.

Over all end semester evaluation for 45 marks

CIA I: 20 Marks 

CIA II: 20 Marks

End semester Submission CIA III: 50 Marks.

Attendance 5 Marks

This course focuses on the structural and functional aspects of the Indian state. The course explains the important organs of the state and their structural equations.  Specifically, it provides debates on the principles of separation of powers by equating the legislature, executive, and judiciary. Further, the course offers the functional relations of the governments in India at the Union, state, and local levels. The course deals with the equations and debates in relation to the structure of the states with forms of the governments through a political lens. The role of the Political system in shaping the Union-state and local bodies relations. 

Course Objectives:

The course aims to help students to:

• understand the structural importance of the Indian state.
• understand the nature, structure, and working of the governments at three levels and the functional implications involved in it.
• explore contemporary issues in functional aspects of legislative, administrative, and financial relations between Union and state governments.

Aristotle’s mixed government or hybrid government; John Locke's legislative, executive and federative powers, Montesquieu's separation of powers system, tripartite and bipartite systems, the principle of Checks and balances.

Legislature: Organisation and working. Law-making process. Parliamentary Committees. The decline of Legislature and Reforms. 

Executive: Offices of President, Vice President, and Prime Minister. Union Council of Ministers – Organisation, and Functions. Offices of Governor, Lt. Governor, and Chief Minister. State Council of Ministers – Organisation, and Functions. Parliamentary and Presidential forms of Government: A debate.

Organisation. Supreme Court: Composition and Jurisdiction. High Court: Composition and Jurisdiction. Judicial Review. Judicial Activism. Public Interest Litigation. Judicial Reforms.

Unitary and Federal features. Legislative, Administrative, and Financial Relations. State Autonomy debate. Sarkaria Commission recommendations. 73rd, 74th Constitutional Amendments, Urban and Rural local bodies w.s.r to Karnataka State. Parallel organizations.

Features of Party System. Rise of Regional Parties. Anti-Defection Law. Elections- Constitutional Provisions. Election Commission of India – Organisation and Functions. Pressure/Interest Groups and Public Opinion.

Bakshi, P. M. (2012). The Constitution of India. New Delhi: Universal Law.

Basu, DD (2015). Introduction to the Constitution of India, Lexis Nexis; Second Edition.

Chakrabarty, B. and Pandey, R. K. (2008). Indian Government and Politics. New Delhi: Sage.

Devesh Kapur, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, and Milan Vaishnav (2017). Rethinking Public Institutions in India, OUP.

Ghai, K. K. (2015). Indian Government and Politics. Noida: Kalyani.

Kashyap, S. (2014). Our Parliament. New Delhi: National Book Trust.

Saxena, R. and Singh, M. P. (2011). Indian Politics: Constitutional Foundations and Institutional Functioning. New Delhi: PHI Learning.

Kashyap, S. C. (2011). Our Constitution. New Delhi: National Book Trust. 

Mid Semester Examination

End Semester Examination

Course Description

This course introduces the students to core ideologies that govern politics. It also acquaints students with contemporary ideologies. Specifically, it examines the role of ideologies in understanding the state and society in the context of politics. The course covers classical ideologies: Liberalism, Conservatism and Socialism, and new political ideologies: Multiculturalism, Cosmopolitanism and Feminism. A distinctive aspect of this course is its application to the Indian context with regard to the ideologies under study and a separate unit addressing Gandhism and Ambedkarism in India.

Course Objectives

The course aims to help students to:

• Understand the fundamental concept of political ideology.
• Critically reflect on the political ideology and its functioning in the society.
• Develop ideological framework for understanding the political phenomenon.
• Understanding dominant ideologies in the Indian context. 

Meaning, Nature and type.

Significance and role of ideology in politics.

Perspectives on Ideology - Marx, Lenin, Karl Manheim, Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser.

Liberalism: Meaning, Nature and Characteristics.

Role of social contract in liberal thought

Development from Classical Liberalism - Modern Liberalism - Neo-Liberalism

Liberalism in the Indian Context

Conservatism: Meaning and Characteristics.

Types - Authoritarian, Paternalistic; transition to New Right and Neo Conservatism

Conservatism in 21st Century;

Social Conservatism in India.

Socialism: Meaning and characteristics

Marx and Lenin on the socialist agenda;

Neo-Marxism; Democratic Socialism

Socialism in 21st Century

Socialism in Indian Context.

Ecologism, Populism, Feminism, Multiculturalism – key characteristics and contestations.

Gandhi and Ambedkar – ideological similarities and differences

Gandhi and Ambedkar debate on Indian Caste System.

CIA - II     Mid Semester Exam               25 marks

CIA - III    Group Assignment                 20 marks

ESE           End Term Exam                     30 marks

Attendance                                            05 marks

This course provides an overview of analytical concepts and tools used in the study of a variety of political systems. This includes the descriptive and analytical examination of political systems generally classified as democratic, non-democratic, or undergoing transition. Particular attention is paid to government institutions and political processes, current leadership, and major public policy of those selected systems under review.

Course Objectives:

The course aims to help students to:

●       Relate terms and concepts associated with the academic study of comparative political systems.

●        Compare and contrast the foundations of legitimacy on which political regimes rest, such as the norms and rules of ordered society; different forms of citizen participation; group behavior; or institutional activities in these political systems.

●       Discuss the political history, institutions, political cultures, political parties, interest groups, political issues, cleavages, and the major political conflicts of various contemporary political systems

Nature, Evolution and Scope of Comparative Politics. Political System - Meaning and Nature, Political Modernization, Political Change. Methods and Levels of Analysis— Historical institutionalism. Rational choice institutionalism. Sociological institutionalism. System Theories, Cultural Theories, Class Theories, Development Theories, “Cybernetics”, “Black Box” theory

Salient features – Executive – Legislature – Judiciary – Local Government - Party system- Pressure Groups- Political Participation. Case study of US/Costa Rica

Salient features – Executive – Legislature – Judiciary – Local Government - Party system- Pressure Groups- Political Participation. Case Study of Britain and Switzerland

Salient features – Executive – Legislature – Judiciary – Local Government - Party system- Pressure Groups- Political Participation. Case Study of Sri Lanka and France

Salient features – Executive – Legislature – Judiciary- Communist Party – Local Government -Political Participation.  Case Study of China.

Recommended Readings:

1.      Gokhale, V. (2022). After Tiananmen: The Rise of China. Harper Collins.

2.      Green, D. (2012). Comparative Politics of the Third World: Linking Concepts and Cases.

3.      Caramani, D. (2011). Comparative Politics. Oxford University Press.

4.      Pierson, P., & Skocpol, T. (2011). The Transformation of American Politics: Activist Government and the Rise of Conservatism. Princeton University Press

Venugopal, R. (2018). Nationalism, Development and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka. Cambridge University Press.

The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to the international political economy.  The discourse examines the interplay of politics and economics so that students comprehend the impact of political processes on economic development at the international platform.  Thirdly, the aim is to acquaint students with significant political economy issues namely economic crisis and inequality with the existing neoliberal order. 

 Course Objectives:

This course will:

1. introduce students to the theoretical perspectives of International Political Economy.
2. help them to understand international institution’s economic actions, processes and planning.
3. enable them to understand the issues and challenges in contemporary international political economy.
4. train students to hone their writing and presentation skills to effectively discuss complex ideas.

Mercantilism and economic nationalism:  Early forms of mercantilism; Nineteenth-century mercantilism. Classical liberalism and neo-liberalism:  Classical liberalism; Free trade liberalism; Twentieth-century liberal theory; The concept of interdependence; The rise of international institutions and regimes.

Karl Marx and Marxism; Lenin and the theory of imperialism; Dependency theory and underdevelopment; Contemporary neo-Marxist theory

The creation of the GATT; Trade liberalisation under the GATT and the rise of the ‘new protectionism’.  The rise and decline of the Bretton Woods system; Global monetary order after Bretton Woods; The IMF and international debt crises.

Poverty and inequality in the emerging world - key indicators; Multinational corporations and foreign investment in a global economy; Differing perspectives on environmentalism; The concept of sustainable development; The challenge of climate change.

Explaining regionalism; The European Union; Regionalism in the Americas and Asia; Regional trade agreements and the WTO: conflict or compatibility?

Cohen, B. J. (2017). International political economy. Routledge.

Dillman, B., & Balaam, D. N. (2015). Introduction to International Political Economy. United States: Taylor & Francis.

Pettman, R. (Ed.). (2012). Handbook on international political economy. World Scientific.

Krugman, P. R., & Obstfeld, M. (2009). International economics: Theory and policy. Pearson Education.

Stubbs, R., & Underhill, G. R. (Eds.). (2000). Political economy and the changing global order (pp. 261-88). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

This course aims at exploring the phenomenon of aesthetics from a multidisciplinary perspective. Further it helps the students to get exposed to multidisciplinary approach of understanding realities.

Course Objectives:

After the completion of this course, students will be able to:

1.      Understand the philosophy behind aesthetics
2.      Understand human perception of aesthetics
3.      Appreciate morality and aesthetic judgements
4.      Take cognizance of the influence of technology on aesthetics

Origin of modern aesthetics; philosophy behind Aesthetics

Psychology of Aesthetics; morality; aesthetic judgements; appreciation of environment

Globalization and Technological influence on Aesthetics; digital interface; military; fashion; culture; art and architecture

Kivy, P. (Ed.). (2009). The Blackwell guide to aesthetics. John Wiley & Sons.     

Schellekens, E., & Goldie, P. (Eds.). (2011). The aesthetic mind: Philosophy and psychology. Oxford University Press.