Syllabus for
Bachelor of Arts (Journalism Honours)
Academic Year  (2021)

The syllabus for this programme is designed to give the students a theoretical and practical base to specialise in Journalism and Media industry. In the first two semesters, the emphasis is to locate Journalism in the broader field of communication and provide a background in the social sciences: political science, psychology, marketing, economics and sociology. The course in its first year emphasises on writing, reporting and editing that is aimed at strengthening the knowledge base and imparting skills necessary to survive in the field of written communication. Special emphasis is given in the second year to the fields of broadcast. In the final year, the course focuses on digital and new media aspects of communication. The field of journalism has seen many changes in recent years. With globalisation, there has been an exponential growth of educational institutions offering Journalism as part of their curriculum. The Department of Media Studies at Bannerghatta Road campus have streamlined the courses to align with industrial expectations as well as provide intellectual and critical growth to our students. 

Programme Outcome/Programme Learning Goals/Programme Learning Outcome:

PO3: Exhibit teamwork, leadership and communication skills

PO4: Display competence in interpersonal and intercultural communication.

PO5: Demonstrate awareness of local, regional, national, and global issues and engage within their socio-cultural contexts along with environmental needs and concerns.

PO6: Analyze and critique media content to demonstrate media literacy.

PO7: Identify and interpret trends and dynamics that drive media industries regionally, nationally and globally.

The evaluation is divided in to two components: Continuous Internal Assessment (CIA) including Mid Semester Examination (MSE), and the End Semester Examination (ESE).

Mid Semester Exam: The student will be required to take a midterm exam which will cover units from the beginning of the semester up until the time of the exam.

End Semester Examination: ESEs will be conducted for both theory and practical courses at the end of semster.

To create a sense of ownership of issues related to CSR, Environment and sustainability of businesses.

Understand the basic concept of Sustainable Development (SD), the environmental, social and economic dimensions.

To teach how to critically analyze, evaluate and judge competing perspectives on the challenge of creating a sustainablefuture.

To understand the Sustainable development challenge for companies, their responsibility and their potentials for action.

Meaning and Scope, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Sustainability Terminologies and Meanings, why is Sustainability an Imperative, Sustainability Case Studies, Triple Bottom Line (TBL)

Reasons to adopt sustainable strategy by firms, tools used by the firm to implement their sustainable development strategies, evaluation of firm’s commitment to sustainable strategies by the stakeholders.

Using Standards, Certification and other Systems to further SD goals Introduction, Global management systems exist to guide firms in establishing and implementing a strategy,how do these various approaches, including certification, encourage sustainable business practices.

Establishing priorities for sustainable future, Role of women in sustainability, Challenge of creating a green economy, Sustainability crisis in 21^st century, failures of global capitalism, transforming global capitalism, creating a restorative economy.

Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines, National Voluntary Guidelines on Social, Environmental and Economic Responsibilities of, Business, International Standards, Sustainability Indices, Principles of Responsible Investment, Challenges in Mainstreaming Sustainability Reporting, Sustainability Reporting Case Studies

United Nations Conference on Human Environment, United Nations Environment Programme Brundtland Commission United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Agenda 21, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Statement of Forest Principles United Nations Framework Convention on climate change, Convention on Biological Diversity, Kyoto Protocol, Bali Roadmap, United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals.

2.      Concepts of Environmental Management for Sustainable Development

3.      Baxi C. V & Rupamanjari Sinha Ray, (2012). Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study of CSR Practices in Indian Industry, Vikas Publishing House.

4.      Corporate Goverance – Badi N. V, Vrinda Publications, 2012.

5.      Fernando A. C, (2011). Corporate Governance: principles, policies and practices, Pearson.

6.      Ghosh B. N, (2012). Business Ethics and Corporate Governance , Tata McGraw-Hill.

7.      Keshoo Prasad, Corporate Governance -, PHI.

8.      Lawrence and Weber, (2010). Business and Society, Tata McGraw-Hill.

2.      Concepts of Environmental Management for Sustainable Development

3.      Baxi C. V & Rupamanjari Sinha Ray, (2012). Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study of CSR Practices in Indian Industry, Vikas Publishing House.

4.      Corporate Goverance – Badi N. V, Vrinda Publications, 2012.

5.      Fernando A. C, (2011). Corporate Governance: principles, policies and practices, Pearson.

6.      Ghosh B. N, (2012). Business Ethics and Corporate Governance , Tata McGraw-Hill.

7.      Keshoo Prasad, Corporate Governance -, PHI.

8.      Lawrence and Weber, (2010). Business and Society, Tata McGraw-Hill.

CIA 2 - Mid sem Class exam (25 marks)

CIA 3 - Group presentation and report for pre allotted topics.(20 marks)

End sem - Class exam (30 marks)

To examine health in its truest sense, one must explore beyond the limits of medicine to engage a much wider set of questions embracing social, cultural, political, economic, moral and spiritual aspects of human experience. The course focuses on the knowledge and skills that students require to lead a healthy, productive and balanced life.

Balanced diet & Nutrition, Macro and micro nutrients – Nutritive and non nutritive components of diet – Eating for weight control – healthy weight – The pitfalls of dieting – food intolerance and food myths – Food supplements for adolescents. 

What is sleep? – The phylogeny of sleep – Developmental course of sleep – Dreams- Functions of sleep – Daytime sleepiness and alertness – Sleep disorders.

Course Description:

The Mahabharata of the great Maharishi Veda Vyasa is a treasure trove of knowledge, principles and paradigms. It is written that what is not in the Mahabharata will not be found elsewhere. Written nearly thousands of years ago, the Mahabharata is as yet a source of knowledge, especially modern management principles.In essence it highlights the victory of Dharma in times of Adharma.This subject is a comprehensive learning on management lessons which can be inferred from the great epic. It gives a clear understanding and comparison of management Principles, practices and the various functions of management with the epic. The syllabus is structured to provide basic conceptual knowledge on the principles of management. It also deals with behavioral issues in the individual processes, group and interpersonal processes.

Course Objectives:

•  Discuss the epic by summarizing the various parvas/units in class in accordance with the management concept
•  Review and make a critical estimate of the epic with a focus on morals, ethics, legal and management concepts
• To develop competencies and knowledge of students to become effective professionals

The older generations-The Pandava and Kaurava princes- Lakshagraha (the house of lac)

Establishment of the kingdom-Administration and Management principles

Marriage to Draupadi- An event study approach.

Indraprastha-A new beginning- Pressure for change – Change process, Types of change, Factors influencing change, Resistance to change

The dice game- Cooperative strategies & Reasons for strategic alliances-

Exile and return- Risks and costs of strategic alliances

The battle at Kurukshetra - Strategic Planning and Management- levels at which strategy operates- Event approaches to strategic decision making,

The end of the Pandavas- Succession Planning,Authority and Responsibility

The reunion Organizing- Choosing the organizational structure

Rao, V.S.P., & Krishna, V.H., (2011). Strategic Management: Text and Cases. New Delhi: Excel Books.

Pratap Chandra Roy ,The complete Mahabharata translated into English prose directly from the original sanskrit text.(1^st Edition) oriental publishing co.

Source: Jaya - An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

MSE   30 Marks

CIA 3 10 Marks

End Assesment 50 Marks

Any individual can have a real-time video conversation with someone on the other side of the planet, one can send and receive money without even taking out their wallet, and even can post content online that reaches millions of people in a matter minutes. Unfortunately, the same technology that enables all this new freedom and convenience also exposes us to new security threats that we've never encountered. Malware that infects your computer and watches everything you do, phishing scams that steal private information from millions of people - today's digital world is a criminal's playground. It makes the process of stealing money or even stealing someone's entire identity way more efficient. Hence it becomes very important to protect yourself and your private data from cyber intruders. This course outlines a step-by-step roadmap that one can follow to build a tight wall of security around your digital life.

Course Objectives:

This course gives the background needed to understand basic cyber security. Students will be introduced to the world of spyware, phishing, malware, spam, social engineering, hacking and other common internet spying techniques. Students will also learn the intervention methods in securing themselves in cyber space.

Why security matters – The importance of multi-layer security – the most common security threats – The dark side of Internet – The world of malware – phishing – social engineering – scams – hacking –cyber warfare.

Developing the right mindset and habits for security – the importance of skepticism – avoiding malicious sites and applications – Tools needed to browse the Internet securely - why software updates matter – knowing (and limiting yourself).

Why mobile security matters – setting up a passcode lock –importance of password security – best practices – using password manager- managing third-party app permissions – locating a lost or stolen smartphone.

Framework – types of mobile two-factor authentication – Two-Factor authentication: Google, Facebook, Twitter and other services - danger of rogue connected apps – managing connected apps on Google and Facebook – managing browser extensions/add-ons – staying secure with connected apps and extensions.

Encryption definition – How SSL (HTTPS) protects your passwords and private data - encrypting your web traffic with a virtual private network (VPN) – encrypting computer's hard drive – encrypting smartphone – firewalls – antivirus.

·        Arora, A. (2014). Information Warfare and Cyber Security. Jaipur: Book Enclave.

·       Santanam, R., Sethumadhavan, M., & Virendra, M. (2011). Cyber security, cybercrime and cyber forensics: Applications and perspectives. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

·         Ahamad, F. (2013). Cyber Law and Information Security. New Delhi: Dreamtech Press.

CIA II - 25 marks

CIA III - 20 marks

End Semester - 30 marks

Attendance - 05 marks

Course Description: 

The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to the concept of institutions and the informal economy in a global context. The discourse examines the informal economy through the lens of institutional economics. The aim is to acquaint students with significant discourses and issues in policy design and intervention.  

Course Objectives: 

The course aims to help students to: 

• outline the concept of institutions and institutional change through some of the major  theoretical constructs in institutional economics; 
• summarize and illustrate the various mechanisms of the informal economy  connecting the theoretical concept to issues of measurement; 
• examine the linkages of formal and informal economy; 
• train students to hone their writing and presentation skills to effectively discuss these complex ideas.

Institutions, Economic Theory and Economic Performance; Informal Constraints; Formal Constraints; The Path of Institutional Change

Contracts and Property Rights: the Concepts of Exchange and Property, Critique of the Utilitarian Calculus; Transaction Costs, Bargaining Power; Markets as Institutions; Firms and Markets

Bureaucratic Form and the Informal Economy; Formal and Informal Enterprises: Concepts, Definition, and Measurement Issues; Linking the Formal and Informal Economy.

CASE STUDIES: The Impact of Regulation on Growth and Informality: Cross-Country Evidence; Blocking Human Potential: How Formal Policies Block the Economy in the Maputo Corridor; Enforcement and Compliance in Lima’s Street Markets: The Origins and Consequences of Policy Incoherence towards Informal Traders

Mid Semester Examination

End Semester Examination

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.

This course will:

• consider some of the seminal papers on the economics of corruption
• acquaint students to significant debates about transparency, competition and privatization and its relevance to corruption
• analyse corruption in emerging economies through various case studies
• discuss issues from various perspectives, such as, viewing corruption as erosion of trust and abuse of power
• train students to hone their writing and presentation skills to effectively discuss complex ideas.

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 Anticorruption Device.

Auriol, E., & Straub, S. (2011). Privatization of Rent-generating Industries and Corruption. In S. Rose-Ackerman & T. Søreide, (Eds.). International Handbook on the Economics of Corruption, (Vol. 2). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub.

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.

Cartier-Bresson, J. (2000). Economics of corruption. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD Observer, (220), 25.

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.

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 Private Sector.Economics and Law, 6(1), 345-360.

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

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.

Mid Semester Examination

End Semester Examination

This paper aims at initiating among the students discussion on some of the key issues of Indian economy. It also aims at making the students understand the macroeconomic challenges and policy management in India with special reference to Karnataka. This paper exposes the students to the quantitative data on various economic aspects and policies in India and Karnataka as well.

• To give an overall understanding of major challenges faced by Indian economy.

• To facilitate students to understand state wise key economic issues related with economic growth and development.

India and the global economy; emerging issues of development; economic planning- broad objectives, targets, strategies, NITI AAYOG : Structure , role and functions , Vision document of planning in India; India’s human development in global perspective.

Growth trends of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, state wise comparison, comparison with other countries, low productivity issues, challenges and prospects; changes in occupational structure and employment ; privatization and disinvestment policies; public sector, sick units in public sector, strategy for revival of sick public sector units, private vs. public sector, small scale industries.

External sector and its significance, movement of capital, manpower and goods, recent trends in BOPs and exchange rate fluctuations, WTO requirements; foreign trade- composition, direction and organization, India’s trade policy and tariff policy; external debt and fiscal reforms, India and regional integration.

Recent economic reforms; changing role of  RBI-, recent changes in monetary and fiscal policy and their effectiveness,; Federal finance, Finance Commissions, black money - estimates, genesis, consequences and remedies and comparison with other countries, Evaluation of recent development programmes in India.

Trends and growth pattern of SGDP and human development in Karnataka, comparison with other  Indian states; sectoral performance, industrial and agricultural policies, problems and prospects of different sectors; State planning process- planning objectives and strategies, decentralized planning, intra-state disparities; education, health and housing, budgetary trends; Evaluation of recent development programmes in Karnataka.

Iteshamul, H. (2015). A Handbook of Karnataka. Government of Karnataka, Bangalore, A Government of Karnataka Publication.

Kapila, U. (2016). Indian Economy – Performance and Policies (17thed.). New Delhi: Academic Foundation.

Misra, S. K., &Puri, V. K. (2011). Indian economy (34thed.). Delhi: Himalaya Publishing House.

Balakrishnan, P. (2007). The recovery of India: Economic growth in the Nehru Era. Economic and Political Weekly, 52-66.

Baru, R., Acharya, A., Acharya, S., Kumar, A. S., &Nagaraj, K. (2010). Inequities in access to health services in India: caste, class and region. Economic and Political Weekly, 49-58.

Basu, K. (2009). China and India: idiosyncratic paths to high growth. Economic and Political Weekly, 43-56.

Deaton, A., &Drèze, J. (2009). Food and nutrition in India: facts and interpretations. Economic and political weekly, 42-65.

Drèze, J., & Sen, A. (2013). An uncertain glory: India and its contradictions. Princeton University Press.

Dyson, T. (2013). Population and development: the demographic transition. Zed Books Ltd

Economic survey of India, 2016-17.[New Delhi].

Economic Survey of Karnataka 2016-17.[Bangalore]

Himanshu, R., & Sen, A. (2010). Towards new poverty lines for India. Economic & Political Weekly, 45(1), 2-8.

Himanshu. (2011). Employment Trends in India: A Re-examination. Economic and Political Weekly, 43-59.

James, K. S. (2008). Glorifying Malthus: Current debate on'demographicdividend'in India. Economic and Political Weekly, 63-69.

Kapila, U. (Ed.). (2009). Indian economy since independence. Academic Foundation

Meti, T. K. (1976). The Economy of Karnataka: An Analysis of Development and Planning. New Delhi: Oxford & IBH Publishing Company.

Mohan, R. (2008). Growth record of the Indian economy, 1950-2008: A story of sustained savings and investment. Economic and Political Weekly, 61-71.

Narayana, M. R. (2004). An Overview of the Karnataka Economy'. Chapter One in Karnataka Development Report, Institute for Social and Economic Change.

Shetty, S. L. (2007). India’s Savings Performance since the Advent of Planning’. Institutions and Markets in India’s Development.

Somasekhara, N. (1978). Planning and Development in Karnataka: Targets, Allocations, and Perspectives. Geetha Book House.

Vaidyanathan, A., & Krishna, K. L. (Eds.). (2007). Institutions and Markets in India's Development: Essays for KN Raj. Oxford.

English Language and Composition 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 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 purpose of the course is to enable students to read analytically, formulate arguments based on the readings, and respond by composing articulate essays that utilize advanced elements of sentence structure, syntax, style, purpose, and tone. Thus, by the use of rhetorical principles, students will learn how to become critical thinkers, and apply that knowledge to their writing by revising and improving their essays, as well as critiquing and editing peer essays. In addition, students will be required to thoroughly research relevant topics, synthesize information from a variety of sources, and document their knowledge in a cogent well written report. Also, as 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. While the first semester focuses on understanding principles of rhetoric through multiple texts, the second semester is more thematic in nature familiarizing students with texts from multiple disciplines, especially in the context of India.

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 while analysing and composing a text.

1. Introduction to Rhetoric and Rhetorical Situation.

a. Lou Gehrig’s Farewell 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. Letter to Einstein and Reply. http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/05/dear-einstein-do-scientists-pray.html

b. George W. Bush 9/11 speech http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911addresstothenation.htm

c. Tryst with Destiny by Jawaharlal Nehru

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 an 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.

- Ethos

King George VI King’s Speech (Can play part of the movie

https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/George-VI-King-s-Speech-September-3-1939

The Myth of Latin Women: I Just met a Girl Named Maria https://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/amccann10/Myth_of_a_Latin_Woman

Quit India Speech by Gandhi

-  Logos

SlowFood Nation by Alice Watershttps://www.thenation.com/article/slow-food-nation/

My Vision For India by Abdul Kalam.

-  Pathos

a. Richard Nixon, from The Checkers Speech http://watergate.info/1952/09/23/nixon-checkers-speech.html

b. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Order of the Day

https://www.whatsoproudlywehail.org/curriculum/the-american-calendar/order-of-the-day-6-june-1944

c .Bal Gangadhar Tilak http://speakola.com/political/bal-gangadhar-tilak-freedom-is-my-birthright-1917

4. Combining Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

a. Toni Morrison, Dear Senator Obama http://observer.com/2008/01/toni-morrisons-letter-to-barack-obama/

b. Crisis of Civilization by Rabindranath Tagore

Focus of the unit would be to introduce multiple ways of analysis, close reading, and usage of argumentative statements and diction. 

1.   Ralph Ellison, from On Bird, Bird-Watching and Jazz http://www.unz.org/Pub/SaturdayRev-1962jul28-00047

2.   Virginia Woolf, The Death of the Moth

3.   Groucho Marx, Dear Warner Brotherhttps://archive.org/details/Groucho_Marx_Letter_to_Warner_Brothers

4.   Christopher Morley, On Lazinesshttp://essays.quotidiana.org/morley/laziness/

The unit will focus on how to read visual text and the impact it has on the audience.

1.   ACLU, The Man on the Left(advertisement)

2.   Tom Toles,Rosa Parks (cartoon) http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/2005/10/rosa_parks.html

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

4.   https://www.tatacliq.com/que/isro-launch-breaks-record-memes/ ISRO Launch (Times)

5.   Analysing Advertisements ( Fair and Lovely,…) , gender stereotypes in ads.

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.

1.  PETA, Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse (advertisement) 25

2.  Anne Applebaum, If the Japanese Can’t Build a Safe Reactor,Who Can? 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.  Stop for Pedestrians (advertisement)

4.  The Times, Man Takes First Steps on the Moon

5.  William Safire, In Event of Moon Disaster http://mentalfloss.com/article/57908/event-moon-disaster-white-house-speech-worst-case-scenario

6.  Herblock, Transported (cartoon)

7.  Ted Talk: Speak Like a Leader https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGBamfWasNQ

By carefully reading the viewpoints of others and considering a range of ideas on an issue, one develops a clearer understanding of our own beliefs — a necessary foundation to writing effective arguments. The unit will focus on analysing elements of argument as a means of critical thinking and an essential step toward crafting argumentative essays. The unit will focus on making an argument and supporting it by synthesising multiple sources. 

1.   Understanding Argument https://csalexander03.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/why-investing-in-fast-food-may-be-a-good-thing-by-amy-domini/

2.   http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/opinion/felons-and-the-right-to-vote.html

3.   Using Visual text for Argument https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjjV_X5re4g

4.   Using sources to inform an Argument

5.   Using Sources to Appeal to Audience.

The compilation will be shared with the class. 

Mohr, K. A., & Mohr, E. S. (2017). Understanding Generation Z students to promote a contemporary learning environment. Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, 1(1), 84-94.

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

Teachers would take to class some of the selected texts from each unit for discussion. Few texts can be used to test students for CIA 1 and 3. This is to be decided at the meetings beginning in the semester.2. In order to access the prescribed texts for the course an online repository would be shared with the students. 3. A Journal to be maintained as part of the course, which learners will submit at the end of the course as End semester submission. 

This common core course aims to provide a basic introduction to understanding discourses of science and technology as represented in select science fiction. The course will help students understand some of the basic questions about the human condition that are raised, debated and negotiated in and through the representative fiction. 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 human condition may choose this course.

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 a basic overview of science fiction through some critical and conceptual lens. The New Critical Idiom Series, Science Fiction, would be used here to introduce aspects of SF to students. Locating the interdisciplinarity of the domain would be central in this module. Reference material would be handed out by the course instructor.

This unit will raise crucial debates in and around questions of ‘science’ and ‘reason’. The unit will also help students recognize the importance of raising these questions from various disciplinary points of view, an important one being philosophy.

•       Isaac Asimov short story “Reason”

•       Select Episodes of the series Stranger Things

•       The Matrix

This unit will engage with how technology becomes a crucial part of negotiating 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 is gender and sexuality framed within discourses of SF? How does SF address the anxieties of technology and future would be some of the questions engaged with here. Any one of the following novels may be taken up for discussion along with the viewing suggestion given below.

•       Aldous Huxley Brave New World

•       William Gibson, Neuromancer

•       Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake

•       “Hated in the Nation” from Black Mirror Season 3

This unit will engage with the science fiction in the Indian context. One of the main points of discussion would be to understand how Indian SF writers 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 and culturally.

•       Vandana Singh “Delhi”

•       Sumit Basu Turbulence

Carey, Peter. What is Post-humanism? Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2010.

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

Course Description:  

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 one thics is often an added advantage for students as it helps them shape a socially awre perspective of the social reality. 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’.  

Learning Objectives: On completing the course, students will be able to:  

● Open-mindedly consider different viewpoints in moral controversies. ● Identify the strengths and weaknesses of different philosophical and popular arguments on the various topics. ● Demonstrate understanding of the major moral philosophical approaches and techniques in moral reasoning. ● Formulate and critically assess personal positions/convictions.  

Global Ethics: Conceptual Definitions, Historical Origins & Present Challenges Introduction to the course Ethics, Morals and Values Cultural Relativism vs Universalism (case study) 

Rationalist Ethical Theories Contractualist ethics Deontological Ethics Utilitarian Ethics Discourse ethics, Alternatives to Ethical Rationalism Virtue Ethics Feminist & Care Ethics Postmodernist Ethics 

Ethics of International Aid and Development: Humanitarian Aid in Conflict Zones Global Distributive Justice and Global Poverty: Models for International Economic Justice Ethics of War: Torture in Abu Ghraib (Case Study)  

Rohingya Issues: Are humanitarian interventions justified? The case study of Myanmar/Burma Global Environmental and Climate Ethics: Trade Agreements and Global Environmental Ethics Global Business Ethics and Arms Trade: The Ethics of Capitalism (Film Inside Job) 

Natural Resources Extraction from the Kimberley process towards universal legislation (Movie: Blood Diamond),  Global Journalism Ethics, Digital Media Ethics and Whistleblowing Practices: Snowden and Whistleblowing Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies: Genetics, stem cell and embryo research: Embryo research and women’s rights 

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

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

Mid Semester Examination

End Semester Examination

Course Description:

The influence and presence of the past is felt everywhere and every day in our lives. Movies, newspapers or the internet bombard us and expose us to the past – both familiar and unfamiliar. However, the barrage of information and the forces of globalisation have led to increasing questions on the relevance and the value of the past – indeed a denial even. This course will engage the students with the myriad ways in which the past, though no longer present – is a presence in our lives today. It will introduce the students to think historically, relate to their memories of their own past and make them aware of the multiple perspectives which will enable them to read, write and reflect on the past; or in other words, make history. 

This course will introduce students to the methodological and theoretical questions that animate and inform the practice of history. How do professional historians work? What is their goal? How do they locate and analyze source materials? What kinds of arguments do historians try to make? How, ultimately, is history produced? This course will ask how (or whether) historians’ particular sources – and their location in the archives – can give voice to the ordinary and of things ‘past’. Moreover, the course will address how the advent of the information age impact upon the historians’ profession by exploring how modern technology – whether film, photography, or the internet – changed the way historians work and address their audience.

Course Objectives:

• To familiarize the students with foundational concepts in history and historical enquiry such as fact, fiction, truth, narrative, memory, conservationism and counterfactuals.
• To identify and make students aware of the importance of historical awareness to arrive at independent and informed opinion and contribute meaningfully in local and global affairs and debates.
• To equip students with an understanding of ‘history’ and the characteristics of ‘the past’ in present day society.
• To help develop proficiency in research, analysis and writing; and to encourage wide, independent, selective reading on historical subject matter to foster a sustained, reasoned, well focused argument, based on a broad selection of evidence.
• To identify arguments in historical works in order to be able to critique evidence used in support of the arguments.
• To interpret varied sources and place them within their proper historical context to integrate secondary sources into their own original narratives and distinguish between different kinds of history.

a)     Doing History - The Place of the Past.

b)    Facts, Fiction and Lies: Interrogating evidence - paintings, films, novels.

a) Voice and the Subject: Narratives and Counter-narratives – Winston Churchill, Velupillai Prabhakaran, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom and Jerry

b) Locating the Popular: Historical Fiction or Fictionalised History– Exploring the Fantasy Worlds of Ice Age, Hogwarts, Narnia, Westeros and Middle-earth.

c) The Past Today: The Ayodhya Debate and the Ram Janmbhoomi issue, Dwarka, Kapilavastu.

d) Historical Monuments and their Authorship/Ownership: The Temple Mount and Taj Mahal.

a)     History and the Visual: Photography, Film and the Image – Gladiator, Schindler’s List, 300, Gone with the Wind, Jodha Akbar and Mohenjo Daro

b)    Historical Re-enactments? Light and Sound Shows at Golconda, Red Fort and Khajuraho.

c)     Alternate Histories: Oral Histories, Sports Histories, Graphic Novels, Caricatures and Political Cartoons.

a)     Memory and History: Power and the Production of History –Museums and Memorials.

b)    ‘Truth’ and ‘myth’: History as Conspiracy – Insider and Outsider Perspectives – the Aryan Debate, Hindutva Ideology and Neo-Nazis.

c)     Private Lives and Public Affairs: The British Monarchy, the Nehru-Edwina Affair. 

d)    Suppressing the Text: State Secrets and Declassification – Wikileaks and the Netaji Files.

Mid Semester Examination

End Semester Examination

Course Description:

A focus on urban history offers fertile territory for a variety of topics. The development and inhabitation of cities has been an important feature in Cartesian and human landscapes for thousands of years. Regardless of time and place, cities have always brought together people and the products of their labor together in relatively limited spaces. Cities have thus been incubators for experiments in social organization, policy-making, planning, environmental modification, and economic innovation. Consequently, cities are dynamic and vital centers, which inform and are shaped by human experience. Studying how cities and their inhabitants change over time—whether on a long or short horizon or on a global, national, regional, or local scale—offers an informative framework within which to consider broader historical questions, such as the relationship between people, place, work, culture, and politics. Studying cities, moreover, offers students a great opportunity to engage in comparative historical study and to work with a variety of available technologies for studying cities.

Course Objectives:

●                    To deploy multiple analytical approaches to urban space, its organization, and inhabitation in order to analyze and situation urban development as a historical process that takes place within a broader historical context

●                    To illustrate multiple approaches to understanding changes in economic, political, and social formations in cities over time, as an important element in developing historical knowledge

●                    To acquaint the students how political development in historical context affected the rise and demise of urban centres

• To acquaint the student how modern notions of urban development emerged and the various trends of the modern urban development 

Level of Knowledge: Conceptual

a)                  What is Urban History? Urbanism as an Interdisciplinary Project- Urbanism and Comparative Method

b)                 Historiography of Urbanism-  Modern Studies of Urbanism: Henri Pirenne and Max Weber- Study of Urbanism in the USA

c)                   Urbanism and Modernity

d)     Urban Histories and the ‘Cultural Turn’

Level of Knowledge: Analytical

a)                  The Harappan Cities-Between the Harappan and the Early Historic: An Absence of Cities?  The Early Historic Cities-Early Historic Cities in Texts-Understanding Early Historic Urbanisation

b)                 Idea of Medieval Cities of Europe- the spread of urbanism and emergence of town planning- urban revival in western Europe

c)                  Perceptions on Medieval Indian Cities-Commercially and Politically Charged Urbanism- Urbanism and Sufi and Bhakti Spaces-Poliscracy- Portuguese Cities: Polisgarchic-‘City-States Of Medieval India

Level of Knowledge: Conceptual

a)                  Dependent Urbanisation and New Urban Forms in Colonial India-City Planning in India under British Rule-Race, Class and Ethnicity in the Colonial City

b)                 Modernity and the City in Colonial India-The City as the Site of Spectacles-The City as the Site of Movements

c)   Case Study of Colonial Cities:Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Delhi

 Level of Knowledge: Analytical

a)                  Space and Urban Theory- Materialities-Knowledge

b)                 Science, Planning and Expertise- Connections and Flows of modern cities

c)  Emerging concepts- Global City, Inclusive City, Liveable City, Safe City, Future City – Impact of new town movement on post-independent Indian city planning -beginning of modern town planning in India

●                   Basant, P. K., (2012) The City and the Country in Early India: A Study of Malwa (Delhi: Primus Books).

●                   Ballhatchet, Kenneth, (1980) Race, Sex, andClass under theRaj:ImperialAttitudes and Policies and Their Critics, 1793-1905 ( London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980).

●                   Chandavarkar, Rajnarayan, (2009) History, Culture and the Indian City (Delhi: Cambridge UniversityPress).

●                   Bayly, C. A., (1992) Rulers, Townsmen and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British Expansion, 1770-1870 (Delhi: Oxford University Press).

●                   Banga Indu (ed.), (1991) City in Indian History: Urban demography, Society and Politics (Delhi: Manohar).

●                   Chattopadhyaya,B., (2003) ‘The City in Early India: Perspectives from Texts’, in B. Chattopadhyaya, Studying Early India: Archaeology, Texts, and Historical Issues (Delhi: Permanent Black), pp. 105-34.

●                   Edward Soja (2000): Postmetropolis, Critical Studies of cities and Regions, Blackwell Publisher Ltd. 17.

●                   Fischer, Claude S. 1975 Towards a subcultural theory of urbanism, Reprinted in J.J. Macionis and N. Benokraitis (ed.) 1989 Seeing Ourselves (pp 367-373).

●                   Frykenberg, R.E., (1986) Delhi Through Ages: Selected Essays in Urban History, Culture and Society (New Delhi: Oxford University Press)

●                   G. P. Chapman, A.K. Dutt and R.W. Bradnock (ed.) (1999): Urban growth & Development in Asia, Vol.2: Living in the Cities, Ashgate Publishing Ltd.

●                   Marshall, P.J., (2000),The White Town ofCalcutta under the Rule of the East India Company‟, Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 34, No. 2 (May), pp. 307-331.

●                   Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Hayden, Dolores, (1996) The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press).

●                   Pirenne, Henri, (1969) Medieval Cities: Their Origins and the Revival of Trade (Princeton: Princeton University Press).

●                   Shane, Ewen, (2016) What is Urban History? (Cambridge: Polity Press). Southall, Aidan, (1998) The City in Time and Space (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

• Trigger, B., (1972) ‘Determinants of Urban Growth in Pre-industrial Societies’ in Ucko, Ucko, P.J., Tringham R. and Dimbleby, G.W. (eds.) Man, Settlement and Urbanism (London: Duckworth Publishers).

●                   Blake, Stephen, (1993) Shahjahanabad: The Sovereign City in Mughal India, 1639- 1739 (New Delhi: Cambridge University Press).

●                   Braudel, Fernand (1973) Capitalism and Material Life, 1400-1800, tran. by Miriam Kochan (New York: Harper & Row).

●                   Cohen, R., (1979) ‘State Origins: A Reappraisal’ in Claessen, H.J.M. and Peter Skalnik (eds.) The Early State (Hague: Mouton).

●                   Champakalakshmi, R., (1996) Trade, Ideology and Urbanisation: South India, 300 BC and 1300 AD (Delhi: Oxford University Press).

●                   Finley, M., (1977) ‘The ancient city: from Fustel de Coulanges to Max Weber and Beyond’ Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 19.

●                   Jacobsen T, Adams RMcC., (1958) ‘Salt and silt in ancient Mesopotamian agriculture’, Science, Vol. 128, pp. 1251-58. Fried, Morton, (1967) The Evolution of Political Society (New York: Random House).

●                   Harvey, David, (1985) The Urbanisation of Capital : Studies in the History and Theory of Capitalist Urbanization (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press).

●                   Heitzman,James, (2008) TheCity in SouthAsia (London and NewYork: Routledge).

●                   Kenoyer, J. M., (1998) Ancient Cities of the IndusValley Civilization (Karachi: Oxford University Press). Kenoyer, J. M. and K. Heuston, (2005) The Ancient South Asian World (Oxford: University Press).

●                   Latham A, et.al. (2009): Key Concepts in Urban Geography, Sage, Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington.

●                   Martindale, D., (1958) ‘The Theory of the City’ in Weber, Max, The City, Translated and edited by Martindale (New York: Don and Neuwirth, G. Free Press).

●                   Mumford, L., (1961) The City in History (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World). Orans, Martin, (1966) ‘Surplus’, Human Organization, Vol. 25, pp. 24-32

●                   Nightingale, CarlH., (2008) „Before Race Mattered: Geographies ofthe Color Line in Early Colonial Madras and New York‟, The American Historical Review, Vol. 113, No. 1 (February), pp. 48-71

●                   Peers, Douglas M., (1998) „Privates offParade: Regimenting Sexuality in the NineteenthCentury Indian Empire‟, The International History Review, Vol. 20, No. 4 (December), pp. 823-854.

●                    Pieterse E, (2008): City Futures, Confronting the Crisis of Urban Development, Zed Books Ltd, London and New York.

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