POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
PAPER–I
Section A: Political Theory
1. Political Theory
o Meaning and significance
o Different approaches to the study of political theory
2. Theories of the State
o Liberal
o Neo-Liberal
o Marxist
o Pluralist
o Post-Colonial
o Feminist
3. Justice
o Conceptions of justice
o Rawls’ Theory of Justice
o Communitarian critiques of Rawls
4. Equality
o Social, political, and economic equality
o Relationship between equality and freedom
o Affirmative action
5. Rights
o Meaning and theories
o Different kinds of rights
o Concept of Human Rights
6. Democracy
o Classical and contemporary theories
o Models of democracy: Representative, Participatory, and Deliberative
7. Concept of Power
o Hegemony
o Ideology
o Legitimacy
8. Political Ideologies
o Liberalism
o Socialism
o Marxism
o Fascism
o Gandhism
o Feminism
9. Indian Political Thought
o Ancient: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra, and Buddhist Traditions
o Modern: Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M. K. Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar,
M. N. Roy
[Link] Political Thought
o Plato
o Aristotle
o Machiavelli
o Hobbes
o Locke
o J. S. Mill
o Marx
o Gramsci
o Hannah Arendt
Section B: Indian Government and Politics
1. Indian Nationalism
o (a) Political Strategies of India’s Freedom Struggle:
▪ Constitutionalism to Mass Satyagraha
▪ Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience
▪ Militant and Revolutionary Movements
▪ Peasant and Workers’ Movements
o (b) Perspectives on the Indian National Movement:
▪ Liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Radical Humanist, Dalit
2. Making of the Indian Constitution
o Legacies of the British rule
o Different social and political perspectives
3. Salient Features of the Indian Constitution
o The Preamble
o Fundamental Rights and Duties
o Directive Principles of State Policy
o Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures
o Judicial Review and the Basic Structure Doctrine
4. Principal Organs of Government
o (a) Union Government: Role and functioning of Executive, Legislature, and
Supreme Court
o (b) State Government: Role and functioning of Executive, Legislature, and
High Courts
5. Grassroots Democracy
o Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government
o Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments
o Grassroots movements
6. Statutory Institutions and Commissions
o Election Commission
o Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
o Finance Commission
o Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
o National Commissions:
▪ Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Women, Minorities, Backward
Classes
o National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
7. Federalism
o Constitutional provisions
o Changing nature of Centre–State relations
o Integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations
o Inter-State disputes
8. Planning and Economic Development
o Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives
o Role of Planning and Public Sector
o Green Revolution, Land Reforms, and Agrarian Relations
o Liberalization and Economic Reforms
9. Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics
[Link] System
o National and Regional Political Parties
o Ideological and Social Bases of Parties
o Coalition Politics
o Pressure Groups
o Trends in Electoral Behaviour
o Changing Socio-Economic Profile of Legislators
[Link] Movements
o Civil Liberties and Human Rights Movements
o Women’s Movements
o Environmental Movements
PAPER–II
Section A: Comparative Politics and International Politics
1. Comparative Politics
o Nature and major approaches
o Political economy and political sociology perspectives
o Limitations of the comparative method
2. State in Comparative Perspective
o Characteristics and changing nature of the State in:
▪ Capitalist and Socialist economies
▪ Advanced industrial and developing societies
3. Politics of Representation and Participation
o Political Parties
o Pressure Groups
o Social Movements (in developed and developing societies)
4. Globalisation
o Responses from developed and developing societies
5. Approaches to the Study of International Relations
o Idealist
o Realist
o Marxist
o Functionalist
o Systems Theory
6. Key Concepts in International Relations
o National Interest, Security, Power
o Balance of Power and Deterrence
o Transnational Actors and Collective Security
o World Capitalist Economy and Globalisation
7. Changing International Political Order
o (a) Rise of Superpowers: Strategic and Ideological Bipolarity, Arms Race, Cold
War, Nuclear Threat
o (b) Non-Aligned Movement: Aims and Achievements
o (c) Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American Hegemony;
Relevance of Non-Alignment Today
8. Evolution of the International Economic System
o From Bretton Woods to WTO
o Socialist Economies and the CMEA
o Third World demand for a New International Economic Order (NIEO)
o Globalisation of the World Economy
9. United Nations
o Envisaged Role and Actual Record
o Specialized UN Agencies: Aims and Functions
o Need for UN Reforms
[Link] of World Politics
o European Union (EU)
o ASEAN
o APEC
o AARC
o NAFTA
[Link] Global Concerns
o Democracy
o Human Rights
o Environment
o Gender Justice
o Terrorism
o Nuclear Proliferation
Section B: India and the World
1. Indian Foreign Policy
o Determinants of Foreign Policy
o Institutions of Policy-Making
o Continuity and Change
2. India’s Contribution to the Non-Aligned Movement
o Different Phases
o Current Role
3. India and South Asia
o (a) Regional Co-operation: SAARC – Past Performance and Future Prospects
o (b) South Asia as a Free Trade Area
o (c) India’s “Look East” Policy
o (d) Impediments to Regional Co-operation:
▪ River Water Disputes
▪ Illegal Cross-Border Migration
▪ Ethnic Conflicts and Insurgencies
▪ Border Disputes
4. India and the Global South
o Relations with Africa and Latin America
o Leadership Role in the Demand for NIEO and WTO Negotiations
5. India and the Global Centres of Power
o Relations with USA, EU, Japan, China, and Russia
6. India and the UN System
o Role in UN Peacekeeping
o Demand for Permanent Seat in the UN Security Council
7. India and the Nuclear Question
o Changing Perceptions and Policy
8. Recent Developments in Indian Foreign Policy
o India’s Position on Crises in Afghanistan, Iraq, and West Asia
o Growing Relations with the US and Israel | Vision of a New World Order