Political Science And International Realtions Online Training

Section A

POLITICAL THEORY AND INDIAN POLITICS

POLITICAL THEORY

Political Theory: Meaning and approaches 

Theories of the state:

Liberal

Neo-liberal

Marxist

Pluralist

Post-colonial

Feminist

Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques. 

Equality:

Social, political and economic;

Relationship between equality and freedom;

Affirmative action.

Rights:

Meaning and theories

Different kinds of rights;

Concept of Human Rights.

Democracy:

Classical and contemporary theories;

Different models of democracy – representative, participatory and deliberative.

Concept of :

Power,

Hegemony,

Ideology and

POLITICAL THEORY AND INDIAN POLITICS

Salient Features of the Indian Constitution:

The Preamble,

Fundamental Rights and Duties,

Directive Principles;

Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures;

Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine. 

Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and Supreme Court.

Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and High Courts.

Grassroots Democracy:

Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government;

Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments;

Grass root movements.

Statutory Institutions/Commissions:

Election Commission,

Comptroller and Auditor General,

Finance Commission,

Union Public Service Commission,

National Commission for Scheduled Castes,

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes,

National Commission for Women;

National Human Rights Commission,

National Commission for Minorities,

National Backward Classes Commission.

Federalism:

Constitutional provisions;

Changing nature of centre-state relations;

Integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations;

Inter-state disputes.

VARIOUS DIVERSE TOPICS

Planning and Economic Development:

Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives;

Role of planning and public sector;

Green Revolution,

Land reforms and agrarian relations;

Liberalization and economic reforms.

Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.

Party System:

National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties;

Patterns of coalition politics;

Pressure groups,

Trends in electoral behavior;

Changing sociology- economic profile of Legislators.

Social Movements:

Civil liberties and human rights movements;

Women’s movements;

Environmentalist movements.

PAPER – II

Section A

COMPARATIVE POLITICAL ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

Nature and major approaches

Political economy and political sociology perspectives

Limitations of the comparative method.

State in comparative perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and, advanced industrial and developing societies.

Politics of Representation and Participation:

Political parties,

Pressure groups and

Social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.

THEORIES AND CONCEPTS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:

Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies.

Approaches to the Study of International Relations:

Idealist,

Realist,

Marxist,

Functionalist and

Systems theory.

Key concepts in International Relations:

National interest,

Security and power;

Balance of power and deterrence;

Transnational actors and collective security;

World capitalist economy and globalisation.

Changing International Political Order:

(a) Rise of superpowers; strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and Cold War; nuclear threat;

(b) Non-aligned movement: Aims and achievements;

(c) Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world.

GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS AND GROUPS:

Evolution of the International Economic System:

From Bretton woods to WTO;

Socialist economies and the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance);

Third World demand for new international economic order;

Globalisation of the world economy.

United Nations:

Envisaged role and actual record;

Specialized UN agencies-aims and functioning;

Need for UN reforms.

Regionalisation of World Politics:

EU,

ASEAN,

APEC,

SAARC,

NAFTA.

Contemporary Global Concerns:

Democracy,

Human rights,

Environment,

Gender justice,

Terrorism,

Nuclear proliferation.

 India and the world:

Indian Foreign Policy:

Determinants of foreign policy;

Institutions of policy-making;

Continuity and change.

India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement:

Different phases;

Current role.

India and South Asia:

Regional Co-operation: SAARC – past performance and future prospects.

South Asia as a Free Trade Area.

India’s “Look East” policy.

 Impediments to regional co-operation: -river water disputes;