Theories of the state: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and feminist
Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critique
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
Theories of Political Culture/Political Systems
Concept of power, hegemony, ideology and legitimacy
Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism
Indian Political Thought: Dharmashastra, Arthashastra, and Buddhist Traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy
Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt
Political Strategies of India's Freedom struggle: constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience; militant and revolutionary movements, Peasant and workers' movements.
Perspectives on Indian National Movement: Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical humanist and Dalit.
Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British Rule; different social and political perspectives.
Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary Features and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure Doctrine
Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislative and Supreme Court
Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislative and High Court
Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; the significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot 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
Planning and Economic Development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; the 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 behaviour; changing socio-economic profile of Legislators.
Social Movements: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements
Comparative 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 & Participation: Political Parties, Pressure groups, and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.
Globalization: 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; Transational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation.
Rise of super powers; Strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and cold war; Nuclear threat;
Non-aligned Movement: Aims and achievements.
Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; Relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world.
Evolution of the international economic system : From Brettonwoods 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.
Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; the institutions of policy-making; Continuity and change.
India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement Different phases; Current role.
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; illegal cross border migration; Ethnic conflicts and insurgencies; Border disputes.
India and Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; Leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.
India and the global centres of power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia
India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; Demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.
India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.
Recent developments in Indian Foreign Policy: India’s position on the recent crises in Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, growing relations with US and Israel; Vision of a new world order.
