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Course Name: Understanding Political Theory
Course Name: Understanding Political Theory
About the Course
About the Course
Course Objective:
Course Objective:
This course is divided into two sections. Section A introduces the students to the idea of political theory, its history and approaches, and an assessment of its critical and contemporary trends. Section B is designed to reconcile political theory and practice through reflections on the ideas and practices related to democracy.
Course Outcome:
Course Outcome:
To Introduce the idea of political theory and various approaches
To enable the students to assess the contemporary trends of political theory
To reconcile theory and practice in relation to democracy
Course Plan: Understanding Political Theory
Course Plan: Understanding Political Theory
Session Plan
Session Plan
Unit: I Introducing Political Theory
Unit: I Introducing Political Theory
1. What is Politics: Theorizing the ‘Political’ (ৰাজনৈতিক তত্ত্বৰ গুৰুত্ব বা প্রাসঙ্গিকতা (Importance or Relevance of Political Theory)
2. Traditions of Political Theory: Liberal, Marxist, Anarchist and Conservative
3. Approaches to Political Theory: Normative, Historical and Empirical
4. Critical and Contemporary Perspectives in Political Theory: Feminist and Postmodern
Unit II: Political Theory and Practice
Unit II: Political Theory and Practice
1. Democracy: The history of an idea
2. Procedural Democracy and its critique
3. Deliberative Democracy
4. Participation and Representation
Essential Readings
Essential Readings
I: Introducing Political Theory
I: Introducing Political Theory
Bhargava, R. (2008) ‘What is Political Theory’, in Bhargava, R and Acharya, A. (eds.)
Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 2-16.
Bellamy, R. (1993) ‘Introduction: The Demise and Rise of Political Theory’, in Bellamy, R. (ed.) Theories and Concepts of Politics. New York: Manchester University Press, pp. 1-14.10
Glaser, D. (1995) ‘Normative Theory’, in Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds.) Theory and Methods in Political Science. London: Macmillan, pp. 21-40.
Sanders, D. (1995) ‘Behavioral Analysis’, in Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds.) Theory and Methods in Political Science.London: Macmillan, pp. 58-75.
Chapman, J. (1995) ‘The Feminist Perspective’, in Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds.) Theory and Methods in Political Science.London: Macmillan, pp. 94-114.
Bharghava, R, ‘Why Do We Need Political Theory’, in Bhargava, R. and Acharya, A. (eds.) Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 17-36.
Bannett, J. (2004) ‘Postmodern Approach to Political Theory’, in Kukathas, Ch. and Gaus, G. F. (eds.) Handbook of Political Theory.New Delhi: Sage, pp. 46-54.
Vincent, A. (2004) The Nature of Political Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004, pp.19-80.
Mukhopadhyay, A.K. (2019), An Introduction to Political Theory, New Delhi: Sage Publications
II: The Grammar of Democracy
II: The Grammar of Democracy
Srinivasan, J. (2008) ‘Democracy’, in Bhargava, R. and Acharya, A. (eds.) Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 106-128.
Owen, D. (2003) ‘Democracy’, in Bellamy, R. and Mason, A. (eds.) Political Concepts. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, pp. 105-117.
Christiano, Th. (2008) ‘Democracy’, in Mckinnon, C. (ed.) Issues in Political Theory, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 80-96.
Arblaster, A. (1994) Democracy. (2nd Edition). Buckingham: Open University Press. Roy, A. ‘Citizenship’, in Bhargava, R. and Acharya, A. (eds.) Political Theory: An Introduction.New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 130-146.
Brighouse, H. (2008) ‘Citizenship’, in Mckinnon, C. (ed.) Issues in Political Theory, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 241-258.
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