POL HG 2016 Indian Government and Politics

Course Name: POL HG 2016 Indian Government and Politics

About the Course:

Course objectives:

The course would introduce the students to the major approaches to the study of Indian Politics. The course details the functioning of the major institutions of government while also highlighting the politics of caste, class and patriarchy prevalent in India. The thrust of this course is not to study the national constituents separately but to look at the institutions, processes, problems, and solutions that pertain to the country as a whole

Course outcomes:

• Appreciate the approaches to the study of Indian politics and the changing nature of the state

• Understand the basic features of the Indian constitution and its institutional functioning

• examine the changing role of caste, class and patriarchy and their impact on politics

• understand the dynamics of social movements in India.

Session Plan

Unit 1: Approaches to the Study of Indian Politics and Nature of the State in India:

Liberal, Marxist and Gandhian

Unit: 2 Indian Constitution:

basic features, debates on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles

Unit: 3 Institutional Functioning:

Prime Minister

Parliament and

Judiciary

Unit: 4 Power Structure in India:

Caste, class and patriarchy

Unit: 5 Religion and Politics:

Debates on secularism and communalism

Unit: 6 Parties and Party systems in India

Unit: 7 Social Movements :

Workers, Peasants, Environmental and Women’s Movement

Unit: 8 Strategies of Development in India since Independence:

Planned Economy and Neo-liberalism

READING LIST

• Abbas, H., Kumar, R. &Alam, M. A. (2011) Indian Government and Politics.New Delhi: Pearson, 2011.

• Chandhoke, N. &Priyadarshi, P. (eds.) (2009) Contemporary India: Economy, Society, Politics. New Delhi: Pearson.

• Chakravarty, B. &Pandey, K. P. (2006) Indian Government and Politics.New Delhi: Sage.

• Chandra, B., Mukherjee, A. & Mukherjee, M. (2010) India After Independence. New Delhi: Penguin.

• Singh, M.P. &Saxena, R. (2008) Indian Politics: Contemporary Issues and Concerns. New Delhi: PHI Learning.

• Vanaik, A. &Bhargava, R. (eds.) (2010) Understanding Contemporary India: Critical Perspectives. New Delhi: Orient Blackswan. 12

• Menon, N. and Nigam, A. (2007) Power and Contestation: India Since 1989. London: Zed Book.

• Austin, G. (1999) Indian Constitution: Corner Stone of a Nation. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

• Austin, G. (2004) Working of a Democratic Constitution of India.New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

• Jayal, N. G. &Maheta, P. B. (eds.) (2010) Oxford Companion to Indian Politics. New Delhi: Oxford University Press

• Shah, Ghanshyam.( 2004) . Social Movements in India: A Review of Literature, New Delhi: Sage publications.

• Chakrabarty, Bidyut. (2017). Indian Constitution: Text, Context and Interpretation, New Delhi: Sage Publications

• Chakrabarty, B, &Pandey, R.K. (2019). Local Governance in India, New Delhi: Sage publications

• Mellalli, Praveenkumar. (2015), Constitution of India, Professional Ethics and Human Rights, New Delhi: Sage Publications