Syllabus (POLITICAL SCIENCE)
Course Type: MAJ-6
Semester: 5
Course Code: BPLSMAJ06T
Course Title: Western Political Thought
(L-P-Tu): 5-0-1
Credit: 6
Practical/Theory: Theory
Course Objective:
Learning Outcome: Course Outcome: This course introduces the students to the ancient, medieval and modern political thinking in the West. This would help them understand the manner in which ideas pertaining to ideal state, kingship, duties of the ruler and the ruled, right
Learning Objectives:
- To familiarize the students with the major phases in the evolution of western political Thinking Namely the Classical Tradition, Liberal Tradition.
- To make the students familiar with the major theoretical issues in the discipline of Political Science as problematized by these western political thinkers.
- To enable the students to qualify the competitive examination like UPSC, PSC, NET/ SET examination.
Course Content: 6*6= 36 Classes (6 Classes per topic)
- Ancient Political Thought: Plato’s theory of Justice, Aristotle’s origin and nature of State.
- Medieval Political Thought: Main features with reference to St. Augustine,
St. Thomas Acquinas & Marsilius of Padua. - European Renaissance & Machiavelli: His concepts of Power & Secularization of Politics.
- Hobbes’s Materialism and John Locke’s ideas of liberalism and natural rights.
- Rousseau: General Will.
- Karl Marx: Dialectical and Historical Materialism.
Suggested Readings:
- E. Baker, The Political Thought of Plato and Aristotle, Metheun, 1906.
- J. Coleman. A History of Political Thought: From Ancient Greece to Early Christianity, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.
- K. Nelson, Brian, Western Political Thought: From Socrates to the Age of Ideology, Pearson. 1996
- Jha, Shefali, Western Political Thought (From Plato to Marx), Pearson.
- C. Macpherson, The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke. Oxford University Press, Ontario.
- Kolakowski, Leszek, Main Currents of Marxism, Oxford University Press, 1978.
- Okin, Susan Moller, Women in Western Political Thought, Princeton University Press,
- H. R. Mukhi : A Simple History of Political thought, Surjeet Book Depot.
Basic Features
Undergraduate degree programmes of either 3 or 4-year duration, with multiple entry and exit points and re-entry options, with appropriate certifications such as:
- UG certificate after completing 1 year (2 semesters with 40 Credits + 1 Summer course of 4 credits) of study,
- UG diploma after 2 years (4 semesters with 80 Credits + 1 Summer course of 4 credits) of study,
- Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year (6 semesters with 120 credits) programme of study,
- 4-year bachelor’s degree (Honours) after eight semesters (with 170 Credits) programme of study.
- 4-year bachelor’s degree (Honours with Research) if the student completes a rigorous research project (of 12 Credits) in their major area(s) of study in the 8th semester.
Note: The eligibility condition of doing the UG degree (Honours with Research) is- minimum75% marks to be obtained in the first six semesters.
- The students can make an exit after securing UG Certificate/ UG Diploma and are allowed to re-enter the degree programme within three years and complete the degree programme within the stipulated maximum period of seven years.
