BA Political Science Hons Syllabus and Subjects
The BA Hons Political Science syllabus is divided into six semesters and covers topics such as historical and modern political systems, public administration, governmental policies and procedures, international relations, public affairs, etc. BA Hons Political Science subjects generally include Understanding Political Theory, Indian Constitution, Indian Politics, Perspectives on Public Administration, Comparative Politics, etc.
The core subjects cover various aspects of Understanding Political Theory, Political Theory-Concepts and Debates, Constitutional Government and Democracy, Political Process in India, etc. The elective subjects include Nationalism in India, Contemporary Political Economy, Gandhi and the Contemporary World, Politics of Globalization, etc.
BA Hons Political Science course helps the graduates develop skills and help the student ace the course work and prepare them for their future career developments in the field including law, civil services, journalism, education, etc.
Table of Contents
- Semester Wise BA Hons Political Science Syllabus
- First Year BA Hons Political Science Syllabus
- Second Year BA Hons Political Science Syllabus
- Third Year BA Hons Political Science Syllabus
- BA Hons Political Science Subjects- Core and Electives
Semester Wise BA Hons Political Science Syllabus
BA in Political Science Honours syllabus emphasizes on teaching students with relevant skills and knowledge linked to various aspects of Political Science such as political behavior, systems of governance and power, traditional and modern politics, and so on.
Listed below is the semester-wise breakdown of the BA Hons Political Science syllabus:
BA Hons Political Science First Year Syllabus
The first year BA Honours Political Science syllabus, covers foundation subjects such as Understanding Political Theory, Political Theory-Concepts and Debates, Constitutional Government and Democracy, Political Process in India, and more.
Given below is the Political Science Hons syllabus for B.A. 1st year syllabus:
| Semester-I | Semester-II |
| Language | Language |
| Understanding Political Theory | Political Theory-Concepts and Debates |
| Constitutional Government and Democracy | Political Process in India |
| Nationalism in India (Elective) | Contemporary Political Economy (Elective) |
BA Hons Political Science Second Year Syllabus
The second-year B.A in Political Science Hons syllabus includes subjects like Introduction to Comparative Government, Political Processes and Institutions, Perspectives on Public Administration, Public Policy and Administration in India, etc.
Listed below is the semester-wise breakdown of the BA Hons Political Science 2nd year syllabus:
| Semester-III | Semester-IV |
| Introduction to Comparative Government | Political Processes and Institutions |
| Perspectives on Public Administration | Public Policy and Administration in India |
| Perspectives on International Relations | Global Politics |
| Gandhi and the Contemporary World (Elective) | Politics of Globalization (Elective) |
| Your Laws, Your Rights (Elective) | Public Opinion and Survey Research (Elective) |
BA Hons Political Science Third Year Syllabus
The BA 3rd year political science honours syllabus deals with more advanced topics such as Classical Political Philosophy, Modern Political Philosophy, Modern Indian Political Thought-I, Indian Political Thought-II , and others.
Given below is the semester-wise political science hons BA 3rd year syllabus:
| Semester-V | Semester-VI |
| Classical Political Philosophy | Modern Political Philosophy |
| Modern Indian Political Thought-I | Indian Political Thought-II |
| India’s Foreign Policy in a globalizing world (Discipline Specific Elective) | Human Rights in a Comparative Perspective (Discipline Specific Elective) |
| Citizenship in a Globalizing World (Discipline Specific Elective) | Public Policy in India (Discipline Specific Elective) |
BA Hons Political Science Subjects- Core and Electives
BA Hons Political Science subjects include topics such as Constitutional Government and Democracy, Political Theory - Concepts and Debate, Nationalism in India, Contemporary Political Economy, etc.
Students enrolled in the BA Hons Political Science program are prepared to be educated about international topics like equality, justice, freedom, and war. A list of BA Hons Political Science subjects is shown below:
BA Hons Political Science First Year Subjects
The first year B.A. Political Science Hons subjects cover topics like Constitutional Government and Democracy, Political Theory - Concepts and Debate, Political Process in India, etc.
Listed below are the BA Hons Political Science subjects and the topics covered under them:
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Subject Type |
| Understanding Political Theory | Traditions and Approaches to Political Theory, Critical and Contemporary Trends, Political Theory Practice | Core |
| Constitutional Government and Democracy | Constitution, Assembly, Government Organs, Federalism, and Decentralisation | Core |
| Political Theory - Concepts and Debate | Nature and Significance of Political Theory, The State and Sovereignty, Equality and Justice, Welfare and Welfare State | Core |
| Political Process in India | Party System in India, Religion, Regionalism and Politics, Caste and Politics,The Change in the Nature of India along with the Times | Core |
| Nationalism in India | Approaches to the study of Nationalism in India, Reformism and Anti-Reformism in the 19th century, Nationalist Politics and Expansion of its Social Base | Elective |
| Contemporary Political Economy | The Political Economy of Social Media, Redistribution and Taxation, Inequality and Public Goods | Elective |
BA Hons Political Science Second Year Subjects
The second year BA Hons Political Science subjects explore the dynamics of Introduction to Comparative Government, Perspectives on Public Administration, Political Processes and Institutions, etc.
The BA Hons Political Science second year subjects and topics covered are detailed in the table below:
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Introduction to Comparative Government | The Historical Context of Modern Government, Capitalism and Globalization, Socialism, Colonialism and Themes of Comparative Politics | Core |
| Perspectives on Public Administration | Meaning of Public Administration Scope of Public Administration, Changing Nature of Public Administration, Theory of Bureaucracy | Core |
| Political Processes and Institutions | Approaches to Studying Comparative Politics, Election and Party System, Nation-state, Democratization in Post- colonial societies | Core |
| Public Policy and Administration in India | Administration Discipline, Scientific Management and Administration Management, Neo-Classical and Contemporary Theories, Human Relations, Ecological Approach, Public Policy and Major Approaches In Public Administration | Core |
| Perspectives on International Relations | Political Realism in International Relations, General Features of Realism in International Relations, Critical Approaches to International Relations | Elective |
| Gandhi and the Contemporary World | Gandhi and His Influence, Gandhi’s Initiatives and Legacy, Satyagraha, Swaraj | Elective |
| Politics of Globalization | The inevitability of Globalization: Domestic and Global Responses, Benefits of Globalization, Inevitability of Globalization | Elective |
| Global Politics | Concepts and Perspectives of Contemporary Global Issues, Terrorism, Migration | Elective |
BA Hons Political Science Third Year Subjects
The third year BA Hons Political Science subjects offer choices for students from discipline-specific elective courses. Listed below are the BA Hons Political Science subjects for the third year along with their topics covered:
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Classical Political Philosophy | Liberalism and Feminism, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, Classical and Contemporary Readings | Core |
| Modern Indian Political Thought-I | Emergence and Evolution of Indian Political Thought Over Different Points of Time, Pre-Colonial Indian Political Thought, Ved Vyasa and Manu, Kautilya, Barani and Aggannasutta | Core |
| Modern Political Philosophy | Introduction to Modern Political Theory, Laws of Nature and the Role of Consent, The Social Contract and the Sovereign | Core |
| Indian Political Thought-II | Kautilya: Theory of State, The Saptanga Theory of State, The Theory of Rajamandala, Social Laws | Core |
| India’s Foreign Policy in a Globalizing World | Post-Colonial Perspectives of India's Foreign Policy, India's Relations with the USA, Russia, China and South Asia, and India’s Position as a Global Power | Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) |
| Citizenship in a Globalizing World | The Working of the New Citizenship System, Advantages of the new Concept of Citizenship | Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) |
| Human Rights in a Comparative Perspective | Introduction, Purpose of Comparison, Methods of Comparison, Comparing many Countries | Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) |
| Public Policy in India | Public Policy: Meaning, Basis and Rationale, Policy Making Process, Policy Analysis, Policy Implementation and Evaluation | Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) |
BA Hons Political Science Course Structure
The BA Political Science Hons course syllabus is designed so that the course mainly includes various works and authors from Political Science and welfare-related topics and elective subjects, that overall gives the knowledge to work in the job sectors.
This field sharpens a student's mind to tackle the daily obstacles faced in their workplace, studies & other similar aspects. The course involves subjects which include aspects like:
- VI Semesters
- Literary Theory and practice
- Core Subjects
- Elective Subjects
- Discipline Specific Elective
- Seminars
- Project Works
BA Hons Political Science Teaching Methodologies and Techniques
BA Political Science Hons is a course focusing on different aspects of Political Science, administration, and structure. The course is designed based on requirements and helps get the most exposure to the field, and the BA Political Science Hons course subjects deal with the same. Learning strategies have varying implications for courses. Listed below are some methods of teaching:
- Assignments
- Lecture Method
- Discussion Method
- Case studies/ Research work
- Internships
BA Hons Political Science Project Topics
BA Political Science Hons project, known as a mini-thesis, is a compulsory project for the students to complete at the end of their semester. Students should regard their projects as an ideal opportunity to integrate what they have learned during the BA Political Science Hons program and apply it to their future working profession.
Some of the BA Political Science Hons project topics are:
- The economic implications of the Boko haram insurgency in Nigeria
- Corruption in Nigeria; a threat to sustainable economic development
- Resource control agitations and political stability in Nigeria (a case study of south-south)
- An analytical study of labor unrest and underdevelopment in Nigeria
BA Hons Political Science Reference Books
The BA Hons Political Science books give students an in-depth study of their area of concentration in addition to providing a foundational understanding of the subjects discussed in the curriculum. Students can access the textbooks for the course both online and offline.
BA Hons Political Science Books First Year
Students are advised to refer to the BA Hons Political Science 1st year books listed in the table below:
| Books | Authors | Topics Covered |
| Constitutional Democracy and Government in India | Tyagi R | The Constituent Assembly and the Constitution, Organs of Government, Federalism, Decentralization |
| Constitutional Democracy and Government in India | Ruchi Tyagi | Focuses on a combination of institutional arrangements, constitutional forms, legal debates and also a developmental and policy approach to Indian and Global Politics |
| Ancient And Medieval Indian Political Thought | Dr. V.P. Verma | Greek Political Thought, Ancient Roman Political Thought, Machiavelli |
| Political Philosophy | Knowles, Dudley | Fundamentals of Philosophy, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights, Law, The Enforcement Of Laws by Authority |
| Political Theory: An Introduction | PS Talukar | Need for Political Theories, Types of Political Theories, History of Political Thought, Concept of Liberty in India, Political Equality |
BA Hons Political Science Books Second Year
The BA Hons Political Science 2nd year books are provided in the table below for students' reference:
| Books | Authors | Topics Covered |
| Theory, Institutional and Comparative Politics | M. Pennington | Theory, Institutions and Comparative Politics, Rational Choice Institutionalism, Cultural Institutionalism, and Marxist structuralism |
| Ancient and Medieval Political Thought | Dr. V.P. Verma | Platonic Concept of Justice, Plato on Education, Plato’s Theory of Communism, Aristotle on State and Government |
| Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in Public Sector | D. Rosenbloom, R. Kravchuk. and R. Clerkin |
Contemporary public management, Significant Changes to Federal Administration, Budgeting, and Public Finance |
| International Relations: A Concise Introduction | M. Nicholson | United Nations & Security Disarmament, Non-Traditional Security Threats, Global Economy, Foreign policy and diplomacy |
BA Hons Political Science Books Third Year
The BA Hons Political Science 3rd year books used by most of the institutions in India are provided below:
| Books | Authors | Topics Covered |
| Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1835) | Tocqueville | The Vitality, The Excesses, and The Potential Future of American Democracy. |
| Introduction: Theorizing Democratic Consolidation, Parties and Coalitions | E Sridharan | Democratization and the sustainability of democracies on Asian case, Coalition politics and the consolidation of democracy |
| On Liberty | John Stuart Mill | The Liberty of Thought and Discussion, Individuality, as one of the Elements of Wellbeing, e Limits to the Authority of Society over the Individuals. |
| Woman’s Place in Religion and Society | P. Ramabai | Women, Emancipation and Equality, Woman’s Self-Perceptions, Views on the Condition of Indian Women, Social Reform and Women's Issues |
| Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics (An Introduction) | Todd Landman | A detailed discussion of regression analysis and diffusion, Analysis of justice, inequality, and compliance, New methods and treatments of contemporary comparative politics. |
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FAQs on BA Political Science Honours Syllabus and Subjects
Q: What are the core subjects in BA Hons Political Science?
A: The political science BA 1st year syllabus includes subjects like Introduction to Comparative Government, Perspectives on Public Administration, Political Processes and Institutions, etc.
Q: What is the assessment criteria for BA Hons Political Science?
A: The three-year course consists of six semesters and thirty papers. Papers in Semesters I, II, III, and IV shall consist of 80 points for the written test and 20 points for the internal assessment.
Q: Can I specialize in a particular area within BA Political Science Hons syllabus?
A: BA Political Honours program requires students to select a specific area of specialization within political science, such as international relations, comparative politics, political theory, or public policy.
Q: Are independent research projects part of BA Political Science Honours syllabus?
A: Students in Honours programs are typically required to complete an independent research project or thesis, allowing them to delve extensively into a specific topic of interest while demonstrating their research and analytical abilities.
Q: What kinds of skills do students acquire from the BA Hons political science program?
A: The skills developed during a Political Science Honours program, including critical thinking, research, and communication skills, are highly transferable and sought after by employers in various sectors, including business, journalism, and advocacy.
