Undergraduate Course: Understanding Indian Politics (PLIT10088)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Politics |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | As a result of globalization and its ¿status¿ as a key ¿BRIC¿ state, scholarly interest in India has risen. The course seeks to understand ¿the puzzle¿ of Indian democracy and explain the numerous paradoxes and challenges underpinning Indian politics and society. The course is divided in three parts.
In the first part (weeks 1-3), the making of the Indian post-Independence state is set out, by analyzing how it is shaped by, but also departs from the British Indian order. Specific attention is given to how the Indian Nation is ¿imagined¿ and how political institutions were designed to accommodate the multiplicity of ethnic, social, religious and economic cleavages within Indian society.
The second part (weeks 4-9) of the course considers, explains but also questions some of the dramatic changes that have been attributed to Indian politics since Independence, starting from (a) the transformation of the party system and the nature of government following on from this; (b) the gradual inclusion of lower and Other Backward Castes in the institutions of the state; (c) the ¿Saffronization¿ of Indian politics linked with the rise of Hindu nationalism; (d) the economic paradigm shift from command to market economy and globalization; (e) the resurgence of Indian federalism resulting from the changing party system and economic liberalization; (f) the paradigm shift in foreign policy from non-alignment to Western rapprochement.
In the third and final part (weeks 10-11) we touch upon some of the key challenges facing the Indian polity. Domestic challenges relate to ongoing ethnic disputes, especially near the border with Pakistan (Kashmir) China (North-East), and to the Naxalist rebellion. We also address the issue of rising income inequalities between rural and urban India, Muslims versus Hindu India, female versus male India. A third challenge is the need to provide more effective and transparent governance that is less tied to patron-client relations, and that is ecologically more sustainable. Key international challenges remain India¿s relationship with Pakistan, the balance between realist and normative foreign policy (for instance in relation to Myanmar and Sri Lanka) and India-China relations.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Section for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
¿ understanding the dynamics of Indian politics since Independence, and demonstrate processes of continuity and change in Indian politics
¿ critical appraisal of competing theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses on the transformation of Indian politics and society since Independence
¿ situate Indian domestic and foreign politics in a broader comparative perspective, especially by drawing comparisons with other developing states, situating India within comparative understandings of state-market-society relations, comparative theories of state and nation-building, comparative federalism, comparative theories for governing divided societies.
¿ development of research, analytical and presentation skills, through guided research in preparation for assessment and tutorial presentations
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Assessment Information
1) 40% essay ¿ (2500 words)
2) 15% tutorial participation (based on two group based assessments: 25 minute presentation in which a group of four to five students addresses a question and prepares questions for discussion; with one mark per group)
3) 45% take home exam (students must answer two questions posted on Web-CT and are given 48 hours to hand back a typed home exam).
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Special Arrangements
| Course has quota of 60 students. Priority will be given to Single Honours Politics and IR students over Joint/ outside students, and to 4th year's over 3rd year's. |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Preliminary Reading:
Adeney, Katherine and Andrew Wyatt (2011), Contemporary India (Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan)
Brass, Paul (1994), The Politics of India since Independence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Gopal Jayal, Niraja (2008), Democracy in India (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Gopal Jayal, Niraja and Pratap Bhanu Metha, eds., (2010), The Oxford Companion to Politics in India (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India after Gandhi. The History of the World¿s Largest Democracy (New York: Harpers Collins).
Subrata K. Mitra (2011), Politics in India. Structure, Process and Policy (London: Routledge)
Stepan, Alfred, Linz, Juan J. and Yogendra Yadav (2011). State-Nations. India and other Multinational Democracies (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press)
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Wilfried Swenden
Tel: (0131 6)50 4255
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Ruth Winkle
Tel: (0131 6)50 4253
Email: |
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