This is a seminar course, which is organized around a variety of topics that will be discussed each week. Beginning with an overview of the history of modern India, a discussion of main topics in Indian social, economic, and political life will be covered in this course. Students are also required to focus on a particular period or theme within the field and write a well-grounded research project.
Topics will include the making of modern India, national movement and independence, structure of the Indian state, social structure, foreign policy, economic development, and the rise of Hindu nationalism.
Vertical Tabs
Course Learning Outcomes
| Learning Outcomes |
Program
Learning Outcomes |
Teaching Methods | Assessment Methods |
| Demonstrate a global and multicultural competence by understanding India’s diverse religious, cultural, and political traditions and practices. | 1, 2, 3 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
| Interpret some of the major theoretical shifts in political, social and economic life in India and relate these to everyday experiences within the sub-continent. | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
| Analyze processes of nation-building, state-formation, modernization, globalization, economic development, and democratization in India with an interdisciplinary and comparative framework. | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
| Discuss the rise of major debates and traditions in the study of Indian politics. | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
| Gather qualitative or quantitative data on social, economic, and political structures of India and interpret them within the frame of a research paper. | 4, 5, 6, 8 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
| Apply models and techniques of political and social sciences with an interdisciplinary perspective to explain major issues of politics in India. | 4, 5, 6, 8 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
| Conduct an extensive literature review of primary and secondary sources about India in English. | 10 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
| Compare and contrast the making of modern India with the development of modern Turkey. | 4, 13 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | A, B, D |
Course Flow
| COURSE CONTENT | ||
| Week | Topics | Study Materials |
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | The Idea of India |
Shashi Tharoor (2000) “Who is an Indian,” SAIS Review 20(1):103-105.
“Timeline: India, A chronology of key events” available on BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1155813.stm |
| 3 | Modern India in Historical Perspective (1765-1857) |
Stanley Wolpert (2000) A New History of India (New York: Oxford University Press), 187-238.
Maria Misra (2003) “Lessons of Empire: Britain and India,” SAIS Review, 23(2):133-153. Ronald Inden (1986) ‘Orientalist Constructions of India’ Modern Asian Studies, 20(3): 401-446. Sudipta Sen (2002) “Uncertain Dominance: The Colonial State and Its Contradictions (with notes on the History of Early British India,” Nepantla: Views from South, 3 (2): 391-406. |
| 4 | Modern India in Historical Perspective (1857-1914) |
Stanley Wolpert (2000) A New History of India (New York: Oxford University Press), 239-285.
M. S. Rajan (1969) “The Impact of British Rule in India,” Journal of Contemporary History, 4(1):89-102. Sanjay Seth (1999) “Rewriting Histories of Nationalism: The Politics of Moderate Nationalism in India, 1870-1905,” The American Historical Review, 104(1): 95-116. Andrew Sartori (2003) “The Categorical Logic of a Colonial Nationalism: Swadeshi Bengal, 1904-1908,” Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 23(1/2): 271-285. Bernard Porter (2003) “Married to the Empire: Gender, Politics and Imperialism in India, 1833-1847,” Modernism/Modernity, 10(4):761-762. |
| 5 | National Movement and Independence (1914-1947) |
John R. McLane (1970) ‘Nationalism in Transition,’ in The Political Awakening in India, (London: Prentice), 51-97.
Stanley Wolpert (2000) A New History of India (New York: Oxford University Press), 286-350. Ray T. Smith (1968) “The role of India’s Liberals in the Nationalist Movement, 1915-47,” Asian Survey, 8(7): 607-624. Anshuman Mondal (2001) “Gandhi, Utopianism and the Construction of Colonial Difference,” International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, 3(3): 419-438. John R. McLane (1970) ‘The Coming of Independence,’ in The Political Awakening in India, (London: Prentice), 171-180. |
| 6 | (Re)Building of the Indian State: Constitution, Congress Party, and Leadership |
Stanley Wolpert (2000) A New History of India (New York: Oxford University Press), 351-370.
Margaret Fisher (1967) “India’s Jawaharlal Nehru, Asian Survey, 7(6): 363-373. Atul Kohli (2004) ‘India’ in Amoretti and Bermeo (eds.) Federalism and Territorial Cleavages, (Baltimore: John Hopkins Press). Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr. (1970) “The Congress in India—Crisis and Split,” Asian Survey, 10(3):256-262. Rajni Kothari (1970) Change and Continuity in India’s Party System,” Asian Survey, 10(11): 937-948. Emma Mawdsley (2002) “Redrawing the Body Politic: Federalism, Regionalism and the Creation of New State in India, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, 40(3):34-54. Pratap Bhanu Mehta (1997) “India amid Consensus,” Journal of Democracy, 8(1): 55-69. |
| 7 | Social structure (Secularism, Nation of India, Caste vs. Constitutional Federalism, Language Issue and Regionalism) |
Sunil Khilnani (2000) ‘Who is an Indian,’ The Idea of India, (New York: Farrar 150-195.
Lelah Dushkin (1967) “Scheduled Caste Policy in India: History, Problems and Prospects,” Asian Survey 7(9): 626-636. Iqbal Narain (1976) “Cultural Pluralism, National Integration and Democracy in India,” Asian Survey, 16(10): 903-917. Lloyd Rudolph (1965) “The Modernity of Tradition: The Democratic Incarnation of Caste in India, APSR, 59(4): 975-989. Paul Brass (2004) “Elite Interest, Popular Passions and Social Power in the Language Politics of India,” Ethnic and Racial Studies, 27(3): 353-375. E. Sridharan (2004) “The Growth and Sectoral Composition of India’s Middle Class: Its Impact on the Politics of Economic Liberalization” |
| 8 | Mid-term | |
| 9 | The rule of Indira Gandhi and its influence on Indian democracy—1964 Struggle for leadership, 1975 The Emergency, The Punjab |
Stanley Wolpert (2000) A New History of India (New York: Oxford University Press), 371-406.
W. H. Morris Jones (1966) “India: The trial of Leadership,” Asian Survey, 6(2): 67-75. Stanley A. Kochanek (1966) “Post-Nehru India: The Emergence of New Leadership,” Asian Survey, 6 (5): 288-299. Ram Joshi (1975) “India 1974: Growing Political Crisis,” Asian Survey, 15(2):85-95. Richard L. Park (1975) “Political Crisis in India, 1975, Asian Survey, 15(11): 996-1013. Norman D. Palmer (1976) “India in 1975: Democracy in Eclipse,” Asian Survey, 16(2): 95-110. V. P. Dutt (1976) “The Emergency in India: Background and Rationale, Asian Survey 16 (12): 1124-1138. |
| 10 | Week Nine: Foreign Policy: De-colonization, Non-alignment Policy, Nuclear Proliferation, Kashmir |
Sumantra Bose (2000) “Kashmir: Sources of Conflict, Dimensions of Peace,” Survival 41(3): 149-171.
E. M. Hause (1960) “India: Noncommitted and Nonaligned,” The Western Political Quarterly 13 (1):70-82. Deepa M. Ollapally (2001) “Mixed Motives in India’s Search for Nuclear Status,” Asian Survey 41(6): 925-942. Tatyana L. Shaumian (1988) “India’s Foreign Policy: Interaction of Global and Regional Aspects,” Asian Survey 28(11):1061-1169. S. D. Muni ( ) “India and the Post-Cold War World: Opportunities and Challenges,” Asian Survey, 31(9) 862-874. Partha S. Ghosh ( ) “Foreign Policy and Electoral Politics in India: Inconsequential Connection” Asian Survey, 34(9):807-817. |
| 11 | Economic Development |
T. Roy (2002) “Economic History and Modern India,” Journal of Economic History
G. Datt, M. Ravallion (2002) “Is India’s Economic Growth Leaving the Poor Behind?” Journal of Economic Perspectives Baldev Raj Najar ( ) “Political Structure and India’s Economic Reforms of the 1990’s,” Pacific Affairs, 71(3): 335-358. Baldev Raj Nayar (2000) “The limits of Economic Nationalism in India: Economic Reforms under the BJP-led Government, 1998-1999. |
| 12 | The Rise of Hindu nationalism |
Ashutos Varsney (1997) “Postmodernism, Civic Engagement, and Ethnic Conflict: A Passage to India,” Comparative Politics, 30(1):1-20.
James Manor (1996) “Ethnicity and Politics in India,” International Affairs, 72(3): 459-475. Atul Kohli (1997) “Can Democracies Accommodate Ethnic Nationalism? Rise and Decline of Self-Determination Movements in India,” The Journal of Asian Studies, 56(2): 325-344. Yogendra K. Malik and Dhivendra K. Vaipeyi (1989) “The Rise of Hindu Militancy: India’s Secular Democracy at Risk,” Asian Survey, 29(3):308-325. Subrata K. Mitra (2003) “The morality of Communal Politics: P. Brass, Hindu Muslim Conflict, and the Indian State,” India Review 2(4): 15-30. |
| 13 | Future Prospects--Whither India in the new century? |
Nirvikar Singh (2002) “Miracles and Reform in India: Policy Reflections,” Asian Survey, 42(5): 708-722.
Bhabani Sen Gupta (1997) “India in the Twenty-First Century,” International Affairs, 73(2): 297-314. Alexander Evans ( ) “India Flexes its Muscles,” Foreign Policy 130: 94-96. I. G. Patel ( ) “On taking India to the 21st Century,” Modern Asian Studies, 21(2): 209-231. Jessie Lloyd and Nathan Nankisell (2002) “India, Pakistan and the Legacy of September 11th,” Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 15(2): 269-287. Robert M. Hathaway (2003) “India transformed: parsing India’s new foreign policy,” India Review, 2(4): 1-14. George Perkovich (2003) “Is India a Major Power?” The Washington Quarterly 27(1): 129-144. |
| 14 | State and Society in a Comparative Perspective-Turkey and India | Srirupa Roy (2006) “Temple and Dam, Fez and Hat: The Secular Roots of Religious Politics in India and Turkey,” available on site http://www.ssc.upenn.edu/polisci/programs/comparative/roypaper.pdf |
| 15 | Conclusion and Final Remarks | |
Recommended Sources
| RECOMMENDED SOURCES | |
| Textbook | - |
| Additional Resources | - |
Material Sharing
| MATERIAL SHARING | |
| Documents | Required readings and documents can be found both in the Reserve section of the library and in the bookstore. |
| Assignments | Handouts explaining the assignments will be given in class. |
| Exams | Exams will be given in class. |
Assessment
|
ASSESSMENT |
||
| IN-TERM STUDIES | NUMBER | PERCENTAGE |
| Mid-terms | 1 | .25 |
| Participation | 1 | .25 |
| Research Paper | 1 | .50 |
| Total | 100 | |
| CONTRIBUTION OF FINAL EXAMINATION TO OVERALL GRADE | 0 | |
| CONTRIBUTION OF IN-TERM STUDIES TO OVERALL GRADE | 100 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Course’s Contribution to Program
| COURSE'S CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM | |||||||
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 1 | The ability to analyze and critically evaluate basic research models, approaches and intellectual traditions in the field of political science, international relations, comparative politics, Turkish politics and foreign policy. To demonstrate the ability to create innovative and original contribution to the field by specializing and expanding on these models and approaches. | X | |||||
| 2 | To demonstrate the ability to make original contributions to the field with an interdisciplinary approach. | X | |||||
| 3 | A command of basic research models and approaches of political science and international relations discipline and the ability to apply them in academic research and project design. | X | |||||
| 4 | Having the ability to compare, contrast and analyze societal and political systems with an interdisciplinary approach. | X | |||||
| 5 | Having a command of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods and abiding by the highest levels of academic and research ethics. | X | |||||
| 6 | The ability to contribute to the progress of the field of political science and international relations by conducting original and independent studies that produce original thought, methods, models, and applications to the field and/or utilize existing ideas, methods, models, and applications in another field of study. | X | |||||
| 7 | The ability to contribute to the progress of the field of political science and international relations by publishing at least one academic article at a refereed journal and/or by producing or interpreting an original contribution. | X | |||||
| 8 | To develop current and advanced level of data into original thought and research as a specialist. The ability to develop original ideas and methods in the field of political science and international relations. | X | |||||
| 9 | The ability to debate and make presentations within an intellectual framework, and the ability to express oneself in a professional and academic manner. The ability to apply academic writing and presentation methods to dissertations, articles, and project design. | X | |||||
| 10 | Having advanced reading, writing, comprehension and speaking skills in the English language. | X | |||||
| 11 | Having the ability to apply knowledge of political science and international relations discipline to information technologies and traditional tools so as to produce sound solutions to problems. | X | |||||
| 12 | Having the competency to work in the public sector, NGOs, research institutions and the academia. | X | |||||
| 13 | Having empathy towards diverse and differing communities, which will facilitate conducing teamwork at local as well as global platforms. | X | |||||
| 14 | Having competency of comprehending and interpreting local and global issues through information exchange with international academics and students. | X | |||||
ECTS
| ECTS ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD BY THE COURSE DESCRIPTION | |||
| Activities | Quantity |
Duration (Hour) |
Total Workload (Hour) |
| Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice) | 16 | 15 | 240 |
| Mid-terms | 1 | 30 | 30 |
| Homework | 1 | 40 | 40 |
| Presentation | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Total Work Load | 378 | ||
| Total Work Load / 25 (h) | 15.12 | ||
| ECTS Credit of the Course | 15 | ||