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Delhi University
B.A. Programme – Foundation Courses
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1. SOCIAL ENQUIRY
Course Objective: The course is intended to introduce the
students to the branches of knowledge, their evolution in different
cultural traditions and show the distinct, yet complementary
perspectives from which they can approach an issue or a problem.
The aim is to stimulate questioning attitude from various vantage
points rather than present masses of information in the fields of
study.
Expected Learning outcome: The students should at the end of
the course know the basic subject matter and significance of
various branches of knowledge and how they are interconnected.
1. What is Social Enquiry? Meaning of the term ‘social’ ; the
distinction between common sense understanding and
assertions supported by evidence and rational argument ;
Meaning of scientific enquiry and debates on it in light of
contemporary concerns.
2. Forms of Social Enquiry: Humanities, Social Sciences, their
focus, significance, and interconnections of disciplines.
3. History: What is history? Why study history? Historical
Method, History and the issue of objectivity.
4. Philosophy: What is philosophy? Why study philosophy? What
is a philosophical argument? The notions of truth and reason;
Importance of Ethics.
5. Politics: What is politics? Why study politics? Major Political
Traditions, Main approaches to political analysis and recent
trends.
6. Society: What is sociology? Why study sociology? Major
traditions in Sociology; Main tools of sociological analysis and
recent trends.
7. Economy: What is economics? Why study economics? Major
traditions in economics, Main tools of economic analysis and
recent trends.
8. Psychology: What is psychology? Why study psychology?
Major approaches; main tools of psychological analysis and
recent trends.
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9. Environment: What is environment? Why study environment
Main tools of environmental analysis and recent trends in
environmental studies.
10. Culture: What is culture? Significance of studying culture,
Understanding diversity of cultures and traditions; the idea of
aesthetic sensibility?
References:
1. Aron, Raymond (1968, 1970) Main Currents in the Sociological
Thought (Vol. 1 and 2), Penguin Books, Harmondsworth.
2. Baron, R. (2002) Psychology, Pearson Education Asia,
Singapore.
3. Beatie, John (1968) Other Cultures: Aims, Methods, and
Achievement in Social Anthropology, Free Press.
4. Bharadwaj, Krishna. (1978) Classical Political Economy,
Orient Longman, Calcutta.
5. Brody, Baruch A., (1977) Beginning Philosophy, Prentice Hall.
6. Browning Edgar. K and Jacquelene Browning, (1989)
Microeconomic Theory and Applications, Scott Foresman and
Company, Ilinois.
7. Carr, E.H. (1961) What is History, Macmillan, London (Hindi
edition, Macmillan India, New Delhi).
8. Dahrendorf, R (1959) Class and Class conflict in Industrial
Society: Stanford Univ. Press.
9. Das, R.C et.al (1998) The Environmental Divide: The Dilemma
and Developing Countries, A.P.H Publications, Delhi.
10. Double, Richard, (1999) Beginning Philosophy, Oxford
University Press,
11. Giddens, A. (1989) Sociology, Polity Press, London
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12. Goudiae A. (2000) The Human Impact on the Natural
Environment. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford.
13. Heilbroner, Robert (1969) Worldly Philosophers: The Great
Economic Thinkers, Penguin Press, London.
14. Heywood, Andrew (1997) Politics, Hampshire and Macmillan,
London.
15. Hobsbawm, E.J. (1997) On History, Abacus. (Hindi edition,
Granthshilpi, New Delhi)
16. Marwick, Arthur (2001) The New Nature of History, Palgrave.
17. Maurice, Duverger, (1972) Study of Politics, Nelson, London.
18. Morgan, C.T. and R. A. King (1986) “Introduction to
psychology”, McGraw-Hill. (or latest edition).
19. Russell, Bertrand (1967) “The Value of Philosophy” in
Problems of Philosophy, Oxford University Press.
20. Samuelson, P. and William D. Nordhaus (2004) Economics,
Mc Graw Hill College Div,
21. Williams, Raymond. (1958) Culture and Society, Penguin
Australia.
22. Worsley, Peter (1970), Introducing Sociology, Harmondsworth,
Penguin Books.
Additional Books in Hindi (2004)
1. Amin, Shahid and Gyanendra Pandey (eds) Selections from
Sualtern Studies, Vol. I in Hindi, University of Delhi, Delhi
2. Giddens, A (2004), Capitalism and Modern Social Theory,
Hindi edition Granth Shilpi, New Delhi.
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2. CONTEMPORARY INDIA
Course Objective:
This course attempts to familiarize the undergraduate students
with the main political, economic and social developments that
have taken place in India since independence.
The course will focus on the working of Indian economy and
democracy and the social changes that have taken place over the
past five decades.
Expected Learning Outcome:
Students offering this course would be able to develop a perspective
on the functioning of democracy and institutions in India, the
emerging trends in the economy in the context of globalisation and
the dynamics of the Indian society.
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1. Basic features of the Indian economy in 1947: composition
of national income, the agrarian scene and the industrial
structure.
2. The evolution of economic policy since independence from
planning in the Nehru-Mahalanobis era to economic
reform and liberalization of the present times; the role of
the state.
II
1. Dimensions of some of the major economic problems and a
critical examination of public policy relating to them:
(a) Poverty
(b) Unemployment
(c) Food insecurity
(d) Regional disparity
2. Some other important constituents of economic policy in
the present times; liberalisation in the fiscal, financial and
trade sectors, infrastructure constraints.
3. The nature of the social sector, a critical assessment of
public policy in respect of education and health.
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4. Science and Technology policy in India’s development;
Information Technology and Social Change.
III
1. Changing Social Structure: the changing caste-class
relations in rural India, the new industrial class, growth of
the middle class, changes in urban life.
2. Catalysts of social change: universalisation of education,
adult franchise, social movements and mass media.
3. Trends in occupational structure and social mobility.
4. The rise of new social forces – Movements of Dalits, OBCs,
Adivasis, Women; the debate on representation and social
justice.
IV
1. Democracy in India: nature and functioning; Parliamentary
System, its achievements and problems; socio-economic
dimensions of democracy.
2. Party system in India: One Party Dominant system to
Multi-Party System; Coalition Politics – characteristics and
performance.
3. Secularism, Communalism, and Minority Rights in
India; contemporary debates on nationalism in India.
4. Indian Federalism: the constitutional structure, political
and fiscal dimensions, Democratic Decentralisation;
Panchayati Raj.
5. Changing character of Public Administration and corporate
governance in India.
6. India in the global strategic environment, security and
foreign policy in the post-cold war era.
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References:
1. Bardhan, Pranab (1999) The Political Economy of
Development in India, Oxford University Press, New Delhi
2. Beteille, Andre, (ed.) (1965 and 2002), Caste, Class and
Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in a Tanjore
Village, University of California Press, Berkeley.
3. Bhaduri, Amit and Deepak Nayyar (1996), The Intelligent
Person’s Guide to Liberalization. Orient Longman, Delhi.
(Hindi edition Rajkamal, New Delhi)
4. Byres, Terence J. (ed.) (1997), The State, Development
Planning and Liberalization in India, Oxford University Press,
New Delhi.
5. Chakravarty, Sukhamoy (1987), Development Planning, The
Indian Experience Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
6. Chatterjee, Partha (1998) Possible India, Oxford University
Press, New Delhi.
7. Deshpande, Satish (2003) Indian Society, Penguin.
8. Dreze Jean and Amartya Sen, (1995), India: Economic
Development and Social Opportunity, Oxford University
Press, New Delhi.
9. Frankel, Francine (2002) Transforming India: Social and
Political Dynamics of Democracy, Oxford University Press,
New Delhi.
10. Jalan, Bimal (2002) India’s Economy in the Millennium
Selected Essays, UBS Publisher, Delhi.
11. Kaviraj, Sudipta (ed.) (1998) Politics in India, Oxford
University Press, New Delhi.
12. Khilnani, Sunil (1999) The Idea of India, Farrar Straus and
Giriox, London.
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13. Kohli, Atul (ed.) (2001) The Success of India’s Democracy,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
14. Kothari, Rajni (1970) Politics in India, Orient Longman, New
Delhi.
15. Mandelbaum, D.G. (1987), Society in India: Continuity and
Change, University of California Press, Berkeley.
16. Patnaik, Prabhat (2004) Retreat to Unfreedom, Tulika, New
Delhi
17. Shah, Ghanshyam (2003) Social Movements and the State;
Sage, Delhi.
18. Srinivas, M.N (1966) Social Change in Modern India, Oxford,
New Delhi.
19. Srinivasan T.N. (2000) Eight Lectures on India’s Economic
Reforms, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
20. Vora, R. and S. Palsikar, (eds) (2004) Indian Democracy:
Meanings and Practices, Sage, Delhi.
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