Study Material / Introduction to Political Theory (April 2026)
Introduction to Political Theory
The major objective of this course is to introduce the students to some of the key concepts and ideas of politics which shape our political discourse. These concepts are essentially contested concepts and yet inevitable for understanding and explaining the politics of any country or society. A clear understanding of these debates or contestations over some of the key concepts and ideas of politics, it is hoped, will help the students develop their own independent views and judgments about politics and democracy in their own societies as well as in the world at large.
Last updated in March 2026.
Week 1
Introduction to Political Theory
- General Outline and methods
- Introduction to NLP (NLP Pipeline, Applications of NLP)
Week 2
Liberty
- Liberty: republican conception of freedom
- Freedom as autonomy; Positive and negative liberty
- Freedom as Swaraj, Free speech & hate speech
Week 3
Equality
- Introduction :Equity and egalitarianism
- Equality of opportunity; preferential treatmenth
- Luck Egalitarianism and its critiques; Equality and Liberty
Week 4
Rights
- Introduction and forms of rights
- Conflicts between rights
- Rights and Duties
Week 5
Justice
- A distributive concept
- Procedural & Substantive; Justice as fairness
- Capability approach; libertarian, communitarian conception of Justice
- Feminist conceptions of justice; Global justice
Week 6
Power
- Introduction to Power and authority
- Power, legitimacy & hegemony
- Power & knowledge; different conceptions of power
Week 7
State and Sovereignty
- Introduction and different conceptions of state & sovereignty
- Modern nation state; liberal, Marxist and feminist conceptions of state
- State and governmentality
Week 8
Democracy
- Introduction: Procedural and Substantive Democracy
- Various models of Democracy
Week 9
Democracy & Citizenship
- Challenges and Limits of Democracy; Free press and Democracy
- Citizenship: Subject and Citizen
Week 10
Citizenship
- T H Marshal & liberal conceptions of Citizenship as legal and equal member
- Muliticulturalism and Cosmopolitan Citizenship
Week 11
Topics not available for this week.
Week 12
Topics not available for this week.
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