MASTER S DEGREE PROGRAMME IN POLITICAL SCIENCE. ASSIGNMENT (First Year) July 2014 and January 2015 Sessions

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1 MPS MASTER S DEGREE PROGRAMME IN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT (First Year) July 2014 and January 2015 Sessions School of Social Sciences Indira Gandhi National Open University Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-11006

2 M.A. (Political Science) CORE COURSES Dear Learner, As explained in the Programme Guide, you will have to do a Tutor Marked Assignment for each course in Political Science. This booklet contains the assignments of the first year courses of the Masters Programme in Political Science. You need to submit all the assignments within the stipulated time for being eligible to appear in the term-end examination. Before you attempt the assignments, please read the instructions carefully provided in the Programme Guide. It is important that you write the answers in your own words. Your answers should be within the approximate range of the word-limit set for a particular section. Remember, writing answers to assignment questions will improve your writing skills and prepare you for the term-end examination. All assignments, including these, have to be submitted to the Coordinator of your Study Centre. Remember to obtain a receipt from the Study Centre for the assignments submitted and retain it. If possible, keep a Xerox copy of the assignments with you. The Study Centre will have to return the assignments to you after they are evaluated. Please insist on this. The Study Centre will note down the marked awarded for each assignment and forward them to the Student Evaluation Division (SED) at IGNOU, New Delhi. Submission: The completed assignments should be submitted as per the following schedule. Session For July, 2014 Session For January, 2015 Session Last Date of Submission To be Submitted to March 31, 2015 September 30, 2015 The Coordinator of the Study Centre allotted to you Wishing you all the best, Faculty of Political Science 2

3 POLITICAL THEORY (MPS-001) Course Code: MPS-001 Assignment Code: /Asst/TMA/ section. Each question is to be answered in about 500 words. Each question carries 20 marks. SECTION- I 1. Examine some recent debates on liberty. 2. What is Rawls theory of justice? Discuss. 3. Discuss the inter-relationship of duties and rights in the Gandhian perspective. 4. What is Authority? Explain. 5. Write an essay on legitimation and obligation crises. SECTION- II Write short notes on the following in about 250 words each. 6. (a) Critique of Liberalism (b) Individualism 7. (a) Antonio Gramsci on hegemony and role of intellectuals (b) Early strands of Socialism 8. (a) Critical Review of Multiculturalism (b) Irrationalism 9. (a) Communitarian position on state neutrality (b) Idea of Republican freedom 10. (a) New dimensions in the theory of federalism (b) State versus Civil Society 3

4 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORY AND PROBLEMS (MPS-002) Course Code: MPS-002 Assignment Code: MPSE 002/Asst/TMA/ section. Each question is to be answered in about 500 words. Each question carries 20 marks. SECTION- I 1. Examine the feminist perspective of state and state security. 2. Discuss the changing dimensions of security in the post-cold war period. 3. The paradigm of human rights is subverted by trade related practices. Comment 4. Critically examine the current debate on the future of nation-state in international relations scholarship. 5. What is ethnicity? Why has there been an increase in ethnic violence and conflict in the post-war period? SECTION- II Write a short note on each part of the following questions in about 250 words. 6. a) Theoretical approaches to regionalism b) Liberal approach to resolution of conflicts 7. a) Main arguments of the theory of Dependencia b) Marxist theory of hegemony in the study of international relations 8. a) Assumptions and themes of Post-modernism b) Diaspora and transnational movements 9. a) Permanent membership for India in the expanded Security Council b) State response to Indigenous movements in the world 10. a) Human security agenda b) The problem of Intra-state displacements 4

5 INDIA: DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT (MPS-003) Course Code: MPS-003 Assignment Code: Asst/TMA/ section. Each question is to be answered in about 500 words. Each question carries 20 marks. SECTION-I 1. Discuss how democracy and development are related to each other. 2. Critically examine the following in about 250 words each: a) The idea of planning b) The main features of the RPIs in India 3. Can poverty be reduced by the increase in income alone? Discuss. 4. Discuss the role of media in shaping public opinion and public policies. 5. Discuss the contribution of civil society to democracy in India. SECTION-II 6. Comment on the following in about 250 words each: a) Working of the federal system in India b) Caste in Indian democracy 7. Comment on the following in about 250 words each. a) Development and gender b) The basis of regionalism in India 8. Analyse the nature of state response to the challenge of ethnicity in India. 9. Comment on the following in about 250 words each: a) Substantive democracy b) Manifestation of ethnicity 10. Examine the impact of the new economic policy on the working class in India. 5

6 COMPARATIVE: POLITICS: ISSUES AND TRENDS (MPS-004) Course Code: MPS-004 Assignment Code: Asst/TMA/ section. Each question is to be answered in about 500 words. Each question carries 20 marks. SECTION-I 1. Examine the concept and assumptions of Dependency as a tool for understanding underdevelopment. 2. Analyse the role of religion in anti colonial struggles. 3. Describe the basic features of civil society. How is it related to state? 4. What do you understand by self determination? Evaluate the debate on self determination. 5. Discuss the dynamics of the State Multinational Corporation relationships in the era of globalisation. SECTION-II 6. What do you understand by ethnic identity? Why do ethnic groups get politically activated? 7. Examine the characteristics of military regimes with suitable examples. 8. Analyse the merits and demerits of two-party systems. 9. Write an essay on Gender and Development debate. 10. Describe and evaluate major trends of Human Development in developing countries. ********* 6