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UPSC Political Science & International Relations optional syllabus

Both papers of the UPSC Political Science & International Relations optional. Here it is in 19 topics and 87 subtopics you can study and tick off one at a time.

Papers
two, both in Mains
Marks
250 each, 500 in all
Time
3 hours each

Contents

Paper I

  1. Political Theory and Its Approaches
  2. Theories of the State
  3. Justice, Equality and Rights
  4. Power, Sovereignty and Legitimacy
  5. Political Ideologies
  6. Indian Political Thought
  7. Western Political Thought
  8. Indian Government and Politics
  9. Political Dynamics in India
  10. Grassroots Politics in India

Paper II

  1. Comparative Political Analysis and IR Theory
  2. Comparative Politics
  3. Globalization
  4. India's Foreign Policy
  5. India's Relations with Neighbours
  6. India and the Global South
  7. International Organizations
  8. Global Issues
  9. India and the World Order

Paper I

Political Theory and Its Approaches

  1. Meaning and Approaches to Political Theory
  2. Normative, Empirical and Behavioural Approaches
  3. Decline and Resurgence of Political Theory

Theories of the State

  1. Liberal Theory of the State
  2. Neo-Liberal and Libertarian Perspectives
  3. Marxist Theory of the State
  4. Pluralist and Post-Colonial Theories
  5. Feminist Critique of the State

Justice, Equality and Rights

  1. Conceptions of Justice; Rawls' Theory of Justice and Its Communitarian Critiques
  2. Equality — Social, Political and Economic; Affirmative Action
  3. Rights — Natural, Moral and Legal; Three Generations of Rights
  4. Relationship between Rights and Obligations
  5. Democracy — Classical and Contemporary Theories; Deliberative Democracy

Power, Sovereignty and Legitimacy

  1. Power, Authority, Influence and Domination
  2. Sovereignty — Monist and Pluralist Conceptions
  3. Legitimacy and Political Obligation
  4. Hegemony and Ideological Power

Political Ideologies

  1. Liberalism and Neo-Liberalism
  2. Socialism, Marxism and Social Democracy
  3. Fascism and Conservatism
  4. Gandhism and Sarvodaya
  5. Feminism and Environmentalism

Indian Political Thought

  1. Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist Traditions
  2. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Sri Aurobindo
  3. M. K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru
  4. B. R. Ambedkar and M. N. Roy
  5. Deendayal Upadhyaya and Jayaprakash Narayan

Western Political Thought

  1. Plato and Aristotle
  2. Machiavelli and Hobbes
  3. Locke, Rousseau and the Social Contract
  4. Kant, Hegel and John Stuart Mill
  5. Marx, Gramsci and Hannah Arendt

Indian Government and Politics

  1. Indian Nationalism and the Making of the Constitution
  2. Salient Features of the Indian Constitution; Preamble and Basic Structure
  3. Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Duties
  4. Union Executive, Parliament and Judiciary
  5. Federalism, Centre-State Relations and Emergency Provisions
  6. Statutory Institutions and Commissions

Political Dynamics in India

  1. Party System and National and Regional Parties
  2. Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics
  3. Pressure Groups, Social Movements and Civil Society
  4. Electoral Politics, Coalition Governments and Electoral Reforms
  5. Regionalism and Demands for Autonomy

Grassroots Politics in India

  1. Panchayati Raj
  2. Social Movements

Paper II

Comparative Political Analysis and IR Theory

  1. Nature and Scope of Comparative Political Analysis
  2. Approaches — Institutional, Systems, Structural-Functional, Political Economy
  3. Limitations of the Comparative Method
  4. Approaches to the Study of International Relations — Idealist and Realist
  5. Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberalism, Marxist and Critical Approaches
  6. Constructivism and Feminist Perspectives

Comparative Politics

  1. Comparative Study of Political Systems — Britain, USA, China
  2. State in Comparative Perspective — Advanced and Developing Societies
  3. Politics of Representation and Participation
  4. Nationalism, Nation-Building and State-Building

Globalization

  1. Concept and Dimensions of Globalization
  2. Responses from Developed and Developing Societies
  3. Globalization and the Nation-State
  4. Global Economic Governance — IMF, World Bank and WTO

India's Foreign Policy

  1. Determinants of India's Foreign Policy; Institutions of Policy-Making
  2. Continuity and Change; Non-Alignment and Its Evolution
  3. India's Nuclear Policy and Strategic Doctrine
  4. Economic Diplomacy and Energy Security
  5. Indian Diaspora and Soft Power

India's Relations with Neighbours

  1. India and Pakistan — Conflict, Kashmir and Dialogue
  2. India and China — Border Question, Trade and Competition
  3. India and Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka
  4. India and Myanmar, Bhutan and the Maldives
  5. SAARC, BIMSTEC and Regional Cooperation

India and the Global South

  1. India and the Non-Aligned Movement
  2. India's Africa and Latin America Policy
  3. South-South Cooperation and Development Partnerships
  4. India, NIEO and the WTO Negotiations

International Organizations

  1. United Nations — Structure, Functions and Peacekeeping
  2. Reform of the UN and the Security Council; India's Claim
  3. Bretton Woods Institutions — IMF and World Bank
  4. Regional Organisations — EU, ASEAN, APEC, AU
  5. BRICS, SCO, G-20 and Plurilateral Groupings

Global Issues

  1. Nuclear Proliferation and Arms Control Regimes
  2. International Terrorism and Non-State Actors
  3. Environment, Climate Negotiations and Sustainable Development
  4. Human Rights, Democracy Promotion and Humanitarian Intervention
  5. Migration, Refugees and Global Health Governance

India and the World Order

  1. India's Rise as an Emerging Power
  2. India and the Indo-Pacific; Quad and Maritime Security
  3. India, Russia and the United States — Strategic Partnerships
  4. India's Role in a Multipolar World Order

This is Mented's breakdown of the official UPSC syllabus into study-sized subtopics. For the syllabus as notified, see the Civil Services Examination notice on upsc.gov.in.

Other optional subjects

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