Political Science – I: Political Theory and Political Organisation
The importance of study of Political Science is well reflected in the process of making Law. The course aimsto assist students to understand the concept of State as a Sovereign Political entity and exercise of power by government within a political system. The course aims at facilitating comprehension of the various forms of Government with reference to select case studies and the vital role of Judiciary in upholding the Supremacy of the Constitution. It intends to explore the basis of Representation and the Electoral System in India. Overall, the course aspires to instil the ability to critically analyse and to substantially form argument on key issues about state, politics and democracy.
University of Mumbai · B.L.S. Semester 2 · 4 modules · 54 topics · 54 written.
Module 1 — State and Sovereignty in Political Theory
- 1.1 The Concept of the State — Meaning and Definition
- 1.1.2 State as a Community of Persons
- 1.1.3 State as a Politically Organised Society within a Defined Territory
- 1.1.4 State as the only Sovereign entity with a single Government
- 1.1.5 Definitions of State
- 1.1.6 Constituent Elements of State and importance of each Element
- 1.1.7 Comparative Study — State and Government, State and Society, State and Association
- 1.2 Sovereignty as the Basic Element of the State
- 1.2.1 Meaning and Definition of Sovereignty
- 1.2.2 Two Aspects of Sovereignty: Internal and External
- 1.2.3 Essential Characteristics of Sovereignty
- 1.2.4 The Notion of Legal Sovereignty, Political Sovereignty and Popular Sovereignty
- 1.2.5 History of the Development of the Concept of Sovereignty
- 1.2.6 Contribution of Jean Bodin, Hugo Grotius, Jeremy Bentham
- 1.2.7 Social Contract/Consent Theory. (Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau)
- 1.2.8 John Austin's Theory of Sovereignty
Module 2 — Government as a Concept in Political Theory
- 2.1 Main Currents of Western Political Thought on Statecraft
- 2.1.1 Plato's Ideal State as given in ‘The Republic’ - Concept of Philosopher King
- 2.1.2 Machiavelli's view on Statecraft — Advices to Prudent Prince in ‘The Prince’
- 2.1.3 Aristotle's Classification of Governments
- 2.2 Modern Classification of Government
- 2.2.3 Parliamentary and Presidential Government (Meaning and Definition, Features, Merits and Demerits and Comparative Study)
Module 3 — Organization of Government
- 3.1 Theory of Separation of Powers
- 3.1.1 Montesquieu's Theory of the Separation of Powers
- 3.1.2 Liberal Interpretation with Checks and Balances
- 3.1.3 Application of the Doctrine of Separation of Powers in the US and India (Specified)
- 3.1.4 Evaluation of the Doctrine of Separation of Powers
- 3.2 Judiciary as an Organ of the Government
- 3.2.1 Role and Functions of Judiciary
- 3.2.2 Three Methods of Appointments of the Judges
- 3.2.3 Election by the People, Election by the Legislature, Nomination by the Executive
- 3.2.4 Importance of Independence of Judiciary — Measures to ensure Independence of Judiciary
- 3.2.5 Rule of Law and Judicial Review, Judicial Review in India and the USA- a comparative study
- 3.2.6 Basic Structure Case (Specified) Parliamentary Power
- 3.3 Parliamentary Sovereignty
- 3.3.1 Meaning and Nature of Parliamentary Sovereignty
- 3.3.2 Parliamentary Sovereignty in India and its Limitations
- 3.3.3 Parliamentary Sovereignty in the United Kingdom and Contemporary Challenges
Module 4 — Representation
- 4.1 Concept of Representation
- 4.1.1 Role of the Representative
- 4.1.2 Universal Adult Suffrage
- 4.1.3 Women Enfranchisement — Arguments for and against — Fight for Women Suffrage in USA
- 4.1.4 Challenges to Women Representation in India
- 4.2 Bases of Representation
- 4.2.1 Territorial Representation — Single Member Constituency and Multi Member Constituency
- 4.2.2 Functional Representation and its difficulties
- 4.2.3 Minority Representation
- 4.2.4 Proportional Representation — Hare Plan or the Single Transferable Vote and the List System
- 4.2.5 The System of Plural Voting
- 4.3 Electoral System in India
- 4.3.1 Composition of the Election Commission of India (ECI)
- 4.3.2 Powers and Functions of the ECI, Autonomy of ECI
- 4.3.3 Social Media's influence on Elections in India
- 4.3.4 ECI Scrutiny on Social Media