Political Science – II: Foundations of Political Obligation
The significance of the study of Foundation of Political Obligation is to acquaint students with the conceptual theories of Power, Authority and Legitimacy. Students will understand and problematize the idea of political obligation and the views of different thinkers and practitioners on the right to resistance. The course seeks to enable comprehension of the philosophical underpinnings and identification of the features of various theories of punishment and analysis of their implications. It will provide a comparative understanding of various political ideologies and influences on the Constitution of India .This course aims to enhance the comprehension of the vital role of political entities like political parties and interest groups, the working of
University of Mumbai · B.L.S. Semester 3 · 4 modules · 54 topics · 54 written.
Module 1 — Power, Authority and Legitimacy
- 1.1 Power as a concept in Political Science
- 1.1.1 Meaning and definitions of Power
- 1.1.2 Exercise of political power and role of the Government in decision making
- 1.1.3 External influences on Exercise of Political Power
- 1.1.4 Theories of Power — Elite theory and Marxist theory of Power (Specified)
- 1.2 Authority as a Concept in Political Science
- 1.2.1 Meaning and Features of Authority — De jure and De facto Authority
- 1.2.2 Max Webber's Classification of Authority
- 1.2.3 Sources — How is Power legalised?
- 1.3 Comparative Study — Power and Authority (Specified)
- 1.4 Legitimacy — Concept and Relevance of Legitimacy in the Exercise of Political Power
Module 2 — Political Obligation - State Authority and Citizen
- 2.1 Concept of Political Obligation
- 2.1.1 Command and Obedience Relationship
- 2.1.2 Grounds of Political Obligations-Why do people obey laws?
- 2.1.3 D.D. Raphael's views on Political Obligation
- 2.2 Theories of Political Obligation
- 2.2.1 Divine Right Theory of Kings, Social Contract/ Consent Theory, Theory of Force
- 2.2.2 Theory of Prescriptive Possession, Views of Karl Marx (Specified)
- 2.3 Problems of Obedience to Unjust Laws
- 2.3.1 What is Unjust Law?
- 2.3.2 Right to Resistance and Dissent — T.H. Green, M. K. Gandhi, Harold Laski, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela (New)
- 2.3.3 Satyagraha — Gandhian Technique of Resistance against Unjust Laws
- 2.4 Punishment — Objectives, Justification and Deviation
- 2.4.1 Responsibility of the Modern State to Punish
- 2.4.2 Philosophical underpinnings: Kant's Retributivism, Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarian
- 2.4.3 Justification of Punishment
- 2.4.4 Deterrent, & Preventive approaches
- 2.4.5 Gandhian thought on Reformative Approach to Punish
- 2.4.6 Implicit Biases in the Justice Delivery System, Social Injustice and Social Inequality
- 2.4.7 Ethnic profiling in the European Union and US, Case Study — Black Lives Matter Movement
Module 3 — Political Ideologies
- 3.1 Liberalism
- 3.1.1 Meaning and Definition, Basic Principles, Arguments in Favour and Against. Shift from Negative Liberty to Positive Liberty (Classical and Modern Liberalism)
- 3.1.2 J.S Mill views on Liberty — Influence on Indian Constitution
- 3.2 Utilitarianism
- 3.2.1 Meaning and Definition, Basic Principles, Arguments in Favour and Against
- 3.3 Socialism
- 3.3.1 Meaning and Definition, Basic Principles, Arguments in Favour and Against
- 3.4 Communism
- 3.4.1 Basic Principles and Evaluation of Communism
- 3.4.2 Comparative Study of Socialism and Communism (Specified)
- 3.4.3 Comparative Study of Gandhism and Communism (Specified)
Module 4 — Indian Democracy at Work
- 4.1 Significance of Political Parties in India
- 4.1.1 Political Parties — Meaning, differences between Political Parties and Interest Groups
- 4.1.2 Features of Political Parties in India
- 4.1.3 Coalition Politics and Future of Multi — Party System in India
- 4.2 Political Legitimacy and Democracy
- 4.2.1 Democracy and the Consent of the Governed
- 4.2.2 Conditions Essential for the Success of Democracy
- 4.2.3 Ethical Decay of Democracy
- 4.2.4 Challenges to Indian Democracy — Old and New
- 4.3 Democratic Decentralisation and Local Governments
- 4.3.1 Beginnings — Gandhian Gram Swaraj and Dr Ambedkar's Views Decentralisation
- 4.2.2 Key features of Article 40, 73 and 74 Constitutional Amendments Gram rd th Sabha and Participatory Democracy
- 4.3.3 Implications for gender and social inclusion — Promises & Limitations