Programme syllabus
3-Year Degree with IAS — Year-wise Syllabus
Graduation and the full UPSC syllabus run on one timetable. Year one builds the NCERT foundation, year two covers standard sources for every GS paper, and year three is dedicated to Mains answer writing, the optional subject and Prelims test series — so students finish their degree ready for their first attempt.
How the programme covers the syllabus
Year 1 — Foundation
NCERT Classes 6–12 across subjects; newspaper reading habit.
- History, Geography, Polity, Economy and Science NCERTs
- Basic CSAT numeracy and reasoning
- Map work
- Monthly current affairs tests
Year 2 — Standard syllabus
Standard references for Prelims and Mains GS I–III.
- Polity, Modern History, Indian and World Geography
- Economy, Environment, Science and Technology
- Weekly 250-word answer writing
- Optional subject exploration
Year 3 — Mains, optional and Prelims tests
GS IV Ethics, Essay, optional and full test series.
- Ethics case studies
- Essay writing
- Optional subject — full syllabus
- All India Prelims and Mains test series
Prelims
Prelims Paper I — General Studies
200 marks · 100 questions · 2 hours · counts for the cut-off
Official scope: Current events of national and international importance; History of India and Indian National Movement; Indian and World Geography; Indian Polity and Governance; Economic and Social Development; general issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change; General Science.
History of India and the Indian National Movement
Ancient India · 10 subtopics
- Prehistoric cultures — Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic
- Indus Valley Civilisation — sites, town planning, trade, script, decline
- Vedic age — Early and Later Vedic polity, society, economy, literature
- Mahajanapadas and the rise of Magadha
- Jainism, Buddhism and other heterodox sects — doctrines, councils, texts
- Mauryan empire — administration, Ashoka's dhamma, edicts, art
- Post-Mauryan dynasties — Shungas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Kushanas
- Sangam age — literature, polity, economy
- Gupta age — administration, science, literature, temple architecture
- Harsha, Pallavas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas
Medieval India · 8 subtopics
- Cholas — local self-government, navy, bronzes
- Rajputs and early medieval polity
- Delhi Sultanate — dynasties, administration, iqta, market reforms
- Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms; Qutb Shahis of Golconda
- Mughal empire — mansabdari, zabt, land revenue, art and architecture
- Bhakti and Sufi movements — saints, teachings, impact
- Marathas — Shivaji's administration, Peshwas
- Regional kingdoms of the 18th century
Modern India (1757–1947) · 9 subtopics
- Advent of Europeans; Carnatic wars; Plassey and Buxar
- Expansion of British power — subsidiary alliance, doctrine of lapse
- Land revenue systems — Permanent, Ryotwari, Mahalwari
- Economic impact — drain of wealth, de-industrialisation, commercialisation of agriculture
- Socio-religious reform movements — Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Aligarh, Satyashodhak, Self-Respect
- Revolt of 1857 — causes, leaders, consequences
- Tribal, peasant and civil rebellions
- Constitutional development — Regulating Act to the Indian Independence Act 1947
- Education, press and judicial reforms under British rule
Indian National Movement · 9 subtopics
- Rise of nationalism; Indian National Congress; Moderates and Extremists
- Partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi movement
- Revolutionary movements — Ghadar, HSRA, Bhagat Singh
- Home Rule movement; Lucknow Pact
- Gandhian era — Champaran, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India
- Round Table Conferences; Poona Pact
- Left-wing, women's and depressed classes' participation
- INA and Subhas Chandra Bose
- Cripps Mission, Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan, Partition
Art and Culture · 10 subtopics
- Temple architecture — Nagara, Dravida, Vesara
- Buddhist and Jain architecture — stupas, chaityas, viharas
- Indo-Islamic architecture
- Sculpture schools — Gandhara, Mathura, Amaravati
- Painting — murals, miniatures, folk paintings
- Classical dances and music — Hindustani, Carnatic
- Puppetry, theatre, martial arts
- Languages, literature and scripts
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites and intangible heritage of India
- GI-tagged crafts, festivals in news
Indian and World Geography
Physical geography · 8 subtopics
- Universe, solar system, earth's motions, latitudes and longitudes
- Interior of the earth; plate tectonics; continental drift
- Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis
- Rocks and landforms — fluvial, glacial, aeolian, karst, coastal
- Atmosphere — composition, structure, insolation, heat budget
- Pressure belts, winds, jet streams, cyclones
- Clouds, precipitation, climatic classification (Köppen)
- Oceanography — relief, currents, tides, salinity, coral reefs
Indian geography · 8 subtopics
- Physiography — Himalayas, Northern plains, Peninsular plateau, coasts, islands
- Drainage systems — Himalayan and Peninsular rivers, interlinking
- Indian monsoon — mechanism, El Niño, La Niña, IOD
- Soils, natural vegetation, forest types
- Agriculture — cropping patterns, irrigation, green revolution
- Mineral and energy resources
- Industries — location factors
- Transport, population, urbanisation
World geography · 4 subtopics
- Continents — physiography, climate, resources
- Major straits, isthmuses, lakes, deserts, grasslands
- Distribution of key natural resources
- Places in news — mapping
Indian Polity and Governance
Constitutional framework · 6 subtopics
- Historical background; Constituent Assembly
- Salient features; Preamble; sources
- Union and its territory; citizenship
- Fundamental Rights, DPSP, Fundamental Duties
- Amendment procedure; basic structure doctrine
- Emergency provisions
Union and State government · 5 subtopics
- President, Vice-President, PM, Council of Ministers
- Parliament — composition, sessions, bills, committees, privileges
- Governor, CM, State Legislature
- Supreme Court, High Courts, subordinate courts, judicial review, PIL
- Centre–State relations; inter-state councils; zonal councils
Local government and bodies · 5 subtopics
- 73rd and 74th Amendments — Panchayats and Municipalities
- Scheduled and Tribal areas; Fifth and Sixth Schedules
- Constitutional bodies — ECI, UPSC, CAG, Finance Commission, NCSC, NCST
- Statutory and regulatory bodies — NHRC, CVC, CBI, Lokpal, NITI Aayog
- Elections — Representation of People Acts, anti-defection law, electoral reforms
Governance · 3 subtopics
- Rights issues; RTI; citizen charters
- Schemes for vulnerable sections
- e-governance initiatives
Economic and Social Development
Basics of the economy · 5 subtopics
- National income — GDP, GNP, NNP, base year, deflator
- Inflation — CPI, WPI, causes, control
- Money and banking — RBI, monetary policy tools, NPAs, financial inclusion
- Fiscal policy — budget, deficits, FRBM, taxation, GST
- External sector — BoP, exchange rate, FDI/FPI, WTO, IMF, World Bank
Sectors · 4 subtopics
- Agriculture — MSP, PDS, food security, agri-marketing
- Industry — MSMEs, industrial policy, PLI
- Services and infrastructure
- Capital markets — SEBI, instruments
Social development · 5 subtopics
- Poverty, unemployment, inequality — measurement and schemes
- Demographics — census, dividend
- Human development indices and reports (HDI, MPI, GHI)
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Inclusive growth and social sector initiatives
Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
Ecology · 3 subtopics
- Ecosystem — structure, functions, food chains, ecological pyramids
- Biogeochemical cycles
- Biomes and ecological succession
Biodiversity · 5 subtopics
- Levels, hotspots, megadiverse countries
- IUCN Red List categories; endangered species of India
- Protected areas — national parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, tiger and elephant reserves
- Ramsar sites; wetlands; mangroves
- Wildlife Protection Act, Biological Diversity Act, Forest Rights Act
Climate change and pollution · 6 subtopics
- Greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, acid rain
- UNFCCC, Kyoto, Paris Agreement, COPs, NDCs
- CBD, CITES, Montreal Protocol, Basel/Rotterdam/Stockholm
- Air, water, soil, noise, plastic and e-waste pollution
- Renewable energy and carbon markets
- Institutions — NGT, CPCB, MoEFCC; national action plans
General Science and Technology
Physics, chemistry, biology basics · 4 subtopics
- Everyday physics — motion, light, sound, electricity, magnetism
- Everyday chemistry — acids, bases, polymers, fertilisers
- Human body — systems, nutrition, vitamins, diseases (communicable and non-communicable)
- Cells, genetics, DNA
Science and technology in news · 6 subtopics
- Space — ISRO missions, launch vehicles, orbits
- Defence technology — missiles, indigenous platforms
- Biotechnology — GM crops, gene editing, vaccines
- IT and emerging technologies — AI, quantum, blockchain, 5G/6G, semiconductors
- Nuclear energy and nanotechnology
- Intellectual property rights
Current events of national and international importance
Current affairs · 6 subtopics
- Government schemes and flagship programmes
- Reports and indices
- International organisations and groupings — UN, G20, BRICS, SCO, QUAD, ASEAN
- Bilateral relations and summits
- Awards, persons and places in news
- Committees and commissions
Prelims
Prelims Paper II — CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test)
200 marks · 80 questions · 2 hours · qualifying at 33%
Official scope: Comprehension; interpersonal skills including communication skills; logical reasoning and analytical ability; decision making and problem solving; general mental ability; basic numeracy (Class X level); data interpretation (Class X level).
CSAT
Reading comprehension · 2 subtopics
- Inference, assumption and main-idea questions
- Passage-based critical reasoning
Logical reasoning and analytical ability · 4 subtopics
- Syllogisms, statements and conclusions
- Blood relations, direction sense, seating arrangement
- Coding–decoding, series, puzzles
- Clocks and calendars
Basic numeracy · 6 subtopics
- Number system, HCF/LCM, divisibility
- Percentages, ratio and proportion, averages
- Profit and loss, simple and compound interest
- Time, speed, distance; time and work
- Permutations, combinations and probability
- Geometry and mensuration
Data interpretation and sufficiency · 2 subtopics
- Tables, bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs
- Data sufficiency
Decision making and interpersonal skills · 2 subtopics
- Situational judgement
- Communication skills
Mains
Mains Papers A & B — Indian Language and English (qualifying)
300 marks each · qualifying at 25% · not counted in merit
Official scope: Comprehension of given passages, précis writing, usage and vocabulary, short essays, and translation (Indian language paper).
Qualifying papers
Paper A — Indian language (Telugu, Hindi, etc.) · 5 subtopics
- Essay
- Comprehension
- Précis
- Translation English ↔ language
- Grammar and usage
Paper B — English · 4 subtopics
- Essay
- Reading comprehension
- Précis writing
- Usage and vocabulary
Mains
Mains Paper I — Essay
250 marks · two essays of 1,000–1,200 words · 3 hours
Official scope: Candidates write essays on multiple topics, keeping close to the subject, arranging ideas in orderly fashion and writing concisely.
Essay
Essay themes · 6 subtopics
- Philosophical and abstract quotes
- Society, gender and education
- Polity, governance and ethics
- Economy, development and technology
- Environment and sustainability
- International relations and security
Essay craft · 4 subtopics
- Brainstorming and outlining
- Introduction and conclusion techniques
- Multidimensional body — social, political, economic, ethical
- Use of examples, data and quotes
Mains
Mains Paper II — General Studies I
250 marks · 20 questions · 3 hours
Official scope: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.
Indian heritage and culture
Art forms, literature and architecture · 3 subtopics
- Salient aspects of art forms from ancient to modern times
- Literature in classical and regional languages
- Architecture — temple, Indo-Islamic, colonial
Modern Indian history
Mid-18th century to present · 3 subtopics
- Significant events, personalities and issues
- The Freedom Struggle — stages and contributors from different parts of the country
- Post-independence consolidation and reorganisation — integration of princely states, linguistic reorganisation, Telangana movement
World history
Events from the 18th century · 5 subtopics
- Industrial revolution
- World Wars and redrawal of national boundaries
- Colonisation and decolonisation
- Political philosophies — communism, capitalism, socialism
- American, French and Russian revolutions
Indian society
Society · 7 subtopics
- Salient features of Indian society; diversity
- Role of women and women's organisations
- Population and associated issues
- Poverty and developmental issues
- Urbanisation — problems and remedies
- Effects of globalisation on Indian society
- Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism
Geography
Physical and economic geography · 5 subtopics
- Salient features of world physical geography
- Distribution of key natural resources across the world including South Asia
- Factors for location of primary, secondary and tertiary industries
- Geophysical phenomena — earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, cyclones
- Geographical features and their location; changes in critical features including water bodies and ice caps, flora and fauna
Mains
Mains Paper III — General Studies II
250 marks · 20 questions · 3 hours
Official scope: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations.
Constitution and polity
Constitution · 8 subtopics
- Historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
- Functions and responsibilities of the Union and States; federal structure; devolution to local levels
- Separation of powers; dispute redressal mechanisms
- Comparison with other countries' constitutional schemes
- Parliament and State Legislatures — structure, functioning, powers and privileges
- Executive and Judiciary — structure, organisation, functioning; ministries; pressure groups
- Salient features of the Representation of People's Act
- Appointment to constitutional posts; constitutional, statutory, regulatory and quasi-judicial bodies
Governance
Governance · 7 subtopics
- Government policies and interventions for development
- Development processes — NGOs, SHGs, associations, donors, charities
- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections and their performance
- Issues relating to health, education and human resources
- Poverty and hunger
- Transparency, accountability, e-governance, citizens' charters
- Role of civil services in a democracy
International relations
IR · 4 subtopics
- India and its neighbourhood
- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India
- Effect of policies of developed and developing countries on India's interests; Indian diaspora
- Important international institutions, agencies and fora — structure and mandate
Mains
Mains Paper IV — General Studies III
250 marks · 20 questions · 3 hours
Official scope: Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
Economy
Economic development · 10 subtopics
- Planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment
- Inclusive growth
- Government budgeting
- Major crops and cropping patterns; irrigation; agri-produce storage, transport and marketing; e-technology for farmers
- Farm subsidies and MSP; PDS; buffer stocks and food security; animal rearing economics
- Food processing industries
- Land reforms
- Effects of liberalisation; industrial policy
- Infrastructure — energy, ports, roads, airports, railways
- Investment models
Science and technology
S&T · 4 subtopics
- Developments and applications in everyday life
- Achievements of Indians; indigenisation of technology
- Awareness in IT, space, computers, robotics, nano-technology, biotechnology
- Intellectual property rights
Environment and disaster management
Environment · 2 subtopics
- Conservation, pollution and degradation
- Environmental impact assessment
Disaster management · 2 subtopics
- Disaster types, NDMA framework, Sendai framework
- Case studies of floods, cyclones, heatwaves
Internal security
Security · 5 subtopics
- Linkages between development and spread of extremism
- Role of external state and non-state actors
- Challenges to internal security through communication networks, media and social networking; cyber security; money laundering
- Security challenges in border areas; organised crime and terrorism
- Security forces and agencies and their mandate
Mains
Mains Paper V — General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
250 marks · theory + case studies · 3 hours
Official scope: Attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life, and problem-solving in dealing with society, assessed partly through case studies.
Ethics
Ethics and human interface · 4 subtopics
- Essence, determinants and consequences of ethics in human actions
- Dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships
- Human values — lessons from great leaders, reformers and administrators
- Role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values
Attitude · 3 subtopics
- Content, structure, function
- Influence on thought and behaviour
- Moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion
Aptitude and foundational values for civil service · 2 subtopics
- Integrity, impartiality, non-partisanship, objectivity
- Dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion toward weaker sections
Emotional intelligence · 1 subtopics
- Concepts, utilities and application in administration and governance
Moral thinkers and philosophers · 1 subtopics
- Contributions from India and the world — Gandhi, Kautilya, Buddha, Aristotle, Kant, Mill, Rawls
Public service values and ethics in public administration · 4 subtopics
- Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas
- Laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance
- Accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values
- Ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance
Probity in governance · 4 subtopics
- Concept of public service; philosophical basis of governance and probity
- Information sharing and transparency; RTI
- Codes of ethics and conduct; citizen's charters; work culture; quality of service delivery
- Utilisation of public funds; challenges of corruption
Case studies · 2 subtopics
- Stakeholder mapping and options analysis
- Applying values to administrative dilemmas
Mains
Mains Papers VI & VII — Optional Subject
250 marks each · 500 marks total
Official scope: One optional subject chosen from the UPSC list of 48 subjects, including literature of 23 languages.
Optional
Choosing and preparing the optional · 4 subtopics
- Overlap with GS and graduation background
- Availability of guidance and material
- Previous-year question analysis
- Answer-writing practice with evaluation
Mains
Personality Test (Interview)
275 marks · final merit = Mains 1,750 + Interview 275
Official scope: Assessment of personal suitability for a career in public service — mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, leadership and intellectual and moral integrity.
Interview
Preparation areas · 4 subtopics
- Detailed Application Form (DAF) — education, hometown, hobbies, work
- Current issues and opinion questions
- Home state — Telangana / Andhra Pradesh — issues
- Mock interviews with board feedback
Optional
Sociology (Optional)
Paper I + Paper II · 250 marks each
Official scope: Paper I: Fundamentals of Sociology. Paper II: Indian Society — Structure and Change.
Paper I — Fundamentals of Sociology
Sociology — the discipline · 3 subtopics
- Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of sociology
- Scope and comparison with other social sciences
- Sociology and common sense
Sociology as science · 3 subtopics
- Science, scientific method and critique
- Major theoretical strands of research methodology
- Positivism and its critique; fact, value and objectivity; non-positivist methodologies
Research methods and analysis · 3 subtopics
- Qualitative and quantitative methods
- Techniques of data collection
- Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability and validity
Sociological thinkers · 6 subtopics
- Karl Marx — historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle
- Emile Durkheim — division of labour, social fact, suicide, religion
- Max Weber — social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, Protestant ethic
- Talcott Parsons — social system, pattern variables
- Robert K. Merton — latent and manifest functions, conformity and deviance, reference groups
- Mead — self and identity
Stratification and mobility · 4 subtopics
- Concepts — equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty, deprivation
- Theories — structural functionalist, Marxist, Weberian
- Dimensions — class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race
- Social mobility — types, sources and causes
Works and economic life · 3 subtopics
- Social organisation of work in slave, feudal and industrial/capitalist society
- Formal and informal organisation of work
- Labour and society
Politics and society · 4 subtopics
- Theories of power
- Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups and political parties
- Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology
- Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution
Religion and society · 3 subtopics
- Sociological theories of religion
- Types of religious practices — animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults
- Religion in modern society — science, secularisation, revivalism, fundamentalism
Systems of kinship · 5 subtopics
- Family, household, marriage
- Types and forms of family
- Lineage and descent
- Patriarchy and sexual division of labour
- Contemporary trends
Social change in modern society · 5 subtopics
- Sociological theories of social change
- Development and dependency
- Agents of social change
- Education and social change
- Science, technology and social change
Paper II — Indian Society: Structure and Change
Introducing Indian society · 2 subtopics
- Perspectives — Indology (G.S. Ghurye), structural functionalism (M.N. Srinivas), Marxist sociology (A.R. Desai)
- Impact of colonial rule — social background of Indian nationalism, modernisation of Indian tradition, protests and movements, social reforms
Social structure · 6 subtopics
- Rural and agrarian social structure — idea of the Indian village, agrarian social structure, land tenure, land reforms
- Caste system — perspectives (Ghurye, Srinivas, Dumont, Béteille), features, untouchability
- Tribal communities — definitional problems, geographical spread, colonial policies, integration and autonomy
- Social classes — agrarian class structure, industrial class structure, middle classes
- Systems of kinship — lineage, family types, marriage, household, patriarchy
- Religion and society — religious communities, problems of minorities
Social changes in India · 7 subtopics
- Visions of social change — planning, Constitution, law, education
- Rural and agrarian transformation — community development, cooperatives, green revolution, migration
- Industrialisation and urbanisation — informal sector, slums, child labour
- Politics and society — nation, democracy, citizenship, political parties, elite
- Social movements — peasants, women, backward classes, Dalit, environmental, ethnicity
- Population dynamics — size, growth, composition, policy, family planning
- Challenges of social transformation — crisis of development, poverty, violence against women, caste conflicts, ethnic conflicts, illiteracy
Optional
Anthropology (Optional)
Paper I + Paper II · 250 marks each
Official scope: Paper I: Physical, Social-Cultural and Archaeological Anthropology. Paper II: Indian Anthropology and Tribal India.
Paper I
Foundations · 3 subtopics
- Meaning, scope and development of anthropology
- Relationship with other disciplines
- Main branches — social-cultural, biological, archaeological, linguistic
Human evolution and emergence of man · 4 subtopics
- Biological and cultural factors in human evolution
- Theories of organic evolution — Lamarck, Darwin, synthetic theory
- Primates — characteristics, living major primates
- Fossil evidence — Australopithecines, Homo erectus, Neanderthal, Homo sapiens
Biological basis of life · 3 subtopics
- Cell, DNA, RNA, chromosomes, cell division
- Principles of prehistoric archaeology; chronology
- Cultural evolution — Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Copper-Bronze, Iron age
Culture and society · 9 subtopics
- Nature of culture and society; civilisation
- Marriage — definition, forms, functions, incest taboo
- Family and kinship — descent, alliance, terminology
- Economic organisation — exchange, reciprocity, redistribution
- Political organisation and social control
- Religion — theories, magic, science
- Anthropological theories — evolutionism, diffusionism, functionalism, structuralism, culture and personality, neo-evolutionism, cultural materialism, postmodernism
- Culture, language and communication
- Research methods in anthropology
Human genetics and variation · 7 subtopics
- Mendelian genetics; methods of study
- Hardy–Weinberg law; mutation, selection, drift
- Chromosomal aberrations
- Race and racism; biological basis of morphological variation
- Age, sex and population variation; growth and development; nutrition
- Demographic theories; epidemiological anthropology
- Applications of biological anthropology — forensic, ergonomics, genetic engineering
Paper II
Indian civilisation · 3 subtopics
- Prehistoric, protohistoric (Indus) and Vedic dimensions
- Palaeo-anthropological evidence from India — Narmada man
- Ethno-archaeology in India
Demographic and social structure of India · 7 subtopics
- Racial and linguistic elements in Indian population
- Varnashrama, purushartha, karma, rina and rebirth
- Caste system — structure, theories, dominant caste, caste mobility
- Sacred complex, nature–man–spirit complex
- Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity
- Emergence of anthropology in India — contributions of Indian anthropologists
- Little and great traditions; Sanskritisation and Westernisation; village studies
Tribal India · 7 subtopics
- Ethnographic profile — distribution, problems of tribal communities
- Land alienation, poverty, indebtedness, education, health
- Developmental projects, displacement and rehabilitation
- Constitutional safeguards — Fifth and Sixth Schedules, PESA, Forest Rights Act
- Tribal movements, ethnicity and regionalism
- Tribal development plans and their evaluation; role of NGOs
- Role of anthropology in tribal and rural development
Optional
Political Science and International Relations (Optional)
Paper I + Paper II · 250 marks each
Official scope: Paper I: Political Theory and Indian Politics. Paper II: Comparative Politics and International Relations; India and the World.
Paper I — Political Theory and Indian Politics
Political theory · 5 subtopics
- Meaning and approaches
- Theories of the state — liberal, neo-liberal, Marxist, pluralist, post-colonial, feminist
- Justice — Rawls and communitarian critiques
- Equality, rights, liberty, democracy, power, hegemony, ideology, legitimacy
- Political ideologies — liberalism, socialism, Marxism, fascism, Gandhism, feminism
Thinkers · 2 subtopics
- Indian political thought — Dharmashastra, Arthashastra, Buddhist traditions, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, Gandhi, Ambedkar, M.N. Roy
- Western political thought — Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, J.S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt
Indian government and politics · 8 subtopics
- Indian nationalism — perspectives on the freedom struggle
- Making of the Constitution; salient features
- Principal organs of Union and State government
- Grassroots democracy; statutory institutions
- Federalism; planning and economic development
- Caste, religion and ethnicity in politics
- Party system and electoral behaviour
- Social movements
Paper II — Comparative Politics and IR
Comparative politics · 4 subtopics
- Approaches — political economy, political sociology
- State in comparative perspective
- Politics of representation and participation
- Globalisation — responses from developed and developing societies
International relations · 7 subtopics
- Approaches — idealist, realist, Marxist, functionalist, systems theory
- Key concepts — national interest, security, power, balance of power, deterrence
- Changing international political order — Cold War, non-alignment, unipolarity
- Evolution of the international economic system — Bretton Woods to WTO
- United Nations — structure, agencies, reform
- Regionalisation of world politics — EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA
- Contemporary global concerns — democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, nuclear proliferation
India and the world · 8 subtopics
- Indian foreign policy — determinants, institutions, continuity and change
- India and the Non-Aligned Movement
- India and South Asia; Look/Act East
- India and the global South
- India and global centres of power — USA, EU, Japan, China, Russia
- India and the UN system
- India and the nuclear question
- Recent developments in Indian foreign policy