India is one of the most dynamic and complex countries in the world. As the world's largest democracy, and as home to many of the globe's poorest inhabitants, India commands attention. This course embraces the complexities and contradictions of India through a deep engagement with current debates on the key issues, including: How has democracy survived in India? What explains the rise to power of the Hindu nationalist BJP? Why has India fallen behind China economically? What are the causes of the Maoist rebellion in the Indian countryside? Understanding the politics, economics, and society of India demands a combination of factual knowledge, as well as strong analytical and interpretive abilities. Taking comparative politics as the basic analytical framework, the course will draw on range of source materials, including recently published works in political science, history, economics, social anthropology, and journalism to frame and understand political developments in India.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Understand the key political and social issues in contemporary India and the public debates surrounding them;
- Interpret and utilize multiple approaches and types of knowledge to inform their arguments about politics and society in India;
- Employ appropriate concepts and methods to compare political, social, and economic developments in India with its neighbours;
- Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills.
Indicative Assessment
Critical Discussion: Students will be graded on the quality of their participation in seminar discussion - 10% [LO 2,4].
Reading Response Papers: To facilitate discussion in seminars, students are expected to prepare a response paper (c. 300-500 words) on one theme raised by that week’s material in advance of the seminar - 6 x 400 words - 30% [LO 2,3,4].
Seminar Presentation: One or two students (depending on numbers) will be asked to make presentations each week on the various sources consulted in the course. Students can prepare a short Powerpoint, Smartboard, Prezi, video, or other presentation of the material - 20% [LO 1,4].
Critical Essay: The final written assignment is a critical essay related to one of the issues covered in class. Students required to make readers familiar with the issue in a short space of time, set out an argument, and provide evidence to justify their view, all in clear, jargon-free prose - 2000 words - 40% [LO 1, 3, 4].The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Areas of Interest
- Arab and Islamic Studies
- Political Sciences
- Asian Studies
- Asia Pacific Studies
- Central Asia Studies
- Asia-Pacific Studies
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $3900 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $5580 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
