Your roadmap · आपका रोडमैप
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Admission & first meetingप्रवेश और पहली मुलाकातEnquire at your nearest NDSS centre, meet the teacher, fix the batch time and get your study material.
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Part 1 of the syllabusपाठ्यक्रम भाग 1Unit-wise coaching with notes and doubt classes.
Unit 1: PlatoUnit 2: AristotleUnit 3: Machiavelli and Hobbes
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Part 2 of the syllabusपाठ्यक्रम भाग 2Unit-wise coaching with notes and doubt classes.
Unit 4: Locke and RousseauUnit 5: Utilitarians and LiberalsUnit 6: Karl Marx
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Unit tests & assignmentsयूनिट टेस्टRegular tests in the university / board pattern.
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Semester 4 exam (university / board)विश्वविद्यालय / बोर्ड परीक्षाPrevious papers and full revision before the exam.
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Online tests & resultऑनलाइन टेस्ट और रिज़ल्टTake the tests online; your marks and result show in your student login and at the centre.
Syllabus · पाठ्यक्रम
1 subject · 6 chapters · 26 topics
01Unit 1: Plato
5 topics+
- The Republic
- Theory of justice
- Scheme of education
- Communism of property and wives
- Philosopher king and ideal state
02Unit 2: Aristotle
5 topics+
- Politics - nature of the state
- Classification of constitutions
- Theory of citizenship and slavery
- Theory of revolution
- Aristotle's criticism of Plato
03Unit 3: Machiavelli and Hobbes
4 topics+
- The Prince - human nature and statecraft
- Separation of politics and morality
- Hobbes - state of nature and social contract (Leviathan)
- Absolute sovereignty
04Unit 4: Locke and Rousseau
4 topics+
- Locke - natural rights, limited government, right to revolution
- Rousseau - state of nature and Social Contract
- General Will and popular sovereignty
- Comparison of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau
05Unit 5: Utilitarians and Liberals
4 topics+
- Jeremy Bentham - principle of utility, felicific calculus
- J.S. Mill - qualitative utilitarianism
- Mill on liberty, representative government and women
- T.H. Green - positive liberty (introduction)
06Unit 6: Karl Marx
4 topics+
- Dialectical and historical materialism
- Class struggle and theory of surplus value
- Theory of the state and revolution
- Dictatorship of the proletariat and classless society
About this course
You will be able to
- Explain Plato's ideal state, theory of justice, education and philosopher king
- Describe Aristotle's views on the state, citizenship, constitutions and revolution
- Explain Machiavelli's separation of politics from ethics
- Compare the social contract theories of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau
- Explain utilitarianism (Bentham and J.S. Mill) and liberal ideas of liberty and representative government
- Describe Marx's historical materialism, class struggle and theory of the state
Who it is for
- B.A Political Science students of Semester 4 (UP state universities, NEP 2020 syllabus)
- UPSC / UPPSC optional and UGC-NET aspirants
- Learners interested in the history of political ideas
What you need
- B.A Political Science Semesters 1-3 or basic knowledge of political theory
Online tests & result
Practice and unit tests online; marks and result show in your student login and at the centre.
Student login →
Questions
Which syllabus does this follow?
The NEP 2020 common minimum syllabus of UP state universities. Where your university's syllabus differs, the centre follows your own university syllabus.
How do I remember so many thinkers?
The course uses comparison charts (for example Hobbes vs Locke vs Rousseau), key quotes and book names for quick revision.
Is it useful for UGC-NET?
Yes, Western political thought is a major NET and UPSC optional area.
