Representative Political Thinkers

Paper Code: 
POL 601
Credits: 
03
Contact Hours: 
45.00
Max. Marks: 
100.00
Objective: 

This paper studies the Political Thought from Bentham to Marx as well as Lenin and Mao. The course intends to generate a critical awareness about the traditions of political thought in the West as well as the East.

8.00

T.H. Green (Theory of State, Resistance to state, War,)

8.00

Jeremy Bentham (Utilitarianism, Theory of Punishment & Prison reforms, Laws and Rights);

John Stuart Mill (Revision of Utilitarianism, Liberty, Representative democracy)

10.00

Karl Heinrich Marx (Dialectical Materialism, Materialistic conception of history, Theory of class-struggle, Communism and Revolution)

12.00

Vladimir I. Lenin (Changes introduced into Marxism, Theory of party organization and Theory of Imperialism);

Mao Zedong (On Communism & Cultural revolution)

7.00

Harold Laski (On state & sovereignty; Federalism, Concept of rights liberty & property) John Rawls (Theory of Justice)

Essential Readings: 
  • JP Suda, History of Political Thought: (Vol. II&III), K. Nath & Co, Meerut,1989
  • GH Sabine, History of Political Theory, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi,1997
  • Subrata Mukherjee, History of Political Thought: Plato to Marx,  Prentice Hall of India,New Delhi, 2003
  • CL Wayper, Political Thought, Hutchinson, London 1965
References: 
  • Brian Nelson, , Western Political Thought, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2004
  • W.T.Jones. (series editor), Masters of Political Thought, (Vols.2 & 3), George Harrap & Co, London, 1959
  • Bhikhu Parekh and Thomas Pantham, Political Discourse: Explorations in Indian and Western Political Thought, Sage,New Delhi, 1987
  • Brian R. Nelson, Western Political Thought, Second Edition, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2006
  • Percy B. Lehning, John Rawls: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, New Delhi, 2009
Academic Year: 
2018-19
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