Syllabus 1st year

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Syllabus
Department of Political Science
Four Year B.S.S Honours Course
Effective from the
Session: 2009–2010
1
National University
Syllabus for Four Year B.S.S. Honours Course
Subject : Political Science
Session : 2009-2010
Year-wise Courses and Marks Distribution
First year Honours.
Course Code Course Title Marks Credits
Political Theory and Organization 100 4
Western Political Thought 100 4
Foreign Government and Politices: UK, USA & France 100 4
Introduction to public Administration 100 4
Introducing Sociology
or
Introduction to Social Work
100 4
Principles of Economics 100 4
Total 600 24
Detailed Syllabus
Course Code .......... : Political Theory and Organization 100 Marks, 4 Credits, 60 Lectures
Course Outline:
Political Theory :
Political Science: Nature, Scope and Methods.
The State: Elements of State, State and Society, State and Government, Theories of the Origin of
State.
Fundamental Concepts: Sovereignty, Law, Liberty Rights, Nation, Nationalism, and
Internationalism.
Political Organization:
Constitution: Definition, Necessity, Methods of Establishing Constitution, Characteristics of a Good
Constitution, Constitutionalism and Constitutional Government - its meaning and characteristics, and
Classification of Constitution.
Forms of Government: Ancient and Modern – Democracy and Dictatorship, Parliamentary and
Presidential, and Unitary and Federal.
Organs of Government: Legislature - its importance and functions, unicameral and bi-cameral
legislature, decline of the power of the legislature. Executive - Kinds of Executive, requisites of a
properly organized Executive, growing power of the Executive. Judiciary - Importance, functions,
Independence of judiciary, Inter-relations, among the organs.
First Year
2
Theory of Separation of Powers: Its meaning, origin, significance and working.
Electorate: Organization, Universal adult franchise Forms of representation - popular and territorial
representation, proportional and majoritarian representation, direct and indirect elections; role of
electorate in modern democracy; Features of a good electoral system.
Political Parties and Pressure Groups: Definition, types of party system, democracy and political
parties and pressure groups, and function of pressure groups.
Public Opinion: Meaning, and Significance.
Bureaucracy: Meaning, characteristics and role of bureaucracy.
Elite: Meaning and Role in Politics.
Recommended Readings:
1. Alan R Ball and B Guy Peters : Modern Politics & Government, New York: Seven Bridges
Press, 2000.
2. HFiner : Theory and Practice of Modern Government.
3. RN Gilchrist : Principles of Political Science
4. HJ Laski : A Grammar of Politics
5. RM Maclver : The Web of Government
6. VD Mahajan : Political Theory.
7. CF Strong : Modern Constitution
8. KC Wheare : Modern Constitutions
9. KC Wheare : Federal Government
10. WF Willoughby : The Government of Modern State
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Course Code ...........: Western Political Thought 100 Marks, 4 Credits, 60 Lectures
Course Outline:
Ancient Period:
Plato, Aristotle, Polybius, Cicero, Seneca.
Medieval Period:
St. Augustine, St. Thomas Acquinas, Marsillio of Padua.
Modern Period:
Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Montesquieu.
Recommended Readings:
1. Ernest Barker : Greek Political Theory.
2. Ernest Barker : Political Thought of Plato and Aristotle.
3. WA Dunning : History of Political Theories.
4. W Ebenstein : Great Political Thinkers.
5. RG Gettell : History of Political Thought.
6. HM Joad : Political Thought from Plato to the Present.
7. IH Monk : A History of Modern Political Thought.
8. George H Sabine : A History of Political Theory.
9. JP Suda : A History of Political Thought Vol. l & Vol. ll.
3
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Course Code ..........: Foreign Government and Politices; UK USA and France 100 Marks, 4
Credits, 60 Lectures
Course Outline:
Introduction to comparative politics: Nature, Scope; and Approaches to the study of Comparative
Politics.
The British Political System:
Constitutional Development: Sources and Features of the Constitution; Rule of Law and
Conventions.
The Monarchy: Its functions and prerogatives, and its relationship with the Parliament; Ministry and
the Cabinet; their functions; position and powers of the Prime Minister; the Prime Minister and the
Cabinet.
The Parliament: Sovereignty of Parliament; House of Commons and House of Lords; and their
Composition and Functions.
The Judicial System; Civil Administration; Electoral System: and Local Governments.
The Party System.
USA:
The American Constitution: The nature and basic features of the Constitution; Distribution of
powers; the system of Checks and balances.
The Presidency: Its powers, position and leadership role.
Congress: Composition, powers and functions of the two Houses; Special powers of the Senate.
The Judiciary: The Supreme Court and Judicial Review.
Relations Between the Congress, Executive and Judiciary.
The Party System and the Electoral System.
The Party System and Electoral Politics.
FRANCE:
The French Constitution.
The Presidency, The Prime Minister and the Cabinet, the Parliament, the Party System, and Relations
between the president, cabinet and the legislature.
Recommended Readings:
1. H J Laski : Parliamentary Government of Britain.
2. R J Mackenzie : British Political System.
3. SE Finer : Comparative Government.
4. V D Mahajan : Select Modern Government.
5. M Jones : The Government and Politics of India.
6. L Bather : The British Constitution.
7. P Norton : Does Parliament Matter.
4
Course Code .........: Introduction to Public Administration 100 Marks, 4 Credits, 60 Lectures
Course Outline:
Public Administration: Meaning, Nature, Scope and Significance; Public and Private
Administration; Approaches to the Study of Public Administration, Recent Trends in Public
Administration.
Politics and Administration: Political neutrality; Comparative Administration.
Principles of Administration and Organization: Formal and Informal Organization, Hierarchy,
Span of Control, Delegation, Generalist and Specialists, Power and Authority, Centralization and
Decentralization, Coordination and Control, Decision making, Leadership and Communication.
Bureaucracy: Various Concepts of Bureaucracy; Max Weber’s Ideal Type of Bureaucracy;
Characteristics and Dysfunctions of Bureaucracy; Bureaucracy in Developing Countries.
Development Administration: Meaning and Scope
Recommended Readings:
1. R Barker : Administrative Theory and Public Administration.London:
Hutchinson University Library, 1972.
2. Gerald Caiden : The Dynamics of Public Administration. New York: Holt
Reinhart and Winston, 1971.
3. Nicholas Henry : Public Administration and Public Affairs. N.J., Prentice-hall,
1976.
4. Fleix Nigro and Llyod Nigro : Modern Public Administration. New York: Harper and Row,
1980.
Course Code ......... : Introducing Sociology Marks 100, 4 Credits, 60 Lectures
1. Definition, Nature & Scope of Sociology, relationship with other social sciences.
Development of Sociology: Contributions of Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile
Durkheim, Max Weber
2. Culture, Beliefs & Values: Norms, sanctions, symbols, language, subculture, counterculture,
hegemony & resistance
3. Globalization, Culture and Society: Globalization and its different dimensions, Cultural
globalization, global culture and social change
4. Urbanization and Social Formation: Definition of urbanization and urbanism, Process of
urbanization in developing societies and social formation, over urbanization, growth of slum
& poverty in mega cities
5. Gender and Society: Discourse of WID, WAD and GAD, Why gender is important in the
discourse of development, Gender inequality & women’s subjugation in developing societies.
6. Environmental Problems, Natural Disasters and Social Crisis: Climate change and its
impact on society, Natural disaster, social crisis and vulnerabilities, Climate change,
deforestation and mal-development.
5
7. Social Inequality: Dimensions of social inequality: Class, gender, age, minority group
(religious and indigenous), economic vulnerability, Social inequalities in developed &
developing countries.
8. Types of societies: Marxist view on classifying societies on the basis of type of control over
economic resources and Lenski’s view on classifying societies by their main means of
subsistence.
9. Deviance & Social Control: Definition of deviance, theories of deviance. Crime & justice
system, agencies of social control
10. Health, Illness and Society: Nature & scope of the problem, Urbanizations, acute, chronic &
life style diseases, Social, environmental & behavioural factors affecting health,
Communicable & behavioural diseases: STD, HIV/AIDS, TB, Hep-B etc
Reference
Giddens Sociology
Tony Bilton et al Introductory Sociology
Course Code ....... : Introduction to Social Work Marks 100, 4 Credits, 60 Lectures
1. Social Work: Meaning, Characteristics, Scope and Importance Relationship of Social Work
with other Sciences- Sociology, Economics, Psychology and Political Science.
2. Evolution: Evolution of Social Work in UK, USA, India and Bangladesh.
3. Social Reformers and their Movements in Pre-partition India and Bangladesh: Raja
Rammohan Ray, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, A.K Fazlul Haque, Sir Syad Ahmed, Begum
Rokeya.
4. Social Legislations Related to Social Security, Women Welfare, Child Welfare.
5. Profession and Social Work: Meaning and Characteristics of Profession, Social Work as
profession, Philosophical, Religions and Ethical Basis of Social Work.
6. Industrial Revolution: Meaning, Impact on Society, Industrialization, Urbanization, Welfare
State.
7. Social Problems and Social Services in Bangladesh.
8. Methods of Social Work: Basic and Auxiliary Methods and their Basic Issues such as
Meaning, Elements, Principles and Area of Use. Importance of Social Work Methods in
Bangladesh.
Books Recommended:
1. Barker, Robert L. :Social Work Dictionary, 3rd ed. NASW, New York, 1995.
2. Coulshed, Veronica Social Work Practice: An Introduction 2nd ed. London. Macmillan, 1991.
3. Friedlander, Walter A. : Introduction to Social Welfare. Prentice Hall, 2nd ed. New Delhi-
1967.
4. Khalid, M. : Welfare State, Karachi, Royal Book, 1968
5. Morales, A. And Shaefor, B. Social Work – A Profession of many faces, 4th ed. Allyan and
Bacan, Boston, 1986.
6
Course Code ......... : Principles of Economics Marks 100, 4 Credits, 60 Lectures
1. Fundamentals of Economics: Definition, Nature and Scope of Economics, Scarcity of
Resources, Various forms of Economic Organization, Three Fundamental Problems of
Economics, Production Possibility Frontier, Opportunity Cost, Efficiency and Equity.
2. Supply and Demand: Demand and Quantity Demanded, Demand Schedule, Demand Curve,
Supply and Quantity Supplied, Supply Schedule, Supply Curve, Equilibrium of Supply and
Demand, Movement along the Supply and Demand Curve and Shift of Supply and Demand Curve
and Its Effects on Equilibrium Price and Quantity. Elasticity of Supply and Demand;
Determinants of Elasticity of Demand.
3. The Theory of Consumer Behavior: Total and Marginal Utility; Law of Diminishing Marginal
Utility, Equi-Marginal Utility; Consumer Surplus.
4. Production and Cost: Production Function and Technology; Production with One Variable
Input; Production with Two Variable Inputs; Returns to Scale; Costs in the Short-run; Costs in the
Long-run.
5. Market Analysis:
A. Perfect Competition: Characteristics of Perfect Competition; Average and Marginal
Revenue; Individual and Market Supply; Short-run equilibrium of a competitive firm Long
run Equilibrium under Perfect Competition.
B. Monopoly: Average and Marginal Revenue; Supply Curve of the Monopolist; Perfect
Competition and Monopoly Compared;
6. Overview of Macro Economics: Objective and Instruments of Macroeconomics, National
Income Accounting, Gross Domestic Product, Problem of Double Counting, Net Domestic
Product, Gross National Product, From GDP to Disposable Income, Net Economic Welfare
(NEW).
7. International Trade: Domestic Vs. International Trade-Balance of Trade Vs. Balance of
Payment-Trend of Changes in International Trade of Bangladesh. Free Trade Vs. Protection,
Comparative Advantage Theory.
8. Growth and Development: Economic Development and Economic Growth, Measurement of
Economic Development, Obstacles to Economic Development.
9. Money: Definition and Functions of Money-Importance of Money in Modern Economy-
Different Concepts of Money (M1, M2, M3)-Value of Money. Concept, Causes and Effects of
Inflation and Deflation.
10. Government Revenue and Expenditure: Difference between Public Sector and Private Sector
finance, Different Sources of Govt. Revenues, Taxation and Different Kinds of Taxes, Definition
of Revenue Budget, Development Budget, Revenue Budget Vs. Development Budget, Surplus,
Deficit and Balanced Budget.
Books Recommended:
1. N. Gregory Mankiw. Principles of Economics. Any Late Edition. South Western College.
2. Michael Parkin. Economics. Any Late Edition. Prentice and Hall.
3. Karl Case and Ray Fair. Principles of Economics. Any Late Edition. Prentice and Hall.
4. Paul Samuelson and William Nordhaus. Economics. Any Late Edition. McGraw Hill.

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