M.A.Political Science

The School of Social Sciences comprises the following Departments and Centres.

1) Department of Economics
2) Department of History
3) Department of Political Science
4) Department of Sociology
5) Department of Anthropology
6) Centre for Regional Studies
7) Centre for Folk Culture Studies
8) Centre for the Study of Indian Diaspora
9) Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy
10) Centre for Gandhian Economic Thought

Among these, the Departments of Economics, Political Science and Sociology have been recognised by the University Grants Commission for the Special Assistance Programme.

In addition, the School has Human Rights Programme functioning under the auspices of Political Science Department and a Centre for Indian Diaspora. The School of Social Sciences also has a interdisciplinary Women's Studies Cell which takes up research projects on gender issues. An Archival Cell with the support of the UGC is functioning under the auspices the Department of History for preservation of rare and valuable manuscripts. The Department of Anthropology has developed a museum as a teaching aid for students. All the departments are equipped with e-mail and internet facilities.

From the Academic Year 2007-2008 the School of Social Sciences is starting a Five Year Integrated Programme in Social Sciences leading to masters degree in Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology. For the first three years the students admitted to the programme will do courses offered by various departments in the School and other schools in the University. At the end of three years students will branch out to departments of Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology after fulfilling the credit requirement, stipulated by the departments.

Department of Political Science

The Department of Political Science currently has Special Assistance Programme, supported by the U.G.C., in International Relations and Political Theory. The Human Rights programme and the North East India programme are supported by the UPE project. The Department offers courses leading to M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees. The Department has a faculty and student exchange programme with the Uppsala University, Sweden.

M.A.Political Science

The M.A. programme in Political Science consists of 16 courses (8 core or compulsory courses and 8 optional courses) spread evenly over four semesters. Each course carries four credits. In formulating the entire programme, the Department is guided by the consideration that at the post graduate level, students should be familiar with all the sub-disciplines, trends, approaches, and paradigms of Political Science. With this in view, the Department offers core courses on Political Thought, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Indian Political Process, Public Administration and Public Policy. These courses are aimed at acquainting students with the latest political and theoretical trends, making the programme contemporaneous, relevant and useful. There is also a course giving an overview of the major approaches to the study of politics.

After completing these 8 compulsory courses in the first two semesters, students are required to choose 8 optional courses from a considerably long list of special courses. These not only supplement the compulsory courses in the core areas but also offer students opportunities to study such frontier areas like Human Rights, Feminism and Post-modernism.