UNIVERSE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Culture, Identity and the Body
This course introduces students to scholarship on the history of the body and the shifting political and cultural contestations over understandings of the ‘natural’ and ‘normal’ body. Through readings in postcolonial studies, literature, gender and sexuality studies and history, it shall explore changes in the ways in which human bodies have been conceived and represented. It shall explore questions that consider the interconnections between identity and body, race and body, the disabled body and bodies that are ill and notions of beauty. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which fictional works have represented bodies, focusing on the racist classification and exotic representation. It will also consider the ways in which bodies authenticate and/or trouble imagined national communities. The course will familiarize students with key texts that focus on the theoretical perspectives on the interplay between culture, identity and the body.
Communication Theory
The 20th century has been the century of mass communication systems. Cinema, radio, television and now the internet have fundamentally transformed the way in which human societies communicate. However, media is routinely treated as something non-serious or simply ‘entertainment’ or at worst, devious. These positions need to be examined more critically. To understand the way the world works today, it is very crucial to undertake a deeper study of the structures, paradigms and institutions of communication. The course aims to explain the development of media theories and how they link with historically important social and political events/issues. It seeks to acquaint students with the nature of communication processes; to develop a critical understanding of the strengths and limitations of basic theories of mass communication and the ability to apply those theories in research and everyday lives.
Introduction to Advertising
The objective of this course is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of advertising and its role in business, branding, and society. An introductory course, it will prepare students for further study in both basic and specialized areas of advertising and commercial communication. This course is designed as an introductory course to the domain of Advertising and Brand Management highlighting the importance of advertising in influencing consumer behavior in favour of the brand being advertised. Advertising as a discipline has come a long way and the addition of many new media options has offered scope for innovation unimagined before a decade. This course will inform students about the scope and opportunities in the field of Advertising and Branding and help them understand the nuances of intelligent marketing communications.
Introduction to Gender and Sexuality
Gender is intricately woven in the fabric of our life, shaping how we experience work, health, love, sex and violence. This course gives an accessible and lively introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies through an in-depth exploration of some of the following questions. How do different societies shape gendered identities and experiences? How are our identities formed by but also resistant to cultural norms of masculinity and femininity? How is gender related to sexual difference? How do gender relations intersect with race, class, caste, ethnicity and sexuality? What is the social construction of sexuality and why is it important to feminist analysis? The course primarily draws upon history, psychology, sociology and anthropology to examine the current understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. Both historical and socio-cultural boundaries of sexual norms and behaviours will be explored, as well as the construction of normativity, such as heterosexuality. Through this course, students will become familiar with key contemporary debates in the field of gender and sexuality, as well as the historical formation of these debates. We will explore gender and sexuality in relation to topics such as media representation, embodiment, health and reproduction, technology, activism, social movements, and violence.
Archaeology: Theory and Method
This course introduces students to the basic concepts of archaeology, focusing on theoretical frameworks and methodological processes. It examines the ways of interpreting and reconstructing human past and explores the means to conserve the past as heritage.
Introduction to Digital Marketing
This is an introductory course for students into the domain of Digital Marketing. Modern-day marketing depends in a big way on digital technologies to achieve strategic marketing objectives. While digital space provides for entering into an entire transaction of purchase for most products and services, the digital medium offers a huge opportunity for easy, all-time and cost-effective means to remaining in touch with the customer. The evolution of technology has made it possible to design and deliver customized communication to the customers and this becomes a handy economical tool to bridge the communication gap. Students shall be exposed to major platforms and options for designing and delivering marketing communications to customers.
Principles of Economics
This course is designed to expose the students to the basic principles of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. The course will use examples from day-to-day activities and illustrate how microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts can be applied to analyze real-life situations. . This course also aims to develop the broad conceptual frameworks which will enable students to understand and comment upon real economic issues like GDP, inflation, money supply, and their interlinkages.
Thinking like an Economist
To explain the inner workings of an economist’s brain would seem an impossible and thankless task. The stereotypical economist, after all, is more enamored of theory than reality, unable to reach conclusions and boring beyond all words. This exciting course is taught in a non-technical way and will provide the students with a sound knowledge of the key principles of Economics. Economics is the issue of our times and influences almost every aspect of our lives. By drawing on real-world applications, students will learn to use the tools of economic analysis to offer an insight into everyday events, answer simple and highly complex questions on a range of topics and explain the seemingly inexplicable behaviour of individuals, firms and governments.
Quantitative Methods in Economics
This course is designed to give undergraduate students a brief overall introduction to mathematics and statistics for economics. It will deal with fundamental concepts required to model, analyze and solve problems arising in the Social Sciences. This course assumes that the student undertaking this course has little to no formal introduction to mathematics and statistics at the higher secondary level. Though this course is primarily designed for economics, it is recommended for students planning to learn or revise their quantitative skills.
Principles of Applied Economics
To be Updated
Principles of Management
This course provides an overview of the key domains of the field of management. It enables students to develop a holistic understanding of the functions involved in developing and managing organizations and prepares them for deeper exploration of the management domain in future.
Introduction to International Relations
This course introduces students to the basic and key concepts, themes, issues and theoretical frameworks in International Relations (IR) discipline. The course familiarizes the students with the major global historical events since the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) that shaped today’s world. It exposes students to the behaviour and response patterns of the actors in the international system including the states and non-state actors with respect to global issues and events. The course provides students with the basic knowledge and skills that are required to understand and analyze the contemporary global relations
Introduction to Indian Political System
This paper introduces students to the Constitution of India in its structural and operational aspects. The Indian Political System functions upon the basic law which is provided by the Indian Constitution. An understanding derived by the study of the paper enables the student to analyze the practice of politics in India.
Introduction to Political Theory
This course is intended to introduce students to some of the key theoretical and normative issues within political science. By focusing on concepts such as equality, liberty, justice, freedom, rights, citizenship, democracy, and power, it seeks to integrate questions of what ought to be with what is and develop in students an understanding of as well as an appreciation for the theoretical bases of politics.
Modern Indian Political History(1857-1947)
This course introduces the student to the concepts and theories in the field of modern India’s political history. The students navigate through the pre-colonial and post-colonial historical events understood through the prism of politics.
Introduction to Comparative Politics
This course establishes the importance of and provides a general overview of the comparative method in political science and international politics. Students use concepts like Institutions, Culture, sources of political cleavages like Race, Class, Religion, Ethnicity, Gender, Ideology, Economic System, etc to compare how multiple States fare on a given issue, or how a single State tackles an issue over time. The focus is also on the peculiar institutional and socio-political developments of the Third World and on the post-Cold-War World.
Introduction to Psychology
This course will introduce the students to the subject of Psychology as a popular discipline and elaborate the basic psychological processes. It will place special emphasis on the significance of the different fields of psychology and will introduce to the students the contribution of the established and upcoming fields.
Global Issues in Psychology
This course introduces the student to areas of psychology in the global context. Students will learn about the contribution of psychology to global issues such as peace, conflict, the changing nature of the global society, interpersonal relationships and stressors. Students will also learn to contemplate the role of psychology to other global issues through a cross-disciplinary approach.
Fields of Psychology
The course provides in-depth understanding of various fields of psychology, history and their nature and scope. The course also provides the understanding of the work profiles and the role of psychologists in various fields and also provides information regarding the study opportunities in India and abroad for various specializations.
Introduction to Public Policy and Public Administration
This course is premised on the academic opinion that graduates across all areas would do well to appreciate at least the basics of what a government does and what it is for. Governments are the superstructure that society and social living are built on. No walk of life is untouched by some government’s jurisdiction or unworthy of a government’s attention – not psychology, not dance, certainly not gaming. And yet, an average student knows far more about the basics of what businesses do than about governments. Businesses make and sell things. Can the student put equally simply what a government does? At the end of this course, s/he will. As a discipline, Public Policy is the study of what governments choose to do in response to public concerns, how they arrive at those choices, and how we may improve the tools, processes and institutions involved. A key undertaking in the course is to chart its relationships with older established disciplines such as Economics, Law, Political Science and Public Administration so that students across subject areas use the broad Public Affairs vocabulary confidently and unambiguously and do not use disparate terms interchangeably. The course also includes a focused introduction to public administration. It introduces students to the meaning, nature, scope and importance of public administration, both as an academic field and as a profession. In this context, it explains the workings of the Indian and US governments. Additionally, it traces the new and emerging trends in the study as well as the practice of public administration.
Methods in Psychology
This course focuses on the various methods of Psychology. The course enables students to understand several techniques for managing and interpreting Psychological Data. Students develop an understanding of the scientific processes and scientific inquiry for Psychological researches and information.
Psychology of Self and Identity
To be Updated
Introduction to Public Policy
To be Updated
Introduction to Sociology
This course provides an overview of the discipline by outlining the core concepts and theoretical traditions that are imperative to understanding the social forces and processes shaping society. It elaborates on the systematic and logical modes of inquiry providing an introduction to the methodological foundations of the discipline. The course will focus on global issues, as well as discuss relatable illustrations from Indian society to enhance learning. The course will help students build the foundation for a deeper understanding of the social world.
Indian Society and Culture
This course is aimed at presenting an integrated understanding of the Indian society and its diverse cultures. It explores the pluralistic composition of Indian society focusing on tribal, rural and urban societies; enabling students to comprehend the diverse nature of Indian society and its culture. By understanding the social structures and cultural patterns embedded within it, the course will also facilitate an intercultural and multicultural understanding of society. Students will also engage in reflecting on issues of national integration and identity. Students will critically examine the processes of social change and continuity in contemporary India.
Sociology of Gender
This course critically examines the core issues pertaining to gender through a sociological lens. It investigates the social construction of sex and gender, gender identity, gender roles and gender ideals. It provides insights into the women’s movement, women’s studies and critically examines perspectives to understand gender inequality. It explores key institutions such as family, education, work and media that shape our lives as gendered beings. This course also examines the issues related to gender inequality and discrimination that lead to marginalization, invisibility and exclusion of women.
Social Welfare and Legislation
This course introduces students to the basic concepts and foundations of social welfare, welfare state and development. The course exposes students to the making of the Indian Constitution and welfare provisions of it. The course engages with the interface between the state and society within the ambit of social welfare and development. The course discusses the functioning and role of various institutions and stakeholders in the process of designing, formulating and execution of various social welfare schemes and legislations from historical as well as contemporary perspectives through sociological lens.
Modern Political Ideologies
This course is on political thought wherein ideologies are understood as a relatively coherent set of values guiding practical action in politics and serving as an important benchmark for evaluating political reality. This course confines itself to select western political ideologies.
Introduction to Finance and Accounting
To be Updated
Consumer & Markets
To be Updated
Introduction to People Management
The course familiarizes students with the history and functions of management. It gives an overview of the various functions of human resource management and the concepts of organizational behaviour. It prepares students to go deeper into the area of people management equipping them with basic background knowledge.
Introduction to Entrepreneurship & Family Business
To be Updated