Political Systems and Issues: India (L2093)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

Politics and governance focus on the relationship between political institutions and the wider society.

On this module, you’ll examine how institutions - including structures of governance, bureaucracies and political parties - adapt to changing circumstances. You’ll explore how they respond to interest groups while dealing with the ongoing pressures of social and economic development in India. 

The module is divided into two main parts.

Part one covers India's political history and independence, with a focus on analysing the institutional mechanisms of governance. You’ll investigate the design of the Indian constitution, including its key features:

  • federalism
  • secularism
  • political and electoral system.

You’ll also examine how these constitutional features have functioned to support governance and democracy. Analysing the evolution of India’s party system, you’ll focus on its key features, attributes, determinants, alongside the link between the national and the sub-national party systems. 

Part two explores the main instruments of governance in India:

  • legislatures
  • bureaucracy
  • judiciary
  • army
  • election commission.

You’ll consider how these institutions operate in a complex political and social environment, focusing on relationships between:

  • politics and economy
  • politics and society
  • politics and conflict. 

You’ll primarily use an empirical approach, alongside relevant theories and comparative analysis for a rich insight into India’s governance.

Teaching

50%: Lecture
50%: Seminar

Assessment

100%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We鈥檙e planning to run these modules in the academic year 2025/26. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We鈥檒l make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses: