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Ashoka University’s Department of Political Science aims to provide students with a strong foundation in the discipline, combined with the acquisition of practical research skills.
The Department of Political Science encourages students to explore the connections between the major and other disciplines, by cross-listing courses across departments and by encouraging students to ask questions that are not constrained by disciplinary boundaries.
The Department of Political Science’s curriculum is organized around the four conventional pillars of the discipline: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, Indian Politics and Research Methods. This is complemented by a variety of elective courses.
Each course category has an entry-level course, which is required for the major. Beyond that, students can choose their courses according to their inclinations.
The Political Science department offers the following academic programs:
1. 4-year B.A. (Hons. with Research)
POL offers two types of research in Four years (Hons.) with Research. Students have the option to pursue either of the Two Research options:
Requirements for a 4-year Hons. with Field Research
| Major: Political Science | ||
| Degree: 4 Years (Hons.) with Field Research | ||
| Duration: 4 Years | ||
| Major Credits: 84 | ||
| Course Type | Credits | Courses |
| Required Courses | 16 | All of the following Four (4):
1. Western Political Thought (I) OR Introduction to Political Theory 2. Introduction to Comparative Politics 3. Introduction to Indian Politics 4. Quantitative Research Methods OR Qualitative Research Method |
| Elective Courses | 56 | Any Fourteen (14) POL electives of range: POL-:(1000-3999)
Note Courses of 3000 level offered by the department could be taken by 4th-year students, but with different grading requirements than 2nd or 3rd years. |
| Research | 12 | Field Research |
| Total Major Credits | 16+56+12 = 84 | |
| Maximum Cross-Listed Courses Allowed | 8 | |
| Maximum ISM credits allowed | 0 | |
| Major: Political Science | ||
| Degree: 4 Years (Hons.) with Research Thesis | ||
| Duration: 4 Years | ||
| Major Credits: 84 | ||
| Course Type | Credits | Courses |
| Required Courses | 16 | All of the following Four (4):
1. Western Political Thought (I) OR Introduction to Political Theory 2. Introduction to Comparative Politics 3. Introduction to Indian Politics 4. Quantitative Research Methods OR Qualitative Research Method |
| Elective Courses | 56 | Any Fourteen (14) POL electives of range: POL-:(1000-3999)
Note Courses of 3000 level offered by the department could be taken by 4th-year students but with different grading requirements than 2nd or 3rd years. |
| Research | 12 | 1. Capstone Thesis (4)
2. Capstone Research (8) |
| Total Major Credits | 16+56+12 = 84 | |
| Maximum Cross-Listed Courses Allowed | 8 | |
| Maximum ISM credits allowed | 0 | |
The thesis will be for 12 credits overall (4 in Monsoon Semester + 8 in Spring Semester).
Students will be required to submit a thesis proposal of around 3,000 words. These proposals will be assessed by the appointed advisor and a department-selected second reader (who is not an advisor) for quality, feasibility and clarity. Students will be given feedback on the proposal by the second week of courses, with one of three decisions: (i) reject, (ii) revise and resubmit, or (iii) pass. If the student is given a pass, then she or he may continue to the thesis program without qualification. If the student is given a revise and resubmit, then she or he may continue to the thesis program conditional on completing the requested revisions within one week. If the student is given a reject, then she or he may not continue into the thesis program.
Upon gaining entry into the thesis program, there are five requirements for the year:
The grading scheme across these requirements and relevant schedules will be shared with students before course enrollment commences for the Monsoon Semester. The final thesis will be graded by the advisor(s) and a department-selected second reader (who is not an advisor).
| Major: Political Science | ||
| Degree: 4 Years (Hons.) | ||
| Duration: 4 Years | ||
| Major Credits: 72 | ||
| Course Type | Credits | Courses |
| Required Courses | 16 | All of the following Four (4):
1. Western Political Thought (I) or Introduction to Political Theory 2. Introduction to Comparative Politics 3. Introduction to Indian Politics 4. Quantitative Research Methods OR Qualitative Research Method |
| Elective Courses | 56 | Any Fourteen (14) POL
electives of range: POL-:(1000- 3999) Note Courses of 3000 level offered by the department could be taken by 4th-year students but with different grading requirements than 2nd or 3rd years. |
| Total Major Credits | 16 + 56 = 72 | |
| Maximum Cross Listed Courses Allowed | 8 |
| Maximum ISM credits allowed | 0 |
Each student will take a total of 6 courses towards the minor. For completing a minor, a student has to take the following courses (3 required courses +3 electives). The minimum credit requirement to complete minor with the department is 24 credits:
Three electives in Political Science (including a maximum of 2 cross-listed courses)
Each student will take a total of 4 courses towards the concentration. For completing a concentration, a student has to take any two of the required courses and two other electives (2 required courses + 2 electives):
1. Major in Politics and Society (ID Course- Political Science and Sociology & Anthropology)
(Kindly note that this major has been discontinued for batches after UG 2021)
A student needs to take a total of sixteen courses, out of which one needs to take eight courses in Political Science. Out of those eight, four courses are mandatory, while rest four will be electives (4 required courses + 4 electives). The minimum credit requirement to complete an ID Major is 116 credits (including FCs + CCs + Major courses + other courses). The required courses from the Political Science side are:
Four electives in Political Science (including a maximum of 2 cross-listed courses)
2. Major in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (ID Course- Political Science, Philosophy and Economics)
Each student needs to take a total of sixteen courses, out of which one needs to take a minimum of four courses in Political Science. If a student takes a minimum of eight courses in Political Science, then it would qualify for a Degree in PPE with a specialization in Political Science. The minimum credit requirement to complete this ID Major is 116 credits (including FCs + CCs + Major courses + other courses). The mandatory courses from the Political Science side are (3 + 1/5):
Note: In case of 4 courses in Political Science, a student can take a maximum of 1 cross-listed course. In case of 8 courses in Political Science, a student can take a maximum of 2 cross-listed courses.
Department of Political Science Handbook
Ashoka University’s Department of Political Science offers rigorous undergraduate programmes which encourage students to pursue professions that go beyond conventional disciplinary structures.
There is no such requirement to take a specific number of courses of each level. Only the required courses are mandatory and can be taken in any sequence, irrespective of levels.
No. Required courses cannot be not substituted by summer courses.
In case you have done Political Ideologies in Spring 2017 or Introduction to Political Theory in Spring 2018, you need not do WPT I. If you have done Dynamics of State Formation with Prof. Vinay Sitapati in the past, you fulfill the requirement for Introduction to Indian Politics. However, if you pursue these courses in any other semester, they will count only as electives and not as requirements, except for Introduction to Political Theory.
No. We do recommend that you take WPT II after WPT I, but it’s not a pre-requisite.
Yes, you can, with validation from Prof. Sircar for quantitative courses and from the HoD for qualitative courses. In any case, you have to inform the HoD, the OAA and the Department Manager about this change.
Cross-listed courses are those courses which arise out of a discipline different from Political Science but are cross-listed with Political Science. Students can take upto two cross-listed course in any semester, provided all other rules are satisfied. The following is a summary of the rules around cross-listed courses:
Write to the professor teaching that course to express your individual interest. Request the professor to directly email the course syllabus to the Head of Department, Political Science. The department will then take a collective decision, communicate with the professor directly, and then inform the students.
No. It is normal for courses to not be cross-listed with other departments in every semester that they’re offered. If you took a course, which was cross-listed in the semester that you took it, it will count towards your degree. Please cross-check the course code of such courses in your LMS.
No. Only ASPs can write a thesis with the department. But you can do an ISM (Independent studies Module) with faculty. Some faculty offer ISMs – individual or group-based – others take proposals from students.
Only ASP students are eligible to TA for courses. The department notifies all ASPs of TA requirement at the beginning of the semester and calls for applications. But in recent years there has been a scarcity of courses available for TA-ship. So students are advised not to depend upon it.
Yes, provided you fulfil other requirements meant for graduation.
Yes, but this is at the discretion of the professor offering the course. In case the new course is being offered by another professor (for example, because the original professor has left), the decision lies with the professor of the new course.
You can email them to the Student Representative or the Department Manager Anjali Panwar at anjali.panwar@ashoka.edu.in.
