Syllabus for

Academic Year  (2024)

This course emphasizes both the theoretical and the practical aspects of statistical analysis, focusing on techniques for estimating statistical models of various kinds. The goal is to help you develop a solid theoretical background in statistics, and the ability to implement the techniques and critique empirical studies in social sciences.

CO1: Explain what is meant by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.

CO2: Understand the characteristics, uses advantages, and disadvantages of each measure of central tendency and measure of dispersion.

CO3: Describe the classical, empirical, and subjective approaches to probability.

CO4: Describe the five-step hypothesis testing.

CO5: Calculate and interpret the coefficient of correlation, the coefficient of determination and the standard error of the estimate.

This course gives students a working knowledge of static and dynamic optimization techniques applied in economics. Topics include classical optimization, comparative statics, non-linear programming, differential equations, and optimal control. All techniques introduced are illustrated with mainstream applications such as consumer theory and the neoclassical theory of optimal growth.

The course aims to introduce the approaches and methods of behavioral economics. The course will help the students understand various concepts in behavioral economics and their policy implications through case studies and classroom-based experiments.

Course description:

This course has been conceptualized in order to make the students understand the basic aspects of International relations which include nature and scope, various approaches, key conceptual terminologies in IR and the current issues in the field.  

Course objectives:

To introduce the students to:

• The nature, scope and importance of international relations / Politics.
• The Basic concepts of international Relations of national power, foreign policy and approaches to international peace.
• Major issues in international relations.

The course on "Democracy and Ethics" is to introduce and discuss the moral foundations ofdemocracy in principle, and democratic institutions, in particular. The students are initiated tovarious types of moral discourses in political philosophy. Further, this course looks at thedevelopment of democracy, in the global as well as the national realm. Democracy as an idealget fructified in the form of a government, which in turn is based on the principles of justice,freedom, equality and fraternity. Ethics acts as the premise on which a successful democracyrest.

Public policies essentially capture the intentions of the government. Without a policy, there can be no governance. To govern there must be a set of guidelines. Policies provide those guidelines. Policies enable the public to measure the achievements of the government. A policy document lists out the intentions or objectives of the government for a social problem. This course introduces the foundations of public policy to the students. Policies on important subjects like Health, Education Forests and Environment etc. are important areas of study in this course

This paper seeks to train students to conceptualize and carry out social research. It introduces students to the various stages of research, equipping them with the necessary skills to collect data, analyze data and present the findings in a report. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques are covered.

Course Objectives: 

This course provides philosophical underpinnings of the social research and familiarizes the students with methodological tools, explaining quantitative and qualitative methods, which will help them to undertake empirical research independently.

Course Description: This paper discusses various social issues which are of relevance for contemporary world. These issues surround the broad themes of population, health, development and different forms of Human Rights violations. In relation to population and health this paper would cover issues like aging, reproductive health, HIV AIDS, euthanasia, drug abuse, etc. In relation to development this paper would look into issues like urban land use, farmer’s suicide, displacement, climate change etc. This can help them in grasping the reality; contemplate on it, and come up with newer/better ways to deal with it.

Course Learning Objectives:

1.      To understand social problems in contemporary India in the context of Sociological theory, knowledge, concepts and perspectives

2.      To initiate social activism.

            3.      To work towards building a more sustainable and inclusive society

Course Description:

 This course tries to introduce to the students the concept of ecology from a historical perspective and the integral relationship between man, community and environment. The course also tries to initiate discussions on the pertinent ecological issues, emerging concerns, environmental movements and the reactions to them.

Course Objectives:

Course Description: Criticism is often rampant against our education system for reasons related to its quality, access, substance, its relevance in a changing/changed world and so on. Against this background the course is intended to allow the student to help understand the general sociological understandings of education and to proceed towards gaining a foundational knowledge of its problems against the larger context of globalization as well as in the specific context of India. 

Course Objective:

● To acquire basic knowledge and understanding of Sociology of education.

● To have a foundational understanding of the problems confronted by educational systems in the Indian context.

● To have a general understanding of the crisis of education in the era of globalization.

● To learn more about the critical role of intersectionalities like class, gender, caste etc., in educational institutions

Course Description:

This course, along with the SOC581 offered in the sixth semester, offers students, who have

been selected, an opportunity to take up a Dissertation which would help them to earn extra

credits.

The course elaborates on the case of the Indian Economy as a case of a developing country. It highlights the features and the major sectoral problems in the Indian economy. It further entails a discussion on the historical trajectory of how the Indian Economy evolved over the post-Independent period.  The course also contains a discussion on the evaluation of Indian 5-Year Plans and the planning process through NITI Aayog.  Further, the course also has a discussion about Karnataka's economy, throwing some light on other regions as well.

The course is designed to introduce students to environmental economics issues and theory. The course also aims at a detailed treatment of the intersection of the economy, environment and human society. The course has two major areas of focus. The first part will cover the ways in which markets fail to allocate resources efficiently in the presence of pollution and the various policy options available to rectify market failures. The second part will provide the various market-based and non-market-based approaches to environmental valuation. The course will also introduce other aspects of the linkages between society and the environment.

This course introduces students to the conceptual and practical operations of the financial markets, institutions, and instruments network in the Indian context. The course is intended to provide an in-depth understanding of the operational issues of capital and money market network along with its regulatory framework.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to basic econometric concepts and techniques. It covers statistical concepts of hypothesis testing, estimation and diagnostic testing of simple and multiple regression models. The course also covers the consequences of and tests for misspecification of regression models.

This paper is an additional elective offered to the undergraduate students of BA and BSc Programmes. The students can take up this paper based on the criteria set by the Department in terms of the selection process. Through this paper, students undertake original research work based on the area of his/her interest and academic learning in the previous semesters. This also becomes a thorough training in the nuances of analytical and research skills. The students begin this paper at the beginning of the fifth semester and complete it by the end of the sixth semester.

This course has been conceptualized to enhance students understanding on the functioning of international law, various international and regional organisations, and foreign policies of major countries

To introduce the students to:

• The nature, scope, importance and sanctions of international law.
• Role and importance of world organizations.
• Examine trends in foreign policies of major powers.

This course has been conceptualized to introduce students to the study of, as well as research in the field of public administration.Especially in the context of an increasingly globalized world, in which public and private actions intersect in the form of both Hybrid & Multi-level Governance Regimes.

Course Description:This paper intends to expose roots and structures of inequality that lead to marginalization, invisibility and exclusion of women. The paper aims to sensitize the students towards the broader social reality, their struggles and aspirations.  Hence this paper introduces the significant contributions on the feminist theories as well as the practice of feminism in India.

Course Objectives:

• to familiarize students with the dynamics of women and women's studies and key related issues
• to orient students towards major theoretical perspectives used to study women and society
• to  help them understand the politics of gender in the real world
• to critically analyse the deeper implications of the status of women and inequalities in society

Course Description: This paper tries to interpret social movements as an instrument of social transformation and at times as the product of social transformations. The paper would provide an elaborate account of different theoretical explanations on social movements. The paper then examines three prominent movements in India i.e. the dalit movement, Naxalite movements and environmental movements by examining the socio political and historical context of their emergence and the transformation that resulted.

Course Objective :

• This course aims to inculcate students with sociological perspectives to study social movements. It provides an overview of conceptual and theoretical issues in the study of social movements.
• This course also illustrates certain significant social movements in India, stretching from pre-colonial to contemporary period

Course Description: This paper tries to introduce students to problems of inequality in wealth and welfare from a global, comparative, and historical perspective. It also introduces the major perspectives to and issues in development. Specific issues would be taken to make the discussions context specific.

Course Objective:

●        To acquire basic knowledge and understanding of the concepts of inequality, poverty and development

●        To understand the various perspectives on development

●        To engage in the emerging debates and issues related to development and change in society.

Course Description: The course is an attempt to introduce the dynamics of the interrelationship between media and society. The various cultural and ideological influences that operate on media and its dynamic role in producing social realities is introduced to the students. While a foundational understanding of media from a sociological perspective is the main intention, the course undertakes specific discussions of media with regard to its historical trajectories in the Indian context, its agency in initiating social change during and after colonialism and so on. Students are also introduced to the changing forms of media and the changing political economy and cultural role of media in the postmodern age.

Course Objectives:

1. To inculcate a foundational understanding of media from a sociological perspective To have a foundational understanding of the problems confronted by educational systems in the Indian context.

2. To have a specific understanding of media in the Indian context.

3. To have a basic insight about the changing dynamics between media and society in the 21^st century.

This course explores the cultural, economic, political, and social changes of contemporary Korean society since 1945 from comparative, historical, and sociological perspectives. The course is divided into three parts. The first part of the course examines the relationships between state and society, democratization movement, growth of nongovernmental organizations, anti-Americanism, developmental state, chaebol groups, and labor movement. The second part focuses on an analysis of the demographic transition to extremely low fertility, aging, marriage, family, and multiculturalism. The third part takes a critical look at the current conditions of education system, folk beliefs, religious behaviors, Protestant churches, popular culture, and subcultural neighborhoods in Seoul. The primary aim of the course is to make students familiar with the historical paths that were evolved into the contemporary Korean society and to formulate critical, balanced, and comparative perspectives on the current issues of Korea.

The primary aim of the course is to make students familiar with the historical paths that were evolved into the contemporary Korean society and to formulate critical, balanced, and comparative perspectives on the current issues of Korea.

Course Description:

This course along with the SOC581 offered in the fifth semester offers students who have

been selected an opportunity to take up a Dissertation which would help them to earn extra

credits.