Studying at York
Contemporary Politics of South Asia - POL00055H
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
Home to nearly 1.5 billion, South Asia - comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan (and sometimes Myanmar) - has often been said to be the graveyard of universal theories of democracy and authoritarianism; ethnicity and nationalism; and poverty and economic growth. This module will aim to introduce students to themes and approaches to the study of the contemporary politics of the region, taking care to present not only the ‘events’ as they have unfolded in the region since the end-1940s, but more importantly the ways in which those events have been analysed and interpreted.
Module learning outcomes
By completing this module, students will:
- Describe and interpret the key political events in South Asian politics;
- Analyse and differentiate different approaches to the study of South Asian politics, especially Modernisation, Marxist and post-colonialist approaches to South Asian politics;
- Appraise, justify and interrogate particular uses of concepts from our discipline, such as authoritarianism, democracy, ethnicity, nationalism, clientelism, neoliberalism, development.
This module will also equip students with a range of key transferable skills:
- State of the art in understanding of South Asian politics;
- Verbal and written argumentation;
- Interpretation of scholarly texts and arguments;
- Critical appraisal of concepts.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.
Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 20 working days after submission; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.
Indicative reading
Sugato Bose and Ayesha Jalal (1996) Modern South Asia.
Paul Brass (ed) Handbook of South Asian Politics: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.