BA (Hons) History

 

B.A.

SYLLABUS FOR HISTORY 

SEMESTER I: HISTORY OF INDIA UPTO 1200 A.D.

Course Objectives: This course would familiarize the student with the main events that took place in the history of India from the earliest times up to the beginning of the 13^th Century AD.

 

UNIT I

1.     Major Sources of History: Literary and travel accounts; Archaeological findings; inscriptions; coins.

2.     Pre historic India

3.      Harrappan Civilization.

4.     Life in Vedic Age: Political and Economic; social and religious.

 

UNIT II

5. Jainism and Buddhism: Life and teachings of Vardhman Mahavir; Life and teachings of Gautam Buddha.

6. The Mauryan Empire: Central and Provincial Administration; revenue, judicial and local administration; Ashoka’s Dhamma.

 

UNIT III

7. The Gupta Empire: The rise of Guptas and social, economic, cultural and scientific Developments under Guptas.

8. The Rise of Southern Kingdoms: Administration Under Pallavas; Rashtrakutas; Chalukyas.

 

UNIT IV

9. Regional Kingdoms in the North: Administration under Harsh Vardhana; origin of Rajputs.

10. Map: (i) Map on important Historical places: Ajanta, Bodhgaya, Ellora, Harrappa, Indraprastha, Kalibangan, Kalinga ,Kannauj, Lothal, Nalanda, Patliputra, Sanchi , Sopara, Taxila, Ujjain, Varanasi. (ii) Extent of Harappan Civilization. (iii) Mauryan Kingdom under Ashoka.

 

Recommended Reading:

 

Basham, A.L.: The Wonder That Was India, Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1992.

Chakravarty Ranbir: Exploring Early India.

Jha, D.N.: Ancient India: An Historical Outline, Delhi: Manohar, 2nd Rev. Ed., 2005.

Noboru, Karashima: Concise History of South India, OUP, Delhi.

Sharma, R.S.: India’s Ancient Past, Delhi: OUP, 2005.

Thapar, Romila: Early India from the Origin to A.D. 1300, Penguin, 2002.

 

 

SEMESTER II: History of India during Medieval Times

Course Objectives: This course deals with the history of India from the beginning of the 13^th Century up to the coming of the British in India. It focuses mainly on the Mughal Empire and the condition of the country during that period.

 

UNIT I

1.  Invasion of Afghans and Turks.  Establishment of the Turkish power. 

2. Establishment and consolidation of Delhi sultanate. Struggle for centralized monarchy. Restructuring and expansion (1206-1526 CE).

3. Looking Towards South: Vijayanagar and Bahmani kingdom

4. Map work- extend of Empire under Delhi sultanate, Vijayanagar and Bahmani kingdom

 

UNIT II

3. Formation of the Mughal Empire: Political condition of India on the eve of Babur’s invasions; conquests and causes of his success.

4. Humayun and his difficulties.

5. The Afghans: Establishment of Afghan power under Sher Shah Suri; administrative reforms.

6. Second battle of Panipat. Akbar- conquest, Rajput policy, Religious Policies. Akbar as National Monarch.

 

 

UNIT III

7.     Jahangir: His administration and Nurjahan’s Supremacy.

8.     Shah Jahan: His reign and Deccan Policy

9.     Aurangzeb: NWF Policy, Rajput Policy, Religious Policy, Deccan Policy

10.  Art and Architecture during Mughal Period

11.  Map Work- Extend of Mughal Empire

 

UNIT IV

12.  Land revenue system under Mughals: Mansabdari and Jagirdari system

13.  Crisis in the Mughal Empire. Causes of the Decline of the Mughal Empire.

14.  The Rise of the Marathas: conquests of Shivaji; administration and third battle of Panipat.

15.  Map work: extend of Maratha Empire

 

Recommended Reading:

 

Alam, Muzaffar and Sanjay Subrahmanyam: The Mughal State 1526-1750, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Chandra, Satish: Essays on Medieval Indian History, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Chandra, Satish: Medieval India from Sultanate to the Mughals (1206-1526), New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1997.

Chandra, Satish: Medieval India from Sultanate to the Mughals, Part -II Mughal Empire (1526-1748).

Habib, Irfan: Medieval India: The Study of Civilization, New Delhi: National Book Trust, India, 2008.

Ray ChaudhriTapan and Irfan Habib: The Cambridge Economic History of India, Vol. I., c. 1200-c.1750, New Delhi: Orient Longman, 2007.

Rizvi, S.A.A.: The Wonder That Was India, Vol. II, 1200-1700, New Delhi: Rupa & Co., 1996.

 

 

SEMESTER III: HISTORY OF INDIA 1750 -1964 A.D.

 

Course Objectives: This course seeks to familiarise the students with the rule of the British in India, the socio-cultural movements in the country, and the beginning of the struggle for independence.

 

UNIT I

The British in India:

1. Foundation of British Rule: Circumstances leading to the battles of Plassey and Buxar and their significance; Reforms of Warren Hastings, Cornwallis, William Bentinck and Dalhousie

2. The Uprising of 1857: Political, socio-religious, economic and immediate causes; failure; results.

 

UNIT II

Movements:

3. Socio-Religious Reform Movements: Brahmo Samaj; Aligarh Movement; Arya Samaj; Ramakrishna Mission.

4. Depressed Classes Movement: Contribution of Jyotiba Phule, Dr.B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi.

 

UNIT III

Towards Independence:

5. Growth of Political Consciousness: Foundation and growth of the Indian National Congress from 1885- 1905; Growth of Nationalism 1905-1919. the Civil Disobedience Movement. Rise of Communal Politics.

6. Partition and Independence: Quit India Movement; British proposals for independence; Indian Independence Act of 1947.

 

UNIT IV

After 1947:

7. Significant Developments after Independence,1947- 64: Making of the constitution; integration of princely states; the reorganisation of states.

8. Map: (a) Important Historical Places – Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Goa, Surat, Plassey, Buxar, Gwalior, Jhansi, Hyderabad, Sabarmati, Amritsar, Lucknow, Lahore and Aligarh. (b) Extent of the British Empire in 1856. (c) Republic of India in 1950.

 

Recommended Reading:

Bandyopadhyay, Sekhar, From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India, Delhi: Orient Black Swan, 2007.

Chandra, Bipan et al., India’s Struggle for Independence, 1875-1947, Delhi: Viking/Penguin Books,1989.

Chandra, Bipan, Communalism in Modern India, Delhi: Vikas Publishers, 1987.

Nanda, B.R., Making of a Nation: India’s Road to Independence, New Delhi: Harper-Collins, 1998.

 

 

 

SEMESTER IV: ASPECTS OF MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY

 

Course Objectives: Moving away from the history of India, this course focuses on main events and movements that took place in Europe. The student would be made aware of leading monarchs, society, culture, religious movements and leading thinkers who contributed to the making of modern Europe.

 

UNIT I

Theories of the Modern World:

1.     Renaissance Society

2.     Political, economic and cultural state of Europe in the 18^th Century

 

UNIT II

Monarchs:

3.     Louis XI, Henry VII

4.     Ferdinand and Isabella; Louis XIV

 

UNIT III

 Reformation in Europe:

5.     Problems of the Catholic Church

6.     Luther’s Reformation and the Growth of Protestantism

 

UNIT IV

Western political thought:

7.     Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau and Beccaria

8.     Political Map of Europe in 1914

 

 

Recommended Reading:

Rowe, C. & Schofield, M. (eds.) 2000. The Cambridge history of Greek and Roman political thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [320.0938 CAM –definitive articles by leading scholars]

Kagan, Donalt et al. The Western Heritage Since 1300. 3rd ed. New Jersey:Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.

Clark, G., Early Modern Europe, Oxford University Press, 1964.

Clough, Shepherd, Economic Development of the Western World, London: Macraw Hill Book Company. Hale, J.R., Renaissance Europe, London: Collins Sons & Co.Ltd., 1971.

Hinsley, F.H.(eds) Material Progress and World Wide Problems, 1870-1898, Cambridge University Press, 1976.

Hobsbawm, Eric., Age of Empire 1875-1914, Delhi: Viking, 1975.

Hobsbawm, Eric., Age of Revolution 1789-1848, Delhi: Viking, 1975.

Palmer, R.A., A History of Modern World, Macgraw, 1982.

Stavrianos, L.S., The World Since 1500, Delhi: Prentice Hall of India, 1965.

Stavrianos., L.S., Readings in World History, USA: Allen & Bacon, Inc., 1962.

SEMESTER V: WORLD HISTORY UP TO 1815

 

UNIT I

Course Objective- This course introduces the revolution happened around the world before 1815 and how it changed the course of History of the world.

 

French Revolution and its Aftermath:

1. The French Revolution-causes, events and impact

2. Continental System of Napoleon. Congress of Vienna 1815

 

UNIT II

The American Revolution:

3. American Revolution: causes and consequences.

4. The American Constitution.

 

UNIT III

Expansion of Europe:

5.     Colonization in Canada

6.     Colonization in Africa

 

UNIT IV

Russia and The Far East:

7.     Communism in China; Mejie restoration and modernization in Japan. Russian Revolution of 1917

8.     Map of the World: Important countries and places.

 

 

Recommended Reading:

 

Allen, G.C.: Japan's Economic Recovery, London Oxford University Press, 1958 (Reprint 1960).

Anderson, Eugene N., Modern Europe in World Perspective: 1914 to the Present, Holt, New York: Rinehart and Winston, 1961.

Beckman, George H: The Modernization of China and Japan, New York: Harper and Row, 1962.

Brar, B.S., Explaining Communist Crises, New Delhi: Ajanta, 1994.

Gilbert, Felix, End of the European Era, 1890 to the Present London: Norton, 1981.

Hammond, Paul Y. (ed), Political Dynamics in the Middle East, New York: I.N.C., 1972.

Henry Bamford Parkes: The United States of America: A History, 1964 (Reprint), Scientific Book Agency, Calcutta, 1976.

Hobsbawn, E.J., Age of Extremes, Delhi: Viking, 1995.

Kennedy, Paul, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, London: Unwin and Hyman, 1988.

Richard Current & Others: History of United States: A Survey, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1965.

 

 

 

SEMESTER-VI: WORLD HISTORY 1815-2000

 

Course Objectives: This course familiarizes the student with landmark events in World History. Beginning with events leading towards women’s liberation, it focuses on the socia and political conditions that led to the two world wars in the 2oth century.

 

UNIT I

History of Women’s Liberation:

1.     Suffragette Movement

2.     Origin and Growth of the Women’s Movement

 

UNIT II

Social and Political conditions:

3. The Industrial Era-causes of origin, new inventions, impact on society

4. Unification of Italy and Germany

 

UNIT III

Towards World War I

5. Factors leading to World War I

6. World War I: Division of Europe into two blocks, causes, Paris Peace Conference

 

UNIT IV

World War II:

7. World War II: causes and consequences

8. World Map: Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Cairo, Constantinople, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Moscow, Nagasaki, Nanking, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Trafalgar, Vienna, Waterloo.

 

 

Recommended Reading:

 

Ashworth, W.: A Short History of the International Economy, 1850-1950, London: Longmans, 1954.

Brecher, Michael: The Foreign Policy System of Israel, Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1972.

Chabod, Fredrico: History of Italian Fascism, London: Weidenfeld, 1961.

Davis, H.A.: An Outline History of The World, OUP, 1964, 4th Edition.

Garraty John A. & Peter Gay (ed.): The Columbia History of the World, United Kingdom: New Orchard Edition, 1985.

Garraty John A. & Peter Gay (ed.): The University History of the World, United Kingdom: New Orchard Edition, 1985.

Hinsley, F.H. (ed.): Material Progress and World Wide Problems, 1870-1898, Cambridge University Press, 1976.

Stavrianos, L.S.: The World Since 1500, Delhi: Prentice Hall of India, 1965.

(Tentative)