Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Politics of South Asia
School	Government
Department	Political Sci & Intern'tl Stud
Module Code	08 40172
Module Lead	Lipika Kamra
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Seminar-10 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	South Asia is the world's most populous region and the location of the world's largest democracy, India. The module will provide an introduction as well as an in-depth survey of the region and will focus on the trajectory of democracy and authoritarianism the region. Through this thematic focus, students would be able to understand how democracy fares in the non-western world and how theories from political science work or not in South Asian politics. Students will be made aware of comparisons and contrasts of political institutions as well as everyday politics in four major South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). The module will cover topics such as elections, the role of religion in democratic politics, corruption, digital politics, social movements, and gender and democracy. The readings will be drawn from comparative politics, political anthropology, and history.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Critically evaluate different the South Asian trajectories of ideas such as democracy, development, and identity politics Critically engage with the specific political debates in South Asia. Develop their own critical research that discusses evaluative approaches on selected topics in South Asian politics.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 1000 word written assignment (25%) 1 x 2500 word written assignment (75%) Reassessment: By Failed Component
Other
Reading List