13/09/2020 Political Science and International Relations Optional for UPSC 2019

No doubt, there are very many advantages of political science optional. But, there could be a few difficulties also, especially if candidates do not think through before
selecting this optional. Political science has a lot of theory-based concepts. This means the answers should be presented in a very crisp manner. Generally, it is
thought that good answer writing skills are essential to ace this paper. Even though this is true of all the UPSC papers, it is especially true for such optionals,
particularly when you compare with more technical subjects like maths, science subjects, or even geography and anthropology.

Political Science Optional Syllabus

Let us take a look at the syllabus for political science and international relations for the UPSC mains exam.
There are two optional papers in the UPSC scheme of things. Both the papers are for a total of 250 marks making the total optional marks to 500.
Download the Political Science and International Relations Syllabus.

Political Science Optional Strategy

Paper 1
Section A (Political Theory and Indian Politics)
This is the most static part of the syllabus. Hence, it is straight-forward. However, it is also a complex part of the syllabus (particularly for people with a different
background) for political science as a good understanding of the theories is needed to be able to write good answers.
There are a lot of thinkers to study about (Marx, Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Gramsci, Aurobindo, etc.) and you should have a reasonable comprehension of
the thought-process of thinkers as well to get a good grasp of their theories.
Some of the concepts in the syllabus such as equality, justice, affirmative action, etc. might seem very easy. But this is only at a superficial level. An in-depth
study (since this is the optional paper and not GS) of these concepts is required.
Only a good conceptual clarity can help you write precise and lucid answers for this paper, helping you score better.
It is true that some of the theories are very different and so easy to remember. For instance, Gandhism and fascism are very different ideologies.
Once you get a solid conceptual understanding, you should try to interlink the various ideas. This will help you understand the differences between close
concepts and also help you write answers connecting the dots. In order to do this, try to frame and answer questions like the ones given below:
What are the different ideas of hegemony and legitimacy discussed by Machiavelli in his book ‘The Prince’?
How has the evolving theory of rights contributed to the evolution of the ideas of democracy?
In what way has liberalism contributed to the development of feminism?
Compare and contrast the majoritarian theory of democracy and the participatory theory of democracy.
While studying thinkers, you can make charts and jot down each thinker’s take on various topics. This will also help you in revision. A small snippet is given
below for your reference:

Thinker Take on Social Argument Criticism

Justice

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13/09/2020 Political Science and International Relations Optional for UPSC 2019

Plato Social justice is
attainable. A
republic is made up
of rulers, soldiers
and craftsmen.
There is harmony
when they perform
their duties
efficiently. There is
justice.
Republic and soul are It is too simplistic and ignores
isomorphic and analogous. The other major stakeholders in the
republic is a larger picture of the sustenance of a state.
soul and harmony in the soul
comes by a union of the 3
components of the soul, which
are analogous to the 3
components of the republic
(rulers, soldiers, craftsmen).

Rawls Social justice is
attainable. Social
justice is the
standard whereby
the distributive
aspects of the
basic structure of
society are to be
assessed. It is
fairness.
People are free and equal.
Freedom consists in possessing
2 moral powers, the power of
justice and good. Once people in
society have the relevant
capacity to be fully cooperative
members of society, they are
equal and society is just.
The concept of social justice is
fluid. Defining and giving it a
definite form strips it of its
fluidity. No 2 societies are
exactly the same and thus, what
constitutes justice in one may
amount to injustice in another.
Social justice is, hence, relative
to societies.

Another tip for revision is to keep writing short notes with just keywords for the famous quotes of thinkers. An example is shown below:
“Reality is the shadow of ideas.” (Plato)
Scholars – materialists and idealists
Theory of Reality given by materialistic
Plato – School of Idealism – Father of Political Philosophy
Socrates – ultimate knowledge – permanent
Plato – ultimate knowledge about ideas
Behind the observable reality which we know through sensory organs lies the world of supreme reality
Supreme reality – Ideas – Reason
Allegory of Caves

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13/09/2020 Political Science and International Relations Optional for UPSC 2019

World of ideas as ultimate reality – Pursuit of Philosophy -> Pursuit of Physics

Paper 1
Section B (Indian Government and Politics)
This is the section that has the most overlap with the General Studies paper II. Standard books like Laxmikanth and also online sources like websites of the
various constitutional bodies are enough to do well in this section.
But it requires a more developed knowledge of the concepts than GS II. For instance, for questions on the evolution of the political party system in India, you
need to understand the relationship between casteism and communalism in India. You need to understand how land reforms in India are related to state
reorganisation, etc. And, all this have to be studied with linkages to contemporary events.
When you study for this section, make sure to stock important quotes from political scholars such as Paul Brass, Atul Kohli, Ramachandra Guha, etc.
You should also study relevant court cases because they ass great value to your answers.
The 2nd ARC Recommendations are also important in this section. You don’t have to remember everything from the reports, only 4 – 5 recommendations from
each report are enough. For instance, the 6th Report for Grassroots Democracy, the 9th Report for Pressure Groups and NGOs, the 7th Report for
Communalism, and the 12th Report for Statutory Bodies.
Paper 2
Section A (Comparative and International Politics)
Preparing properly for this section will ensure that you score pretty well in this paper. For this section, you should go through a few online sources that give good
material for international politics.
In this section, you have to understand the various topics from the point of view of a few scholars and study a couple of examples for each topic. For example,
when you study ‘Sociological Liberalism’: Understand what this is and how various scholars have explained this (John Burton, Karl Deutsch, etc.). You must
also understand how they differ in their explanations with criticisms. An example can be the US-India Business Council (growth of transnationalism).
You should understand the relationship between concepts and events and also how new concepts evolve from old ones and how they are influenced by one
another.
A good way to understand international politics is to know what guides the actions of the actors. For example, the resolution of the Doklam crisis by India and
China could be attributed to the Complex Interdependence model (which is the existence of conflict and cooperation at the same time).
Paper 2
Section B (India and the World)
This is the most dynamic of all the sections in this optional.
Apart from basic reading, newspapers and online sources are very important for this section.
For this section, you can go through RSTV discussions that provide valuable insight into topics relevant for this paper. You can get a summary of all important
RSTV discussions from our Gist of RSTV segment.
This section is largely based on current affairs. You must be thorough with India’s relationship with other countries like China, USA, and of course, the
neighbours. You must also read about the relationships between major countries of the world like USA – China, USA – North Korea, Arab countries – Israel, etc.
You must also cover significant international organisations such as BRICS, NATO, SAARC, SCO and so on.
In this section, you can add value to your answers by augmenting them with concepts from Section A like Balance of Power, Deterrence, Security Dilemma, etc.

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13/09/2020 Political Science and International Relations Optional for UPSC 2019

General tips for Political Science & International Relations Optional

Use relevant quotes while writing answers.
Focus on relevant editorials in the newspapers – they can provide valuable material to augment your answers.
Always give importance to current political perspectives.
Online sources are very important especially for dynamic sections of the papers.
Candidates can relate recent developments with theoretical frameworks and add value to answers.
When examples are given, they should be relevant and contemporary.
While writing answers for this optional, keep in mind the Four Cs – Compare, Criticise, Contemporary, Conclude.

Political Science Books for UPSC

Books for Paper I
An introduction to Political Theory- O.P. Gauba
An introduction to Constitution- D.D. Basu
Indian Polity – Laxmikanth
A History of Political Thought: Plato to Marx – Mukherjee and Sushila Ramaswamy
India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
Politics in India – Rajni Kothari
Books for Paper II
Does the Elephant Dance? – David Malone
India’s Foreign Policy – V.P. Dutt
Challenge and Strategy: Rethinking India’s Foreign Policy- Rajiv Sikri
Global politics- Andrew Heywood
NCERT Books for Polity (can be read to build a foundation in the subject)
Polity: NCERT Class IX – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – I
Polity: NCERT Class X – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – II
Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Indian Constitution at Work
Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Political Theory
Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science I: Contemporary World Politics
Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science II: Politics in India since Independence

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