ISC Class 11 Syllabus 2028 Political Science

ISC
INDIAN SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATION

YEAR 2028

POLITICAL SCIENCE
(852)

Developed by:
Research, Development and Curriculum Division (RDCD)
CISCE

January 2026
____________________________________________________________________________________________

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experience.
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aspirations.

POLITICAL SCIENCE (852)

Aims
1. To enable students to gain an understanding of basic concepts in Political Science.
2. To facilitate acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the practices of governance.
3. To develop logical reasoning, research and application skills.
4. To create awareness of rights and duties and to sensitise students towards social concerns.
5. To expose students to divergent views and encourage them to develop their own world view.

CLASS XI
There will be two papers in the subject:
Paper I: Theory 3 hours ------ 80 marks
Paper II: Project Work --------20 marks

PAPER I (THEORY) : 80 MARKS
Political Theory

1. Introduction to Political Science and State
Meaning of Political Science; Scope of contemporary Political Science: Political Theory, Comparative
Politics, International Relations, Public Administration and Political Economy. State and its elements.
Meaning of Political Science (classical and modern); Scope of contemporary Political Science with
reference to only the meaning of Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Public
Administration and Political Economy ; Difference between politics and political science ; Meaning of
State and elements of State: (a) Population (b) Territory (c) Government (d) Sovereignty ; Difference
between State and Nation.

2. The Origin of the State
Divine Origin Theory; the Social Contract Theory (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau).
Various theories of the origin of State:
• Divine Theory: (features only.)
• The Social Contract theory: (features only.)
3. Political Ideologies
Liberalism and Communism.
Liberalism: meaning and features- Recognition of importance of individuals, Support for human rights
and freedom, Constitutional and liberal government, and Support for democracy.
Communism: meaning and features- Dialectical materialism, Class struggle, Dictatorship of Proletariat,
Stateless and Classless society.

4. Sovereignty
Meaning, kinds and characteristics. A historical analysis.
Meaning, definition and characteristics. Kinds: Titular and Real, Legal and Political; de-jure and de-
facto Sovereign, Popular Sovereignty. Austin’s Theory and Pluralistic view of Sovereignty : features only.

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5. Law
Meaning; Sources and Kinds of Law.
Meaning of law. Sources - Customs, Usages, Religion, Judicial Decisions, Scientific Commentaries,
Equity, Legislation. Kinds of law – meaning and examples of Municipal, National, Constitutional and
International Law, Statute Law, Ordinances.

6. Liberty
Meaning; Dimensions and kinds of Liberty
Meaning of Liberty; Dimensions - negative and positive; kinds of Liberty - Civil, Political and Economic.

7. Equality
Meaning and kinds of Equality
Meaning and kinds of Equality – legal, social, political and economic.

8. Justice
Meaning, Contemporary theories.
Meaning of Justice; Theories of Justice – John Rawls and Amartya Sen (features only).

Contemporary International Relations
9. Disintegration of the Soviet Union
Disintegration of the Soviet Union: Causes and its impact.
Causes of disintegration of the Soviet Union: Political and economic stagnation, Reforms of Gorbachev
and Rise of nationalism
Impact of disintegration of the Soviet Union: End of cold war and emergence of new states (in brief).

10. Unipolar World
U.S. unilateralism: case studies of U.S. intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Meaning of unilateralism.
Case studies of the following (causes and main events only):
Iraq - Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom;
Afghanistan - Operation Enduring Freedom;
India’s relations with USA after 1991. Defence and trade relations only.

11. Regional Cooperation
ASEAN and the European Union, SAARC, BRICS, QUAD
Aims and economic achievements only.

12. South Asia
India’s relationship with its neighbours.
India’s relations with Pakistan, 1965 war and Tashkent Agreement, 1971 war and Shimla Agreement,
Lahore Declaration and Kargil war; India’s Relationship with Bangladesh : Water dispute, Teen Bhiga
corridor and illegal migration ; India’s relations with China: Panchsheel Agreement and Sino-Indian war
of 1962

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PAPER II (PROJECT WORK) : 20 MARKS
Candidates will be required to undertake one project which may be any one of the following:
(i) A case study.
(ii) Survey study with a questionnaire.
(iii) Research - based project with in depth analysis.
(iv) Any contemporary or relevant Social/Local/ national/ global political issue.
(v) Book review/ film review/ documentaries/ posters/ newspapers/ advertisements/ cartoons and art.
The project must not be based primarily on the syllabus; students must be encouraged to produce original,
creative and insightful perspectives on an allied aspect of the topic.
For example, if the theme is Fundamental Rights, the project could deal with violation, protection, court
verdicts, Public Interest Litigations (PILs), etc. related to socially relevant issues.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Mark allocation for the Project will be as follows:
S. No. Assessment Criteria Marks
objective
1. Process Candidate should be able to: 5
Identify the topic. Plan and detail a research project.
Select and use appropriate research methods.
2. Understanding, Candidate should be able to: 5
application of
Explain issues and themes clearly and in context.
knowledge and
Analysis Interpret, analyse and evaluate critically a range of evidence to present
reasoned, substantiated arguments/ statement.
3. Presentation Overall format, referencing (footnotes &/or bibliography), within word 5
limit of 2000 words, title page, header/footer, etc.
4. Viva Range of questions based on the project only. 5
TOTAL 20

List of suggested topics for Project Work:
1. “The Kingdom of Freedom begins where the Kingdom of Necessity ends”.
2. Right to Freedom and role of Media.
3. The Right to Information – ensuring political accountability.
4. Citing relevant examples, discuss the relative importance of negative and positive liberty in the Indian
context.
5. India’s response to ASEAN as a dialogue partner.
6. Relevance of SAARC as a forum of regional cooperation.
7. U.S. dominance in World politics in the Post Cold War era.
8. Civil Society Movements - Role and participation in India.
9. Relevance of the United Nations in a Unipolar World.
10. Crisis in the Middle East and its impact on World order.
11. Rise of Taliban in Afghanistan and the crisis of human rights.
12. Any other relevant contemporary issue.

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GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS

1. It must be emphasised that the process of doing the project is as important as the final project.
2. Once the project/projects are chosen, there should be a process of brainstorming to encourage students to
make out a draft/structure for the project before embarking on research.
3. During the brainstorming/discussion, the teacher should discuss the assessment criteria with the
students.
4. The teacher should discuss the draft with the student with regard to the central question and the type of
sources to be used.
5. The students should be guided on doing the research and looking at different types of evidence.
6. Books and suitable reference material could be suggested by the teachers and made available to the
students.
7. Internet sites could be suggested, but care must be taken in selecting, using and citing these sites.
8. Students must be cautioned against plagiarism and be penalised for the same.
9. Marks must be awarded for content and originality and not for decorative elements and embellishments.
10. Projects must be the original work of the student.

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