M.A. HISTORY ASSIGNMENT-2018

M.A. History – 1^st Year

MHI-01: Ancient and Medieval Societies

MHI-02: Modern World

MHI-04: Political Structures in India

MHI-05: History of Indian Economy

M.A. History – 1st Year

Assignments – July 2017 and January 2018 Sessions

Dear Student,

As explained in the Programme Guide for M.A. in History you will have to do one assignment in each course. The assignments are compulsory. Each assignment covers the whole course.

It is important that you write the answers to all the assignment questions in your own words. Your answers should be within the approximate range of the word-limit set for a particularquestion.

The assignment should be submitted to the Coordinator of your Study Centre. You must obtain a receipt from the Study Centre for the assignments submitted and retain it. If possible, keep a photocopy of the submitted assignments with you.

The Study Centre will have to return the assignments to you after they are evaluated. Please insist on this. The Study Centre in turn will send the marks to the Student Evaluation Division at

IGNOU, New Delhi. These will be entered in your grade card.

Submission of Assignments

You should note that the submission of assignments is compulsory before taking up Term-end Examination. It is therefore suggested that you do them within time. In M.A. first year you will have to do a total of 4 assignments. We have given you a lot of time to do the assignments but we advise you to do them one by one along with your study of the particular course and submit them so that you may get back the marks and comments of the Counsellor with evaluated assignment. With a proper planning you will be able to do them within the stipulated period.

Please do not wait for the last date to submit all the assignments because it would be difficult to do all of them in one go. Specific dates for the submission are given below.

Last Date of Submission of Assignment

July 2017 Session Students 31st March 2018

January 2018 Session Students 30th September 2018

Where to submit the assignments: The Coordinator of your Study Centre

Before attempting the assignments please read the detailed instructions provided in the Programme Guide sent to you separately.Now read the guidelines carefully before answering the questions:

GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS

The assignments have two types of questions:

1) Essay Type Questions which you have to answer in about 500 words each and they carry 20 marks each.

2) Short notes to be answered in about 250 words each and they carry 10 marks each. You will find it useful to keep the following points in mind:

A) Planning: Read the assignments carefully. Go through the units on which they are based.Make some points regarding each question and then re-arrange these in a logical order.

B) Organisation: Be a little more selective and analytical before drawing up a rough outline of your answer. In an essay-type question, give adequate attention to your introduction and conclusion. The introduction must offer your brief interpretation of the question and how you propose to develop it. The conclusion must summarise your response to the question. Make sure that your answer: is logical and coherent; has clear connections between sentences and paragraphs; is written correctly giving adequate consideration to your expression, style and presentation; does not exceed the number of words indicated in your question.

C) Presentation: Once you are satisfied with your answers, you can write down the final version for submission, writing each answer neatly and underlining the points you wish to emphasis.

D) Interpretation: Interpretation is a constant process in history writing. It is already reflected in your planning and selection. Explanatory comments with phrases like may be, because, could be, etc., immediately introduce an element of interpretation in writing itself. Here you have to be careful that these comments can be supported by the material you have in the answer.

MHI-01: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL SOCITIES

Course Code: MHI-01

Assignment Code: MHI-01/AST/TMA/2017-18

Total Marks: 100

Note: Attempt any five questions. The assignment is divided into two Sections 'A' and 'B'. You have to attempt at least two questions from each section in about 500 words each. All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION – A

1. Give a detailed account of the changes in tool making from Palaeolithic to Neolithic cultures. 20

2. Analyse the social structures in Bronze Age societies. 20

3. How did Cyrus and Darius consolidated the Persian Empire? 20

4. Discuss in brief the political structure of the Roman Empire. How it affected the society? 20

5. Write short notes on any two of the following in 250 words each: 10+10

i) Polity and economy of Inkas

ii) Nomadic Empires

iii) Domestication of Animals

iv) Decline of Bronze Age societies

SECTION – B

6. Analyse major religious traditions in ancient China. 20

7. Discuss the main features of feudalism in Europe. Why it declined? 20

8. Give a brief account of significant advances made in science and technology during the medieval period. How they affected the society? 20

9. Write a detailed note on major trading communities in the medieval period. 20

10. Write short notes on any two of the following in 250 words each: 10+10

i) Protestantism

ii) Technological developments and art of warfare.

iii) Family in Medieval Europe

iv) Medieval Towns in Europe.

MHI-02: MODERN WORLD

Course Code: MHI-02

Assignment Code: MHI-02/AST/TMA/2017-18

Total Marks: 100

Note: Attempt any five questions. The assignment is divided into two Sections 'A' and 'B'. You have to attempt at least two questions from each section in about 500 words each. All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION – A

1. Explain the different ways in which the Renaissance contributed towards the making of a new world. 20

2. Write a note on the liberal conception of the State. What was the Gandhian perspective on the State. 20

3. What are the contemporary challenges to democracy? 20

4. Discuss in brief different views on transition from feudalism to capitalism. 20

5. What do you understand by de-colonization? Explain the various approaches towards de- colonization. 20

SECTION – B

6. How did the formation of nation-states and economic development redefine international relations? 20

7. Analyse the major developments in world politics following the Second World War. 20

8. Write a note on the legacy of the Russian Revolution of 1917. 20

9. Do you agree with the view that the “modern industrial development has come at a cost for the entire humankind”? Explain. 20

10. Write short notes on any two of the following in about 250 words each. 10+10

i) Nature of industrial society

ii) Development of print technology

iii) Commercial capitalism

iv) Consumerism.

MHI-04: POLITICAL STRUCTURES IN INDIA

Course Code: MHI-04

Assignment Code: MHI-04/AST/TMA/2017-18

Total Marks: 100

Note: Attempt any five questions. The assignment is divided into two Sections 'A' and 'B'. You have to attempt at least two questions from each section in about 500 words each. All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION- A

1. Discuss the process of transition from territorial states to empire in the age of the Buddha. 20

2. Analyse the rise and nature of Satavahana state. 20

3. Critically examine the views of historians regarding the process of transition to early medieval period in North India. What are the various perspectives on the nature of early medieval polity in North India? 20

4. Write a note on the features of state under the Delhi Sultanate giving reference to Mudabbir’s and Barani’s texts. 20

5. Discuss the nature of the autonomous state of Hyderabad under Nizams. 20

SECTION- B

6. Describe the administrative system in the post-Gupta period. 20

7. What were the chief characteristics of nayaka and ayagar systems under the Vijaynagar rulers? 20

8. Give a brief account of the revenue system developed under the Mughal rulers. 20

9. Write a note on the documentation project of the colonial state. 20

10. Critically analyse the colonial intervention in Indian education system. 20

MHI-05: HISTORY OF INDIAN ECONOMY

Course Code: MHI-05

Assignment Code: MHI-05/AST/TMA/2017-18

Total Marks: 100

Note: Attempt any five questions. The assignment is divided into two Sections 'A' and 'B'. You have to attempt at least two questions from each section in about 500 words each. All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION - A

1 Discuss the factors that determined the agrarian environment of the Indian subcontinent. 20

2. Critically analyse the chief characteristics of the Harappan cities. 20

3. Trace the profile of the early medieval agrarian society. 20

4. Examine everyday forms of peasant resistance in the medieval period. 20

5. Write short notes on any two of the following. Answer in about 250 words each. 10+10

i) Plinny’s Account on Pepper

ii) Pariharas

iii) Forest Clearances in the Medieval Period

iv) Malik Amber’s Settlement and the Maratha Land Tax

SECTION - B

6. ‘The eighteenth century was the century of universal decline.’ Comment. 20

7. Assess the role of Bengali Banias in the nineteenth century Indian trade. 20

8. Analyse the impact of colonial interventions on tribal economy. 20

9. Discuss the role of commercial enterprises in the growth of Indian industries during the pre-independence period. 20

10. Write short notes on any two of the following. Answer in about 250 words each. 10+10

i) India and the Asian Trade in the 16th Century

ii) Decline of Surat

iii) Tenancy Reforms

iv) Early Census