M.A.
History – 1st 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
