RBSE SS Political Science study plan
RBSE SS Political Science · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Cold War Era and Post-Cold War World Politics
Build a dated timeline of Cold War turning points from 1945 to 1991, placing each event in its decade
Define and contrast the rival blocs, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the emergence of the New World Order in your own words
Explain three distinct consequences of the Soviet collapse for world politics
Draw a concept map linking Cold War alliances to post-Cold War alignments
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated Cold War timeline (minimum 15 dated events) with a 150-word note on post-Cold War shifts
Cold War Era and Post-Cold War World Politics & Contemporary Centres of Power and Global Order
Classify the main centres of power in the contemporary order and state each one's principal power resource
Compare the European Union, China, and Japan as power centres in terms of economic and institutional strength
Assess how the rise of multiple centres reshapes the idea of a unipolar world
Explain the role of regional groupings in the emerging global order
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of five power centres with at least three criteria per centre and a 200-word analytical summary
Contemporary Centres of Power and Global Order & International Organisations
Describe the structure, membership, and decision-making of the United Nations and its principal organs
Explain the composition and veto power of the Security Council and why reform is demanded
Summarise the mandate and functioning of at least three specialised agencies
Evaluate the strengths and limits of international organisations in enforcing collective decisions
Your checkpoint
A two-page brief on UN reform proposals, including a reasoned position on Security Council expansion
Contemporary South Asia and India's Neighbourhood
Map India's neighbours and identify the core bilateral issue with each
Explain the role of SAARC and other regional initiatives in South Asian cooperation
Analyse how domestic politics in neighbouring states shapes their relations with India
Distinguish India's security, economic, and diplomatic interests in the neighbourhood
Your checkpoint
A neighbour-by-neighbour matrix of eight states showing key issue, India's interest, and one recent development
Security and Environment in Contemporary World Politics
Distinguish traditional from non-traditional security threats with concrete examples
Explain the link between environmental degradation and security, including climate and resource conflicts
Describe cooperative and institutional responses to environmental challenges at the global level
Evaluate India's stance in international environmental negotiations
Your checkpoint
A 400-word essay arguing whether environmental change should be treated as a security threat, citing at least three examples
Globalisation and Its Impact & Indian Foreign Policy and National Interest
Define globalisation and trace its economic, cultural, and political dimensions
Analyse the benefits and criticisms of globalisation for developing economies
Explain how India's foreign policy balances national interest with global interdependence
Identify the institutions and actors that shape India's external engagements
Your checkpoint
A debate-style notes sheet with five arguments for and five against globalisation, plus India's policy response to each
Challenges of Nation Building in India & Era of One-Party Dominance and Coalition Politics in India
Explain the challenges of nation building at independence, including integration of princely states and linguistic reorganisation
Trace the rise and features of one-party dominance in the early decades
Describe the transition to coalition politics and the factors that drove it
Compare the party systems of the dominant-party and coalition eras
Your checkpoint
A comparative chart of the dominant-party and coalition eras across four criteria, with a 150-word conclusion
Planning, Liberalisation and Economic Development in India & Regional Aspirations and Social Movements in India & Recent Developments in Indian Politics
Outline the phases of Indian planning and the shift to liberalisation
Explain the demands behind at least three regional or social movements and how they were addressed
Summarise the major developments in Indian politics in recent decades
Synthesise all twelve domains into a revision checklist with confidence ratings
Your checkpoint
A full-length practice paper (all domains, timed) plus a self-rated revision checklist flagging weak domains
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain, without notes, why the post-Cold War order shifted from unipolarity toward multiple centres of power
Week 4: Can name India's neighbours and state the central bilateral issue with each in under five minutes
Week 6: Can argue both sides of the globalisation debate and connect each point to an Indian policy example
Week 8: Scores at least 60% on the timed practice paper and has a written list of the three weakest domains