HISTORY
SYLLABUS FOR HIGHER SECONDARY FINAL YEAR COURSE
One Paper Time : Three Hours Marks 100
Unitwise Distribution of Marks and Periods :
Marks Periods
Section A : Archaeology, Ancient India & Assam through the ages 35 65
Unit 1-4
Section B : Medieval India 25 60
Unit 5-9
Section C : Modern India 30 60
Unit 10-15
Unit 16 : Map Work 10 15
Total 100 200
Unitwise Distribution of Course contents :
THEMES OBJECTIVE
Unit-1 : The stroy of the First Cities : Familiarise the learner with early urban
Harappan Archeology centres and economic and social institutions.
Broad overview : Early urban centres Introduce the ways in which new data can
Story of discovery : Harappan civilization. be lead to revision of existing notions of
Excerpt : Archeological report on a major site. history.
Discussion : how it has been utilized by Illustrate how archeological reports are
archeologists/historians. analysed and interpreted by scholars.
Unit -2 : Political and Economic History :
How Inscriptions tell a story Familiarise the learner with major tre-nds in
Broad overview : Political and economic history the political and economic history of the
from the Mauryan to the Gupta Period. subcontinent from c. 4th century BCE to c.
Story of discovery : Inscriptions and the 5th century CE.
understanding of political and economic history.
Excerpt : Asokan inscription and Gupta period land Introduce inscriptional analysis and the ways
grants. in which these have shaped the
Discussion : Interpretation of inscriptions by understanding of political and economic
historians. processes.
Unit-3 : Social Histories: Using the
Mahabharata
2 Syllabi for H.S. Final Year
Broad overview : Issues in social history, including Familiarise the learner with issues in social
castes, kinship and gender. history.
Story of discovery : Transmission and publications
of the Mahabharata. Introduce strategies of textual analysis and
Excerpt : From the Mahabharata, illustrating how it their use in reconstruction of social history.
has been used by historians.
Discussion : Other sources for reconstructing social
history.
Unit-4 : A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa Discuss the major religious developments in
Broad overview : (a) A brief review of religious early India.
histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Introduce strategies of visual analysis and
Saivism. their use in reconstructing histories of
(b) Focus on Buddhism. religion.
Story of discovery : Sanchi Stupa.
Excerpt : Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi.
Discussion : Ways in which sculpture has been
interupted by historians, other sources for
reconstructing the history of Buddhism.
Assan Through the Ages : Familiarise the learners different stages of
Broad overview : Stages of the history of Assam Assam History from prehistoric to modern
from prehistoric to modern period. period.
Focus the political, social, economic, religious
and cultural History of Assam.
Familiarise the learners with accounts in
travellers and choniclers.
Brief discussion on Assam's participation in
freedom movement.
Part -II
Unit-5 :Agrarian relations: The Ain-i-Akbari
Broad overview : a) Structure of agrarian relations Discuss developments in agrarian relations.
in the 16th and 17th centuries.
(b) Patterns of change over the period. Discuss how to supplement official document
Story of discovery : Account of the compilation with other source.
and translation of Ain-i Akbari.
Excerpt : From the Ain-i Akbari
Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the
text to reconstruct history.
Unit-6 : The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Familiarise the learner with the major
Syllabi for H.S. Final Year 3
Histories through Chronicles landmarks in political History.
Broad Overview : (a) Outline of political history Show how chronicles and other sources
15th-17th centuries. are
(b) Discussion of the Mughalcourt and politics. used to reconstruct the histories of political
Story of Discovery: Account of the production of institutions.
court chronicles, and their subsequent translation
and transmission.
Excerpts: from the Akbarnama and Padshabnama.
Discussion : Ways in which historians have used
the texts to reconstruct political histories.
Unit-7 :New Architecture: Hampi
Broad overview : (a) Outline of new buildings Familiarise the learner with the new
during Vijaynagar period– temples, forts, irrigation buildings that were built during the time.
facilities.
(b) Relationship between architecture and the Discuss the ways in which architecture can
political system. be analyzed to reconstruct history.
Story of Discovery : Account of how Hampi was
found.
Excerpts: Visuals of buildings at Hampi.
Discussion: Ways in which historians have analysed
and interpreted these structures.
Unit-8 : Religions Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi Familiarise the learner with religious
Tradition developments.
Broad overview : (a) Outline of religious
developments during this period. Discuss ways of analysing devotional
(b) Ideas and practices of the Bhakti-Sufi saints. literature as sources of history.
Story of Transmission: How Bhakti-Sufi
compositions have been preserved.
Excerpts : Extracts from selected Bhakti-Sufi
works.
Discussion: Ways in which these have been
interpreted by historians.
Unit-9 : Medieval Society through Familiarise the learner with the salient
Travellers’ Account features of social histories described by the
Broad overview: Outline of social and cultural life travellers.
as they appear in traveller’s accounts.
Story of their writings : A discussion of where they Discuss how travellers’ accounts can be
travelled, why they travelled, what they wrote and used as sources of social history.
for whom they wrote.
4 Syllabi for H.S. Final Year
Excerpts : from Alberuni, Ibn Batuta, Bernier.
Discussion : What these travel accounts can tell us
and how they have been interpreted by historians.
Part-III
Unit-10 : Colonialism and Rural Society: Discuss how colonialism affected
Evidence from Official Reports zamindars, peasants and artisans.
Broad overview : (a) Life of zamindars, peasants
and artisans in the late 18th century. Understand the problems and limits of using
(b) East India Company, revenue settlements and official sources for understanding the lives
surveys. of people.
(c) Changes over the ninteenth century.
Story of official records : An account of why official
investigations into rural societies were undertaken
and the types of records and reports produced.
Excerpts : From Firminger’s Fifth Report, Accounts
of Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, and Deccan Riots
Report.
Discussion : What the official records tell and do
not tell, and how they have been used by historians.
Unit-11 :Representations of 1857
Broad Overview: (a) The events of 1857-58
(b) How these events were recorded and narrated Discuss how the events of 1857 are being
Focus: Lucknow. reinterpreted.
Excerpts:Pictures of 1857. Extracts from
contemporary accounts. Discuss how visual material can be used by
Discussion: How the pictures of 1857 shaped historians.
British opinion of what had happened.
Unit-12 :Colonialism and Indian Towns: Familiarise the learner with the history of
Town Plans and Municipal Reports modern urban centres. Discuss how urban
Broad overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, histories can be written by drawing on
hill stations and cantonments in the 18th and 19th different types of sources.
century.
Excerpts: Photographs and paintings. Plans of
cities. Extract from town plan reports. Focus on
Kolkata town planning.
Discussion: How the above sources can be used
to reconstruct the history of towns. What these
sources do not reveal.
Unit-13 : Mahatma Gandhi through Familiarise the learner with significant
Contemporary Eyes elements of the nationalist movement and
Syllabi for H.S. Final Year 5
Broad Overview : (a) The nationalist movement the nature of Gandhian.
1918-48, (b) The nature of Gandhian politics and Discuss how Mahatma Gandhi was percived
leadership. by different groups.
Focus: Mahatma Gandhi in 1931. Discuss how historians need to read and
Excerpts: Reports from English and Indian language interprete newspapers, dairies and letters as
newspapers and other contemporary writings. historical source.
Discussion: How newspapers can be a source
of history.
Unit-14 : Partition through Oral Sources Discuss the last decade of the national
Broad Overview : (a) The history of the 1940s; movement, thegrowth of communalism and
(b) Nationalism, Communalism and Partition. the story of Partition.
Focus: Punjab and Bengal. Understand the events through the experience
Excerpts: Oral testimonies of those who of those who lived through these years of
experienced partition. communal violence.
Discussion: Ways in which these have been Show the possibilities and limits of oral
analysed to reconstruct the history of the event. sources.
Unit-15 :The Making of the Constitution Familiarise students with the history of the
Broad Overview : (a) Independence and the new early years after independence.
nation state. (b) The making of the Constitution. Discuss how the founding ideals of the new
Focus: The Constitutional Assembly debates. nation state were debated and formulated.
Excerpts: From the debates. Understand how such debates and
Discussion : What such debates reveal and how discussions can be read by historians.
they can be analyzed.
Unit-16 : Map Work Familiarise the learner with the outline map of
ancient India and Assam.
Familiarise the learner with the cities and places
of ancient India and Assam.
Familiarise the learners with the effected areas/
places of ancient India where historical events
were took place.
Familiarise the learners with the ancient World
map with special reference to South Asia.
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