HISTORY SYLLABUS | AHSEC CLASS 12 SYLLABUS 2022 - 23

Unit No.

Title

Marks

Periods

Section A

Unit 1-4

Section B

Unit 5-9

Section C

Unit 10-15

Unit 16

: Archaeology, Ancient India & Assam through the ages

: Medieval India

: Modern India

: Map Work

35

25

30

10

65

60

60

15

Total

100

200

Unit-1 : The story of the First Cities : Harappan Archeology

Broad overview : Early urban centres

Story of discovery: Harappan civilization.

Excerpt: Archeological report on a major site.

Discussion: how it has been utilized by archeologists/historians.

Unit -2 : Political and Economic History : How Inscriptions tell a story

Broad overview: Political and economic history from the Mauryan to the Gupta Period.

Story of discovery: Inscriptions and the understanding of political and economic history.

Excerpt: Asokan inscription and Gupta period land grants.

Discussion: Interpretation of inscriptions by historians.

Unit-3 : Social Histories: Using the Mahabharata

Broad overview: Issues in social history, including castes, kinship and gender.

Story of discovery: Transmission and publications of the Mahabharata.

Excerpt: From the Mahabharata, illustrating how it has been used by historians.

Discussion: Other sources for reconstructing social history.

Unit-4 : A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

Broad overview :

(a) A brief review of religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Saivism.

(b) Focus on Buddhism.

Story of discovery: Sanchi Stupa.

Excerpt: Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi.

Discussion: Ways in which sculpture has been interrupted by historians, other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism.

Assam Through the Ages :

Broad overview: Stages of the history of Assam from prehistoric to modern period.

Part -II

Unit-5 :Agrarian relations: The Ain-i-Akbari

Broad overview :

(a) Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries.

(b) Patterns of change over the period.

Story of discovery: Account of the compilation 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 Histories through Chronicles

Broad Overview :

(a) Outline of political history 15th-17th centuries.

(b) Discussion of the Mughalcourt and politics.

Story of Discovery: Account of the production of 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 during Vijaynagar period– temples, forts, irrigation facilities.

(b) Relationship between architecture and the political system.

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 Tradition

Broad overview :

(a) Outline of religious developments during this period.

(b) Ideas and practices of the Bhakti-Sufi saints.

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 Travelers’ Account

Broad overview: Outline of social and cultural life as they appear in traveler’s accounts.

Story of their writings: A discussion of where they travelled, why they travelled, what they wrote and for whom they wrote.

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: Evidence from Official Reports

Broad overview :

(a) Life of Zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late 18th century.

(b) East India Company, revenue settlements and surveys.

(c) Changes over the nineteenth 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

Focus: Lucknow.

Excerpts: Pictures of 1857. Extracts from contemporary accounts.

Discussion: How the pictures of 1857 shaped British opinion of what had happened.

Unit-12 :Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports

Broad overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations and cantonments in the 18th and 19^th 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 Contemporary Eyes

Broad Overview :

(a) The nationalist movement 1918-48,

(b) The nature of Gandhian politics and leadership.

Focus: Mahatma Gandhi in 1931.

Excerpts: Reports from English and Indian language newspapers and other contemporary writings.

Discussion: How newspapers can be a source of history.

Unit-14 : Partition through Oral Sources

Broad Overview :

(a) The history of the 1940s;

(b) Nationalism, Communalism and Partition.

Focus: Punjab and Bengal.

Excerpts: Oral testimonies of those who experienced partition.

Discussion: Ways in which these have been analysed to reconstruct the history of the event.

Unit-15 :The Making of the Constitution

Broad Overview :

(a) Independence and the new nation state.

(b) The making of the Constitution.

Focus: The Constitutional Assembly debates.

Excerpts: From the debates.

Discussion : What such debates reveal and how

They can be analyzed.

Unit-16 : Map Work