IGNOU BSHF 101 Solved Assignments 2010 Foundation Course in Humanities and Social Sciences

IGNOU BSHF 101 Solved Assignments 2010

         Foundation Course in Humanities and Social Sciences
                             Course Code : BSHF 101
                    Assignment code : BSHF 101/Asst- 1/2009-2010
                                 Total Marks : 100

Answer in 250 words. Attempt any four questions.

1. Discuss the nature of the Post-Industrial society. 20
Solution: Industrial society came into existence when the number of factory workers
exceeded the number of primary-industry workers. Primary industry is the type of
economic activity that deals with the harvesting of raw materials. Included in that
category are: farming, fishing, foresting, mining, and so forth.

England was probably the first industrial society, but there is some reason to believe that
the phenomenon occurred about the same time in Holland. Post-industrial society exists
when more people are employed in the service industry than in secondary industry
(manufacturing, etc.) and primary industry (farming, etc.)

The United States was the first post-industrial society. This occurred around 1970. By the
last census, slightly more than 7 of every 10 working Americans were occupied in the
service industry. Post-industrial society, first of all, depends upon others to supply many
of the products of secondary industry. This explains the imbalance in consumer trade. We
export technology and intelligence for manufactured goods. Because of the advances
made during the period when the U.S. was an industrial society, about two percent of the
entire population now produces foor (primary industry) for the rest of the people.

The key social institution in post-industrial society is education. Tertiary industry (which
replaces secondary and primary industries as the major employer) includes the various
fields of medicine; accounting, banking, and financial services; information development
and transfer; communications; engineering research and development; legal services; and
other areas that require personnel with AT LEAST college educations.

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2. How will you study the society in India? Explain in your own words. 20
Solution: As per My (student) point of view I will analyze society of India to be very
technical in the field of Information technology and Computers. Let’s first know how and
when Computers entered in India.
Computer Society of India was established in the year 1965 is today the largest IT
professionals Society in India. The purposes of the Society are scientific and educational
directed towards the advancement of the theory and practice of computer science,
computer engineering and technology, systems science and engineering, information
processing and related arts and sciences. It shall endeavor to:

Promote interchange of information, in these disciplines and sub-disciplines, amongst the
specialists and between specialists and the public. Encourage and assist the professionals
engaged in these fields to maintain the integrity and competence of the profession and
Foster a sense of partnership amongst the professionals, engaged in these fields.

Keeping in mind the interest of the IT professionals & computer users, CSI works
towards, making the profession an area of choice amongst all sections of the society. The
promotion of Information Technology as a profession is the top priority of CSI today. To
fulfill this objective, the CSI regularly organizes conferences, conventions, lectures and
gives various awards. And at the same time it also ensures that regular training and skill
updating are organised for the IT professionals.

CSI also works towards a global approach, by seeking out alliances with organizations
overseas who may be willing to come forward and participate in such activities. CSI also
helps governments in formulating IT strategy & planning.

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3. What are the legacies of the National Movement in India? Discuss 20
Solution: The Indian national movement had a legacy of political and economic protest.
This in turn became a legacy for the Independent India. In the latter half of the 19th
century, the nationalist leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, M.G. Ranade and R.C. Dutt gave a
critique of the colonial exploitation. Initially the Congress was concerned with the
problems of the elite like representation of Indians to the senior government services and
legislative bodies. But with the appearance of M.K. Gandhi on the political scenario, it
took up the cause of the ordinary people - the peasantry and workers. Some concepts and
ideas which evolved during the Indian national movement became the legacy for the
policy initiatives in the post-independence India. These were mainly Swaraj, political and
economic rights, socialism, planning and consensus.

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4. Has India successfully integrated with the global economy? Explain in your own
words. 20
Solution: No not yet India has successfully integrated with global economy, despite
considerable improvement in policies and performance in recent years, international
comparisons suggest that India's progress in global integration has been modest and its
level of integration remains low. India is still not attracting a level of attention from
foreign investors commensurate ith its size and economic potential nor is its level of
engagement in world trade keeping pace with that of the more dynamic developing
countries - especially the countries in East Asia that appear the most relevant
comparators. This is of concern because the pace and level of integration are found to be
empirically associated with economic growth and there are good theoretical reasons to
expect integration and growth to be mutually enhancing
Since the balance of payments crisis of early 1991 the Indian authorities have conducted
what has been in many respects a strikingly successful macroeconomic stabilization and

structural reform program. A critical element of this program has been a decisive move
from the inward-oriented economic strategy that prevailed over the first 40 years of
independence towards an outward-oriented one that seeks to emulate the dynamic
experience of the East Asian countries and greatly expand the benefits the Indian
economy draws from interaction with the world economy. '
Potentially the most important way that integration, meaning participation in international
markets for goods, services, capital, and labor, can help enhance economic performance
is by raising productivity through access to new technologies, ideas or products, or
through the bracing effect of competition with world class rivals. Another is by
improving resource allocation and welfare by being able to buy and sell products at world
prices according to comparative advantage. A third is by expanding the availability and
lowering the cost of resources for investment by broader access to foreign savings.
The theoretical links between integration and growth are illustrated by a growing body of
empirical work. The World Bank's "Global Economic Prospects and the Developing
Countries, 1996" presents evidence that developing countries with the most rapid pace of
integration in 1984-93 also experienced a median rate of per capita GDP growth three
percentage points greater than those with the slowest pace, while a study by Sachs and
Warner (1995) indicates that countries with open policy regimes experienced a similar
growth premium over countries with closed regimes.

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Section II
Answer in 250 words. Attempt any four questions.
5. Why is Human Security becoming so important? Explain in your own words. 12
Solution: Human security is more important than ever before, for the simple reason that
various forms of intolerance have gained prominence in human life. We find the
following reasons for growing security concerns:

1. Religious terrorism (Islamic, Hindu, Sikh etc.)
2. Ideological terrorism (Communists, Naxalites, Maoists etc.)
3. Racism (Australian racism, which their government has accepted)
4. Competition for world / regional supremacy (the US, EU, Russia, China etc.)
5. Simple ignorance and stupidity (Iraq, Pakistan, North Korea, Iran)
6. Arms race (India, China, Pakistan)
7. Natural calamities like earthquakes where the helpless are looted (Haiti)

Today's it is man's excessive greed and lust that has rendered innocent people's lives in
danger. Moreover, only the celebs can get good security. Police, although public servant,
do not do their duty fairly well -protecting citizens. I also feel losing of faith and
doubting God is another reaosn behind security. Man cannot escape his wrong deeds. He
will be punished for every evil deed he has done. But attaching importance to 'human
security' is like a mask worn to hide himself... Its a sad state of human existence. All
these factors lead to a renewed though on the importance of human security

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6. Have we made any progress on the environmental question after the Rio Summit?
Explain. 12
Solution:

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7. Is the institution of family in decline in modern India? Discuss in light of your own
observations. 12
Solution: Yes, at least in all urban areas. So long as we were rural based, the join family
system worked fine. With urbanization, increase in communications through TV, mobile
etc. nuclear families are the fashion now with children and parents living separately but
some times in the same building now. The definition of family is changing with so much
urbanisation. Family now does not include parents and siblings. It includes only spouse
and children. Notwithstanding this, the old family culture is still retained in deeper rural
areas.
Import of culture is spoiling many things in India. Some external forces also want to
weaken you. Otherwise we have enough in our culture to keep everyone happy. Both
science and philosophy here teach "live and let live". For eg. if you are down with an
infection ayurveda says "germs are everywhere. Improve your life power so that germs
can't harm you". Whereas others say "kill the germ". Even today in many families bonds
are strong. Even our festivals strengthen our bonds both within the family and in the
society. Eg. Rakhi, Holi etc. We have values and ethics. The best way we keep the family
bonds strong is to love our children and teach them morals, values and ethics. The family
background works strong in their life. Behind every success story of today's youth
whether at home or abroad the bearing of family background is the root cause. Even
today I prefer to tell the population of India in number of families and not in heads

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8. Is governance assuming a meaning different from Government? Explain in your
own words. 12
Solution: Governance is the activity of governing. It relates to decisions that define
expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists either of a separate process
or of a specific part of management or leadership processes. Sometimes people set up a
government to administer these processes and systems.

In the case of a business or of a non-profit organisation, governance relates to consistent
management, cohesive policies, processes and decision-rights for a given area of
responsibility. For example, managing at a corporate level might involve evolving
policies on privacy, on internal investment, and on the use of data.nIn terms of
distinguishing the term governance from government - "governance" is what a
"government" does. It might be a geo-political government (nation-state), a corporate
government (business entity), a socio-political government (tribe, family, etc.), or any

number of different kinds of government. But governance is the kinetic exercise of
management power and policy, while government is the instrument (usually, collective)
that does it. The term government is also used more abstractly as a synonym for
governance, as in the Canadian motto, "Peace, Order and Good Government".

A basic issue that arises in relation to governance is the proper role of government in
economic management. The growing consensus among development specialists in this
regard is that, with the limited access of governments to information, markets generally
allocate resources more efficiently. In market economies, production and consumption
decisions are based essentially on the price mechanism. However, even in such
economies, governments are expected to perform certain key functions. These include (i)
maintaining macroeconomic stability, (ii) developing infrastructure, (iii) providing public
goods, (iv) preventing market failures, and (v) promoting equity

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9. How does regionalism affect the issue of development? Explain. 12
Solution: Regionalism is a ideological concept in politics, which focuses of the interests
of a particular region, or group of regions, by increasing the region's (or regions')
influence, and political power by means or measures of devolution, states' rights,
decentralization,       independence,     and      separation      from      sovereignty.
While still connected to some sort of central government, regionalism affects
development by: promoting and strengthening self-governing bodies, forming a more
effective form of allocation of local resources, which would benefit local populations,
raise competition levels and stimulate competition levels amongst the regions, and save
the taxpayers (at all levels), money. Regionalism is a ideological concept in politics,
which focuses of the interests of a particular region, or group of regions, by increasing
the region's (or regions') influence, and political power by means or measures of
devolution, states' rights, decentralization, independence, and separation from
sovereignty.
While still connected to some sort of central government, regionalism affects
development by: promoting and strengthening self-governing bodies, forming a more
effective form of allocation of local resources, which would benefit local populations,
raise competition levels and stimulate competition levels amongst the regions, and save
the taxpayers (at all levels), money.
Regionalism has been a defender in the Development of India. Today, globalisation and
changing international norms concerning humanitarian intervention are turning
regionalism from being a bulwark of an intrusive order. New forms of regional identity
built around intrusive regionalism could become important stepping stones to a post-
Westphalia India order in the 21st century.

Briefly I'm mentioning one example to make one understand my views in this respect.
Just think if a factory is established in a particular region and if the people therein do not
allow others from other region to take part in the said factory, what could happen. The
product of the said factory may not be sold outside the said region and the people of other

regions may boycott the said product. Does one think that this way a business could run ?
This is why development may not be held in case regionalism is given priority.

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10. Are we witnessing an increase in the 'Digital - Divide'? Discuss in the light of
your own observations and assessment. 12

11. Do you see a decrease in the number of conflicts after advent of globalisation?
Give your assessment. 12

12. What do you understand by the term marginalized groups? Explain 12

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Section III

13. Write short notes on two of the following:
    (i)      Ajanta Paintings
    (ii)
Ajanta is the great surviving monument of the painting created by the Buddhist faith and
fervour in the land which gave birth to that religion. The most beautiful of these paintings
are taken from the Jataka stories, the legends of the earthly life of the Buddha in various
successive existences. They also illustrate the court life and popular life of the time, as
told in the romances and plays.

"The paintings of Ajanta represents the pinnacle of an ancient tradition, even the earliest
among them is marked by the refinement of style and technique. These painting exerted
powerful influence over other regions artistic production: the beginnings of Buddhist
painting in Tibet, Nepal, Central Asia, China, and Japan all can be traced to the
inspiration of Ajanta. Indeed, Ajanta is unique in its scope, combining painting,
sculpture, and architecture, and illustrating the development of Buddhism over the
centuries of the caves' excavation. It is a Buddhist site that thrived in a Brahmanical
world and at zenith of its artistic achievement it represented the pervasive classical
culture of the Gupta age.

"In the words of the scholar Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, "almost all that belongs to the
common spiritual consciousness of Asia, the ambient in which its diversities are
reconcilable, is of Indian origin in the Gupta period." The entire importance of Ajanta
today lies in this legacy. Propped by the charity of kings and commoners, Buddhist
monastic life hummed in an environment of artistic creativity from the second century
B.C. to the seventh century A.D.

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(iii)   Bharat Natyam

Solution: Bharatnatyam Dance is considered to be over 2000 years old. Several texts
beginning with Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra (200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E.) provide
information on this dance form. The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the
main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body
movement in Bharatnatyam Dance. There is also a great deal of visual evidence of this
dance form in paintings and stone and metal sculptures of ancient times. On the
gopurams of the Chidambaram temple, one can see a series of Bharatnatyam poses,
frozen in stone as it were, by the sculptor. In many other temples, the charis and karanas
of the dance are represented in sculpture and one can make a study of the dance form
Bharatnatyam dance is known to be ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles in a
single performance. In the early 19th century, the famous Tanjore Quartette, under the
patronage of Raja Serfoji are said to have been responsible for the repertoire of
Bharatnatyam dance as we see it today.
The style was kept alive by the devadasis, who were young girls 'gifted' by their parents
to the temples and who were married to the gods. The devadasis performed music and
dance as offerings to the deities, in the temple courtyards. Some of the renowned
performers and gurus of the early part of the century belong to the devadasi families, a
well-known name is Bala Saraswati.

   (iv)    Planning in India

   (v)     Cylical theories of social change