Latest Calcutta University B.A. LL.B Syllabus 1st Semester

(Five-Year Integrated B. A. LL. B. Course)

FIRST SEMESTER

Paper I

English I

[Full Marks 100 out of which 80 marks shall be for the written End Semester Examination and 20 marks for internal assessment]

 1. Poetry: Law Like Love – W.H. Auden; The Hanging Judge – Eavan Boland; The Case Won – William Cowper.

 2. Drama: The Merchant of Venice, Trial Scene (Act IV, Scene I) – William Shakespeare; Trial Scene; Silence, the Court is in Session (Act III) – Vijay Tendulkar.

3. English Grammar: Articles, Prepositions, Tenses, Modals; Sentence Types: Assertive, Interrogative, Exclamatory, Imperative; Clauses and Phrases; Infinitives, Participles, Gerunds; Subject-Verb Agreement; Voice Change; Narration Change; Degree Change; Sentence Transformation (Simple/ Compound/ Complex); One-word Substitution; Correction of Common Errors including Idiomatic Errors.

4. English comprehension and Essay.

 

Books Recommended:

Vijay Tendulkar, Silence! The Court is in Session, Oxford University Press, 1978 William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice. Ed. M.M. Mahood, Cambridge University Press, 2003. (The New Cambridge Shakespeare Series) W.H. Auden. “Law Like Love”, Another Time, Selected Poems of W.H. Auden. Penguin Modern Classics, 1979. Eavan Boland. “The Hanging Judge”.  The War Horse.  Arlen House, 1975. William Cowper, “The Case Won”, Selected Poems of William Cowper, Penguin Modern Classics, 1994.

 

Paper II

Political Science I

[Full Marks 100 out of which 80 marks shall be for the written End Semester Examination and 20 marks for internal assessment]

1. Introduction: Introduction to the study of Political Science/Politics; Origin, different meanings, definitions of Political Science; Scope of Politics- Ancient/Greek view, and Modern view; Significance of the study of Political Science for Law.

2. State: Definitions; essential elements; distinction between State and Government, State and Nation, and State and Society. Theories of the origin of state- Social Contract Theory: Views of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau: Critical appraisal of the theory; Historical/Evolutionary Theory; Marxist Theory; Liberal theory; New Liberal theory.

3. Sovereignty: Definitions and meaning; Internal and External Sovereignty; Types of Sovereignty; Characteristics of Sovereignty; John Austin’s theory of Sovereignty; Pluralist Theory of Sovereignty.

4. Liberty: Meaning, Definition, and Nature of Liberty; Kinds of Liberty (Positive and Negative); Liberty vs License Debate.

5. Equality: Meaning, Definition, and Nature of Equality; Kinds of Equality: Social, Economic, Political, Legal; Liberty-Equality Debate.

6. Rights: Meaning and Nature of Rights; Theories of Rights- Natural Theory; Legal Theory; Marxist Theory; Classification of Rights; Relationship between Rights and Duties.

 

Books Recommended:

1. Asirvatham Eddy and K.K. Misra, Political Theory
2. O.P. Gauba, An Introduction to Political Theory (New Delhi, Macmillan)
3. Andrew Heywood, Key Concepts in Politics (London, Macmillian Education UK)
4. J.C. Johari, Principles of Modern Political Science (New Delhi, Sterling Publisher)
5. Rajeev Bhargava and Ashok Acharya: Political Theory: An Introduction (Pearson Education).
6. Hoffman John and Paul Graham, Introduction to Political Theory (London, Routledge)
7. Sushila Ramaswamy, Political Theory: Ideas and Concepts (New Delhi, PHI Learning)
8. Andrew Heywood, Political Ideologies: An Introduction (London, Red Globe Press)
9. David Held, Political Theory Today (Cambridge, Polity Press)

Paper III

Sociology I

[Full Marks 100 out of which 80 marks shall be for the written End Semester Examination and 20 marks for internal assessment]

1. Nature of Sociology: Definition and meaning of Sociology, Subject matter and scope; Importance of studying Sociology, Sociology as a science; Sociology of commonsense; Relationship between Sociology and Law.

2. Basic Concepts: Society, Community, Association, Institution, Culture and Civilization, Norms, Values, Role, Status.

3. Social Processes and Socialization: Cooperation, Conflict, Accommodation, Assimilation; Process, Agencies, Importance.

4. Social Groups: Definitions, classification, roles.

5. Social Stratification: Meaning, functions, types (caste, class, estate), social mobility.

6. Social Institutions: Economic, Political, Religious, Educational; Inter-relationships.

7. Family, Marriage and Kinship: Forms and functions.

8. Social Control and Change: Formal/informal agencies; factors like biological, cultural, technological; concept of culture lag; Marxist theory of social change.

9. Gender and Society: Feminist theories; Gender Roles and Stereotypes; Gender and Law (Dowry, Domestic Violence, Workplace Harassment);

10. Sociology of Law: Law and Social Change; Law as a social institution; Legal Pluralism; Crime, Punishment and Society; Intersectionality (Caste, Class, Gender).

11. Legal challenges in social work and fields of social work practice: Child welfare; Women's welfare.

 

Books Recommended:

1. D. C. Bhattacharya – Sociology.
2. A. Giddens, Sociology.
3. G. Rocher, A General Introduction to Sociology.
4. Sunanda Goenka, Gender Justice
5. George Ritzer, Encyclopaedia of Sociology.
6. R.M. Maciver and Charles H. Page – Society: An Introductory Analysis
7. Kingsley Davis – Human Society
8. T.B. Bottomore – Sociology: A Guide to Problems and Literature

 

Paper IV

General Principles of Law of Contact

[Full Marks 100 out of which 80 marks shall be for the written End Semester Examination and 20 marks for internal assessment]

1. Historical development of law of contract in India - Definition - Essentials of contract – Agreements which are not contracts- Void and voidable contracts, Standard form of Contract

2. Offer - Essentials - Kinds of offer - Invitation to offer - Lapse of offer; Acceptance - Essentials-Communication of acceptance-Contract through post Provisional acceptanceRevocation of acceptance.

3. Consideration - Definition and essentials - Past, present, and future consideration – Privity of contract.

4. Capacity to contract - Contracts by or with Minors, lunatics, drunken, alien enemies, foreign sovereign, insolvents, convicts, and lawyers.

5. Free consent- Coercion -Duress-Undue influence-Misrepresentation - Fraud- Mistake.

6. Lawful object- Unlawful agreements- Agreements opposed to public policy-Recovery of things given under an illegal agreement - Wagering contract - Contingent contract –Uncertain agreement.

7. Discharge of contract - By performance - By impossibility of performance - By novation –By breach-Remedies for breach-Rules relating to damages.

8. Quasi-contract- Theories-Kinds of quasi-contract.

9. Specific Relief –Recovery of possession of immovable and movable property -Specific performance of contract - Injunctions. The above issues are to be studied with special reference to the Indian Contract Act, 1872, Specific Relief Act, 1963, and relevant case laws on the subject.

 

Books Recommended:

1. Avtar Singh –Law of Contracts
2. Anson-Law of Contracts
3. Pollock and Mulla- Law of Contracts
4. Subba Rao–Specific Relief Act
5. Mulla- Indian Contract Act

 

Paper V

Family Law I

[Full Marks 100 out of which 80 marks shall be for the written End Semester Examination and 20 marks for internal assessment]

1. Applicability of Hindu Law- Sources of Hindu Law: Ancient and Modern- Schools of Hindu Law.

2. Nature and Origin of Hindu Law: Evolution of the Institution of Hindu Marriage- Concept of Hindu Marriage- Marriage as sacrament-Forms of Marriage-Codified and Uncodified Laws.

3. Marriage and Divorce under Hindu Law: Conditions of Hindu Marriage- Doctrine of Factum Valet- Matrimonial Remedies under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 - Restitution of Conjugal Rights - Judicial Separation - Nullity of Marriage -Void Marriage and Voidable MarriageGrounds of Divorce- Legitimacy of Children-Bars to Matrimonial Relief - Ancillary Relief Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

4. Adoption and Maintenance under Hindu Law: Adoption in Hindu Law- Origin and object of Adoption- Customary adoption- Changes introduced by the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956.

5. Special Marriage Act, 1954: Conditions-Ceremonies-Effect of Marriage-Registration-Grounds for Divorce-Special Grounds for Women-Divorce by Mutual Consent-Advantages.

6. Hindu Succession Act 1956 with relevant case laws. The above issues are to be studied with special reference to the aforementioned Acts and relevant case laws on the subject.

 

Books Recommended:

1. Mulla- Hindu Law
2. N. R. Raghavachari –Hindu Law
3. S.N. Gupta-Maintenance and Guardianship Henry Maine -Hindu Law
4. N.R. Raghavachriar- Hindu Law: Principles and Precedents
5.  J.D.Mayne-Hindu law and usage
6. ParasDiwan-Modern Hindu Law
7. B.M.Gandhi-Hindu Law.
8. Sir Hari Singh Gour-Hindu Code
9. A.N.Saha- Marriage and Divorce
10. G. Chakraborty-Law of Maintenance