CBSE Syllabus for Class 12 History

Course Structure for Class XII History (2017-18)

Units  Topic  Marks 
Units 1 – 4 Themes in Indian History Part – I 25
Units 5 – 9 Themes in Indian History Part – II 25
Units 10 – 15 Themes in Indian History Part – III 25
Unit 16 Map Work 5
Project work 20
Total 100

Themes in Indian History

Themes  Objectives
 Part I

  1. The Story of the First Cities: Harappan Archaeology.
    Broad overview: Early urban centres.
    Story of discovery: Harappan civilization.
    Excerpt: Archaeological report on a major site.
    Discussion: How it has been utilized by archaeologists/historians.
  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 decipherment of the script. Shifts in the understanding of political and economic history.
    Excerpt: Asokan inscription and Gupta period land grant.
    Discussion: Interpretation of inscriptions by historians.
  3. Social Histories: Using the Mahabharata
    Broad overview: Issues in social history, including caste, class, 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.
  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 interpreted by historians, other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism.
    Part II
  5. Agrarian Relations: The Am-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.
  6. The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles
    Broad overview:
    (a) Outline of political history 15th-17th centuries.
    (b) Discussion of the Mughal court and politics.
    Story of Discovery: Account of the production of court chronicles, and their subsequent translation and transmission.
    Excerpts: from the Akbarnama and Padshahnama.
    Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the texts to reconstruct political histories.
  7. New Architecture: Hampi Broad overview:
    (a) Outline of new buildings during Vijayanagar period-temples, forts, irrigation facilities.
    (b) Relationship between architecture and the political system.
    Story of Discovery: Account of how Hampi was found.
    Excerpt: Visuals of buildings at Hampi.
    Discussion: Ways in which historians have analyzed and interpreted these structures.
  8. Religious 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.
    Excerpt: Extracts from selected Bhakti-Sufi works.
    Discussion: Ways in which these have been interpreted by historians.
  9. Medieval Society through Travelers’ Accounts
    Broad overview: Outline of social and cultural life as they appear in travelers’ 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, lbn Batuta, Bernier.
    Discussion: What these travel accounts can tell us and how they have been interpreted by historians.
    PART – III
  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 Frances Buchanan-Hamilton, and Deccan Riots Report.
    Discussion: What the official records tell and do not tell, and how they have been used by historians.
  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.
  12. Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports
    Broad overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hilt stations and cantonments in the 18th and 19th centuries.
    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.
  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.
  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 analyzed to reconstruct the history of the event.
  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.
  16. Map Work on Units 1-15
  • Familiarize the learner with early urban centres as economic and social institutions.
  • Introduce the ways in which new data can lead to a revision of existing notions of history.
  • Illustrate how archaeological reports.
  • Familiarize the learner with major trends in the political and economic history of the subcontinent.
  • Introduce inscriptional analysis and the ways in which these have shaped the understanding of political and economic processes.
  • Familiarize the (earner with issues in social history.
  • Introduce strategies of textual analysis and their use in reconstructing social history.
  • Discuss the major religious developments in early India.
  • Introduce strategies of visual analysis and their use in reconstructing histories of religion.
  • Discuss developments in agrarian relations.
  • Discuss how to supplement official documents with other sources.
  • Familiarize the (earner with the major landmarks in political history.
  • Show how chronicles and other sources are used to reconstruct the histories of political institutions.
  • Familiarize the learner with the new buildings that were built during the time.
  • Discuss the ways in which architecture can be analyzed to reconstruct history.
  • Familiarize the learner with religious developments.
  • Discuss ways of analyzing devotional literature as sources of history.
  • Familiarize the learner with the salient features of social histories described by the travelers.
  • Discuss how travelers accounts can be used as sources of social history.
  • Discuss how colonialism affected zamindars, peasants and artisans.
  • Understand the problems and limits of using official sources for understanding the lives of people.
  • Discuss how the events of 1857 are being reinterpreted.
  • Discuss how visual material can be used by historians.
  • Familiarize the (earner with the history of modern urban centres. Discuss how urban histories can be written by drawing on different types of sources.
  • Familiarize the (earner with significant elements of the Nationalist Movement and the nature of Gandhian leadership.
  • Discuss how Gandhi was perceived by different groups.
  • Discuss how historians need to read and interpret newspapers, diaries and letters as historical source.
  • Discuss the last decade of the national movement, the growth of communalism and the story of partition.
  • Understand the events through the experience of those who lived through these years of communal violence.
  • Show the possibilities and limits of oral sources.
  • Familiarize students with the history of the early years after independence.
  • Discuss how the founding ideals of the new nation state were debated and formulated.
  • Understand how such debates and discussions can be read by historians.

17. Project Work

Please refer Circular for project work guidelines.
Project work will help students:

  • To develop skill to gather data from a variety of sources, investigate diverse viewpoints and arrive at logical deductions.
  • To develop skill to comprehend, analyze, interpret, evaluate historical evidence and understand the limitation of historical evidence.
  • To develop 21st century managerial skills of co-ordination, self-direction and time management.
  • To (earn to work on diverse cultures, races, religions and lifestyles.
  • To learn through constructivism-a theory based on observation and scientific study.
  • To inculcate a spirit of inquiry and research.
  • To communicate data in the most appropriate form using a variety of techniques.
  • To provide greater opportunity for interaction and exploration.
  • To understand contemporary issues in context to our past.
  • To develop a global perspective and an international outlook.
  • To grow into caring, sensitive individuals capable of making informed, intelligent and independent choices.
  • To develop lasting interest in history discipline.

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