CBSE Class 7 Syllabus for Social Science

Themes 
Where, When and How
(a) Terms used to describe the subcontinent and its regions with a map.
(b) An outlining of the time frame and major developments.
(c) A brief discussion on sources.

Objectives
(a) Familiarise the student with the changing names of the land.
(b) Discuss broad historical trends.
(c) Give examples of the kinds of sources that historians use for studying this period. E.g.,buildings, chronicles, paintings, coins, inscriptions, documents, music, literature.

Themes 
New Kings and Kingdoms
(a) An outline of political developments c. 700-1200
(b) A case study of the Cholas, including agrarian expansion in the Tamil region.

Objectives
(a) Trace the patterns of political developments and military conquests – Gurjara Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas, Palas, Chahamanas, Ghaznavids.
(b) Develop an understanding of the connections between political and economic processes through the exploration of one specific example.
(c) Illustrate how inscriptions are used to reconstruct history.

Themes 
The Sultans of Delhi
(a) An overview.
(b) The significance of the court, nobility and land control.
(c) A case study of the Tughlaqs.

Objectives
(a) Outline the development of political institutions,and relationships amongst rulers.
(b) Understand strategies of military control and resource mobilisation.
(c) Illustrate how travellers’ accounts, court chronicles and historic buildings are used to write history.

Themes 
The Creation of An Empire
(a) An outline of the growth of the Mughal Empire.
(b) Relations with other rulers, administration, and the court.
(c) Agrarian relations.
(d) A case study of Akbar.

Objectives
(a) Trace the political history of the 16th and 17th centuries.
(b) Understand the impact of an imperial administration at the local and regional levels.
(c) Illustrate how the Akbarnama and the Ain-i-Akbari are used to reconstruct history.

Themes 
Architecture as Power: Forts and Sacred Places
(a) Varieties of monumental architecture in different parts of the country.
(b) A case study of Shah Jahan’s patronage of architecture.

Objectives
(a) Convey a sense of the range of materials, skills and styles used to build: waterworks, places of worship, palaces and havelis, forts, gardens.
(b) Understand the engineering and construction skills, artisanal organisation and resources required for building works.
(c) Illustrate how contemporary documents, inscriptions, and the actual buildings can beused to reconstruct history.

Themes 
Towns, Traders and Craftsmen
(a) Varieties of urban centres—court towns,pilgrimage centres, ports and trading towns.
(b) Case studies: Hampi, Masulipatam, Surat.

Objectives
(a) Trace the origins and histories of towns, many of which survive today.
(b) Demonstrate the differences between founded towns and those that grow as a result of trade.
(c) Illustrate how travellers’ accounts, contemporary maps and official documents are used to reconstruct history.

Themes 
Social Change: Mobile and settled communities
(a) A discussion on tribes, nomads and itinerant groups.
(b) Changes in the caste structure.
(c) Case studies of state formation: Gonds, Ahoms.

Objectives
(a) Convey an idea of long-term social change and movements of people in the subcontinent.
(b) Understand political developments in specific regions.
(c) Illustrate how anthropological studies, inscriptions and chronicles are used to write history.

Themes 
Popular Beliefs and Religious Debates
(a) An overview of belief-systems, rituals, pilgrimages, and syncretic cults.
(b) Case Study: Kabir.

Objectives
(a) Indicate the major religious ideas and practices that began during this period.
(b) Understand how Kabir challenged formal religions.
(c) Illustrate how traditions preserved in texts and oral traditions are used to reconstruct history.

Themes 
The Flowering of Regional Cultures
(a) An overview of the regional languages, literatures,painting, music.
(b) Case study: Bengal.

Objectives
(a) Provide a sense of the development of regional cultural forms, including ‘classical’ forms of dance and music.
(b) Illustrate how texts in a regional language can be used to reconstruct history.

Themes 
New Political Formations in the Eighteenth Century
(a) An overview of the independent and autonomous states in the subcontinent.
(b) Case study: Marathas

Objectives
(a) Delineate developments related to the Sikhs,Rajputs, Marathas, later Mughals, Nawabs of Awadh and Bengal, and Nizam of Hyderabad.
(b) Understand how the Marathas expanded their area of control.
(c) Illustrate how travellers’ accounts and state archives can be used to reconstruct history.

Topics 
Environment in its totality: natural and human environment.
Objectives
To understand the environment in its totality including various components both natural and human; (Periods-6)

Topics
Natural Environment: land – interior of the earth,rocks and minerals; earth movements and major land forms. (One case study related with earthquake to be introduced)

Objectives
To explain the components of natural environment; To appreciate the interdependence of these components and their importance in our life;
To appreciate and develop sensitivity towards environments;

Themes
Air – composition, structure of the atmosphere, elements of weather and climate – temperature, pressure, moisture and wind. (One case study related with cyclones to be introduced)
Objectives
To understand about atmosphere and its elements;
(Periods-10)

Themes
Water – fresh and saline, distribution of major water bodies, ocean waters and their circulation. (One case study related with tsunami to be introduced)
Objectives
To know about distribution of water on the earth;
(Periods-10)

Themes
Natural vegetation and wild life.
Objectives
To find out the nature of diverse flora and fauna. (Periods-5)

Themes
Human Environment: settlement, transport and communication.
Objectives
To explain the relationship between natural environment and human habitation;
To appreciate the need of transport and communication for development of the community;
To be familiar with the new developments making today’s world a global society; (Periods-7)

Themes
Human – Environment Interaction: Case Studies – life in desert regions – Sahara and Ladakh; life in tropical and sub-tropical regions – Amazon and Ganga-Brahmaputra; life in temperate regions – Prairies and Veldt.
Objectives
To understand the complex inter relationship of human and natural environment;
To compare life in one’s own surrounding with life of other environmental settings;
To appreciate the cultural differences existing in the world which is an outcome of interaction, between human beings and their environment; (Periods-15)

Project/Activity
- Collect stories / find out about changes that took place in their areas (identify how things/ surroundings change overnight and why).
- Discuss the topic “How weather forecast helps us” in your class after assigning the role of a farmer, a hawker, a pilot of an aeroplane, a captain of ship, a fisherman and an engineer of a river dam to different students.
- Write observations about local area house types, settlements, transport, communication and vegetation.
Note: Any similar activities may be taken up.

DEMOCRACY AND EQUALITY
Rationale
Democracy and Equality are the key ideas to be engaged with this year. The effort is to introduce the learner to certain core concepts, such as equality, dignity, rule of law etc that influence Democracy as a political system. The role of the Constitution as a document that provides the guiding framework to function in a democratic manner is emphasised. This section deals with making the link between democracy and how it manifests itself in institutional systems in a concrete and live manner through case studies and real experiences. The objective is not to represent democracy as a fixed idea or system, but one that is changing and evolving. The learner is introduced to a wide range of institutions- the government, the bureaucracy and civil society organizations like the Media so that she can develop a broad understanding of the relationship between the State and Citizens.
Equality as a value is explored in some detail, where its relationship with democracy is highlighted and the challenges or questions it raises on inequities and hierarchies that exist at present in society is also discussed. An analysis of everyday experiences in the domain of gender enable the learner to understand how these are related to the creation of differences that are discriminatory in nature.

Objectives
The specific objectives of the course, where it is not clear from the rationale of the approach, are indicated beside the themes to be taught in the course.

Themes 
UNIT 1: Democracy
This unit will focus on the historical as well as the key elements that structure a democracy. The structures in place to make people’s representation a reality will be discussed with reference to its actual functioning.

Section 1
Why Democracy
Two main thrusts
- Historical
What were some of the key junctures and transformations in the emergence of democracy in modern societies.
- Key Features
– The different systems of power that exist in the world today.
– Significant Elements that continue to make Democracy popular in the contemporary world:
- Formal Equality.
- Decision Making mechanisms.
- Accommodation of differences.
- Enhancing human dignity.

Section 2
Institutional Representation of Democracy
- Universal Adult Franchise.
- Elections.
- Political parties.
- Coalition Governments.

Objectives
To enable students to:
- develop an understanding of the rule of Law and our involvement with the law,
- understand the Constitution as the primary source of all laws,
- develop the ability to distinguish between different systems of power,
- understand the importance of the idea of equality and dignity in democracy,
- develop links between the values/ideas of democracy and the institutional forms and processes associated with it,understand democracy as representative government,
- understand the vision and the values of the Constitution.

Unit 2: State Government
This unit will focus on the legislative, executive and administrative aspects of state government. It will discuss processes involved in choosing MLAs, passing a bill and discuss how state governments function through taking up one issue. This unit might also contain a section on the nation-state.
Section 1: Its working
- Main functionaries-broad outline of the role of the Chief minister and the council of ministers
Section 2: Its functioning
Through one example:
land reform/irrigation/education/water/health discuss
- The nature of the role played by the government – regarding resources and services.
- Factors involved in distribution of resources/ services.
- Access of localities and communities to resources/ services.

Objectives
To enable students to:
- gain a sense of the nature of decision-making within State government.
- understand the domain of power and authority exercised by the state government over people’s lives.
- gain a critical sense of the politics underlying the provision of services or the distribution of resources.

Themes 

UNIT 3: Understanding Media
In this unit the various aspects of the role of a media in a democracy will be highlighted. This unit will also include a discussion on advertising as well as on the right to information bill.
Section 1 : Media and Democracy
Media’s role in providing the following:
- providing information,
- providing forum for discussion/debate creating public opinion.
Media ethics and accountability.
Relationship between Government and Information
A case-study of the popular struggle that brought about the enactment of this legislation.
Section 2 : On Advertising
- Commercial Advertising and consumerism,
- Social advertising

Objectives
To enable students to:
- understand the role of the media in facilitating interaction between the government and citizens,
- gain a sense that government is accountable to its citizens,
- understand the link between information andpower,
- gain a critical sense of the impact of media on people’s lives and choices,
- appreciate the significance of people’s movements in gaining this right.

UNIT 4: Unpacking Gender
This unit is to understand the role gender plays in ordering our social and economic lives.
Secton 1 : Social Aspects
Norms, values that determine roles expected from boys and girls in the:
- family,
- community,
- schools,
- public spaces,
- understanding Inequality: The role of gender in creating unequal and hierarchical relations in society.
Section 2 : Economic Aspects
- gender division of labour within family,
- value placed on women’s work within and outside the home,
- the invisibilisation of women’s labour.

Objectives
To enable students to:
- understand that gender is a social construct and not determined by biological difference,
- learn to interrogate gender constructions in different social and economic contexts,
- to link everyday practices with the creation of inequality and question it.

UNIT 5: Markets Around Us
This unit is focussed on discussing various types of markets, how people access these and to examine the workings of an actual market.

Secton 1
- On retail markets and our everyday needs
- On role and impact of wholesale markets how are these linked to the above
- People’s access to markets depends upon many factors such as availability , convenience , credit, quality , price, income cycle etc.

Secton 2
Examine the role of an observable wholesale market such as grain, fruit, or vegetable to understand the chain of activities , the role of intermediaries and its impact on farmer -producers.

Objectives
To enable students to:
- understand markets and their relation to everyday life,
- understand markets and their function to link scattered producers and consumers,
- gain a sense of inequity in market operations.