One Young India
Parallel PoliticsThe self-paced course
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Parallel PoliticsThe self-paced course

Understand contemporary global politics and the ideas that move nations.

27 chapters in four parts, about 12 hours, at your own pace.How democracies actually work, ideologies from left to right, the UN, the G20 and global institutions, the geopolitics of a multipolar world, elections and electoral systems, and India's Constitution in practice.Every sourced figure checked by two independent fact checkers.

Start freeOpen the courseThe welcome and chapter 1 are free. Learnacy Essential opens every chapter.
Included in Learnacy Essential₹1,499 for the year, including GST. One payment, no automatic renewal.
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1LearnEach chapter opens with a question from everyday life, tells a story, and gives you something to try: a sorter, a simulator, a made-up council or election.
2PractiseEvery chapter ends with five questions. Pass with 4 right, as often as you need, and each answer comes with its reason.
3FinishPass every chapter check and the final round for a certificate of completion with a link anyone can use to verify it.

What the course covers

Part 1How democracies actually workPower and legitimacy, the state, democracy, the three branches, how a law is made, rights, and how democracies grow or weaken

7 chaptersAbout 3 hoursChapter 1 free

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  1. Before you beginWelcome: politics is already in your dayDo you take part in politics?Free10 min
  2. 1Who decides? Power, authority and legitimacyWhy do players obey a referee who cannot force them?Free25 min
  3. 2What makes a state?Is your school a country? Why not?25 min
  4. 3What is democracy, really?If everyone votes, is it a democracy?25 min
  5. 4Three branches, and the checks between themWho stops the people in charge from doing whatever they like?25 min
  6. 5How a law is madeHow does an idea become a rule that everyone must follow?25 min
  7. 6Rights, majorities and minoritiesIf most people want something, should they always get it?25 min
  8. 7How democracies grow stronger or weakerCan a democracy stop being one without anyone abolishing it?25 min
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Part 2Ideologies from left to rightLeft and right, liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism and populism, newer currents, and arguing fairly

7 chaptersAbout 3 hours

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  1. 8Left and right: where the words come fromWhy do we call ideas "left" or "right"?25 min
  2. 9Liberalism: freedom firstShould you be free to do anything that harms only you?25 min
  3. 10Conservatism: keep what worksWhy might an old rule be wiser than it looks?25 min
  4. 11Socialism and social democracy: fairness firstShould the harvest be shared equally?25 min
  5. 12Nations, nationalism and populismWhat makes you feel part of a nation?25 min
  6. 13Newer currents: green, feminist and libertarianDoes every new problem bring a new ideology?25 min
  7. 14Arguing fairly: the other side's best caseCan you explain a view you disagree with so well that its supporters would agree?25 min
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Part 3The UN, the G20 and a multipolar worldThe United Nations, the G20 and summit diplomacy, treaties and courts, why cooperation is hard, three lenses on world politics, a multipolar world, and reading wars fairly

7 chaptersAbout 3 hours

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  1. 15The United Nations: what it can and cannot doWho runs the world? Is it the UN?25 min
  2. 16Clubs of countries: the G20 and summit diplomacyWhy would the world's largest economies meet if no one can give orders?25 min
  3. 17Rules between nations: treaties and courtsIf there is no world police, why do countries keep their promises?25 min
  4. 18Why cooperation is hardIf every country acts in its own interest, does the world end up better off?25 min
  5. 19Three lenses on world politicsDo countries act out of fear, out of interest, or out of ideas?25 min
  6. 20One, two or many powers?Who is the most powerful country? How would you know?25 min
  7. 21Reading wars and disputes fairlyHow can you read about a war without taking a side you did not choose?25 min
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Part 4Elections, the Constitution of India and your questionElectoral systems, free and fair elections, how India's Constitution was made, the Union and the states, courts and rights, your voice between elections, and the question you will write on

6 chaptersAbout 3 hours

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  1. 22Turning votes into seatsCan a party win most of the seats with fewer than half of the votes?25 min
  2. 23What makes an election free and fair?If every vote is counted correctly, is the election fair?25 min
  3. 24India's Constitution: how it was madeWho wrote the rules your country runs on, and how?25 min
  4. 25The Union, the states and your panchayatWho fixes the streetlight, and who runs the army?25 min
  5. 26Courts, rights and the basic structureCan a court overturn a law that Parliament passed?25 min
  6. 27Your voice between electionsOnce the votes are counted, is your part over?25 min
  7. The wrap-upYour question, and what nextSo, coming back: do you take part in politics?35 min
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Your certificate

A certificate of completion, issued when you pass every chapter check and the final round while logged in. It names the course and its length, about 12 hours. It is not a grade, an examination result or an accreditation.

This course is for learning. It takes no side in party politics: no Indian party, candidate, leader or election is placed or judged. Ideologies are described in the words of their own supporters and critics, and wars and disputes only through neutral facts.