Politics do not need to be “purified.” This thought is leading us astray. Politics must be vitalized by a new method. “Representative government,” party organization, majority rule, with all their excrescences, are dead-wood. In their stead must appear the organization of non-partisan groups for the begetting, the bringing into being, of common ideas, a common purpose and a collective will.
Mary Parker Follett
The Course
The course will take you through an in-depth study of The New State (1918) by the American social scientist Mary Parker Follett, and will help you understand the concepts of that book with examples from history, comparisons with other thinkers and leaders, and relevant clips from popular movies.
The purpose of this course is to equip the present-day citizens with the knowledge they need in order to play an effective role in their personal and professional lives as well as in the society.
This course is part of our syllabus of Iqbal Sciences. Follett was a thinker whose views were completely aligned with those of Iqbal and the like-minded leaders of the Indian independent movement (as explained in the book How Jinnah Liberated India (2022), the online course offered on that book and the series of videos culled from that course).
Who can benefit from this course?
The course is for you if you want to play a more effective role in your personal and professional lives, and in the society.
The course does not require any previous knowledge of political science or the social sciences. However, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the content of our previous online courses, Online Lessons on How Jinnah Liberated India, and An Introduction to Iqbal Sciences.
The medium of the course is bilingual: while most of the lectures and some of the video clips are going to be in Urdu, the core texts and many of the visual aids are in English.
Learning resources
Mandatory (core texts)
The following resources will form the core learning materials for the course.
The New State (1918) by Mary Parker Follett: Available in PDF for free download. Follow the link for information about how to download the book, and to read useful information and a summary of chapters.
How Jinnah Liberated India (2022) by Khurram Ali Shafique: Needs to be purchased as hard copy or Kindle. Follow the link for information about how to purchase, and for useful information and free videos of lectures on the book.
Ghariboan Ka Badshaha (1988), Pakistani Urdu movie: Can be watched for free on YouTube. Follow the link for watching it.
Optional (reference material)
In addition, the following resources are recommended for the purpose of reference.
Iqbal Ki Manzil (2019; Urdu) by Khurram Ali Shafique
Aazadi (2018; Urdu) by Khurram Ali Shafique
Schedule
The course will comprise of ten Zoom lessons and weekly reading tasks. The Zoom lessons will be delivered every Sunday from 230 pm to 430 pm Pakistan Standard Time. Edited recordings of these lectures will be made available on our YouTube channel later, but participation in live Zoom sessions is mandatory for receiving certificate of completion.
Sunday 28 May 2023
Introductory: Who was Mary Parker Follett and why her ideas are important today?
Sunday 4 June 2023
Starting the book: the author’s ‘Introduction’ of The New State, where it is explained why we need a new democracy
Sunday 11 June 2023
Chapters 1-5: the group process
Sunday 18 June 2023
Chapters 6-10: the unity of a society
Sunday 25 June 2023
Chapters 6-10: the working of the group principle
Sunday 25 June 2023
Part II of The New State: the traditional democracy
Sunday 2 July 2023
Part III, Section 1 of The New State: the neighbourhood group
Sunday 9 July 2023
Part III, Section 2 of The New State: the occupational group
Sunday 16 July 2023
Part IV of The New State: aspects of the group
Sunday 23 July 2023
Appendix of The New State: the training for the new democracy
Sunday 30 July 2023
Ghariboan Ka Badshah: The group principle today
Sunday 6 August 2023
Concluding session: where do we go from here?
Resource persons
Course designer and leader
Consultants
Dr Bushra Hameedur Rahman
Dr Abida Ashraf
Dr Zahid Bilal
Manager
Raazia Attique
Coordinator
Nayyer Sultana
Technical support
Muhammad Umar Barkhia
Editorial support
Noor-e-Hira Adeel
Fee and registration
The course fee is PKR 1000 (One thousand rupees or equivalent in your local currency). If you do not already own a copy of the book How Jinnah Liberated India, you might be asked to purchase it separately. Registration closes on Friday 9 June 2023.
If you are interested in joining the course, please complete the following form and submit it. We will get back to you (usually within two working days).
I will eagerly join this course. Being a teacher and student of political science, i want to know the real meaning and application of Democracy which is the most popular slogan of West from last one century and still is very ambiguous in its successful application.
Welcome
Asalam O Alikum
Respected Sir
I prefer if Mary Parker book can be send as a hard copy
It be a huge favor
Regards
Erum Fatima
Unfortunately, we cannot provide a hard copy of “The New State”. Hard copies can be ordered from Amazon (not published by us), or you can make your own prints from the PDF after downloading it from the link provided on this page.
As a student of Mass Communication, I must confess that the name Mary Parker and her book ‘The State’ are new to me. However, I am genuinely interested in delving into her insights on the state and democracy and understanding their implications in the context of the modern world. With a passion for learning and expanding my knowledge, I am eager to join this course as a paid student.
Welcome
Being a student and researcher and teacher of Political science, the name of Mary Parker and her book ‘The State’ is new for me. I have keen interest to know about what she has said about state and democracy, its application to modern world of today. So i will join this course as paid student.
We are honoured to have you on board.