( - words) on the following: . What historical forces shaped the vision of the Constitution? . Discuss the different arguments made in favour of protection of the oppressed groups.
. What connection did some of the members of the Constituent Assembly make between the political situation of the time and the need for a strong Centre? . How did the Constituent Assembly seek to resolve the language controversy?
. Choose any one important constitutional change that has happened in recent years. Find out why the change was made, what different arguments were put forward for the change, and the historical background to the change. If you can, try and look at the Constitutional Assembly Debates (http:// parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/debates.htm) to see how the issue was discussed at that time.
Write about your findings. . Compare the Constitution of America, France or South Africa with the Indian Constitution, focusing on any two of the following themes: secularism, minority rights, realtions between the Centre and the states. Find out how these differences and similarities are linked to the histories of the regions.
. On a present-day political map of India, indicate the different languages spoken in each state and mark out the one that is designated as the language for official communication. Compare the present map with a map of the early 1950s. What differences do you notice?
Do the differences say something about the relationship between language and the organisation of the states?