UPSC Sociology Optional Syllabus

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Sociology Optional Syllabus: Paper-1

Fundamentals of Sociology

Sociology: The Discipline

Modernity and social changes in Europe and the emergence of Sociology. Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences. Sociology and common sense.

Sociology as a Science

Science, scientific method and critique. Major theoretical strands of research methodology. Positivism and its critique. Fact value and objectivity. Non-positivist methodologies.

Research Methods and Analysis

Qualitative and quantitative methods. Techniques of data collection. Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability and validity.

Sociological Thinkers

Karl Marx

Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle.

Emile Durkheim

Division of labour, social fact, suicide, religion and society.

Max Weber

Social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism.

Talcott Parsons

Social system, pattern variables.

Robert K. Merton

Latent and manifest functions, conformity and deviance, reference groups.

Mead

Self and identity.

Stratification and Mobility

Concepts – equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty and deprivation. Theories of social stratification – Structural functionalist theory, Marxist theory, Weberian theory. Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. Social mobility – open and closed systems, types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility.

Works and Economic Life

Social organization of work in different types of society – slave society, feudal society, industrial capitalist society. Formal and informal organization of work. Labour and society.

Politics and Society

Sociological theories of power. Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups and political parties. Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology. Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution.

Religion and Society

Sociological theories of religion. Types of religious practices: animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults. Religion in modern society: religion and science, secularization, religious revivalism, fundamentalism.

Systems of Kinship

Family, household, marriage. Types and forms of family. Lineage and descent. Patriarchy and sexual division of labour. Contemporary trends.

Social Change in Modern Society

Sociological theories of social change. Development and dependency. Agents of social change. Education and social change. Science, technology and social change.

Sociology Optional Syllabus: Paper-2

Introducing Indian Society:

Perspectives on the study of Indian society

Indology (GS. Ghurye). Structural functionalism (M N Srinivas). Marxist sociology (A R Desai).

Impact of colonial rule on Indian society

The social background of Indian nationalism. Modernization of Indian tradition. Protests and movements during the colonial period. Social reforms.

2. Social Structure

Rural and Agrarian Social Structure

The idea of Indian village and village studies. Agrarian social structure – evolution of land tenure system, land reforms.

Caste System

Perspectives on the study of caste systems: GS Ghurye, M N Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre Beteille. Features of the caste system. Untouchability – forms and perspectives.

Tribal communities in India

Definitional problems. Geographical spread. Colonial policies and tribes. Issues of integration and autonomy.

Social Classes in India

Agrarian class structure. Industrial class structure. Middle classes in India.

Systems of Kinship in India

Lineage and descent in India. Types of kinship systems. Family and marriage in India. Household dimensions of the family.

Religion and Society

Religious communities in India. Problems of religious minorities. Patriarchy, entitlements and sexual division of labour.

3. Social Changes in India

Visions of Social Change in India

The idea of development planning and mixed economy. Constitution, law and social change. Education and social change.

Rural and Agrarian transformation in India

Programmes of rural development, Community Development Programme, cooperatives, poverty alleviation schemes. Green revolution and social change. Changing modes of production in Indian agriculture. Problems of rural labour, bondage, migration.

Industrialization and Urbanisation in India

Evolution of modern industry in India. Growth of urban settlements in India. Working-class: structure, growth, class mobilization. The informal sector, child labour. Slums and deprivation in urban areas.

Politics and Society

Nation, democracy and citizenship. Political parties, pressure groups , social and political elite. Regionalism and decentralization of power. Secularization.

Social Movements in Modern India

Peasants and farmers movements. Women’s movement. Backward classes & Dalit movement. Environmental movements. Ethnicity and Identity movements.

Population Dynamics

Population size, growth, composition and distribution. Components of population growth: birth, death, migration. Population policy and family planning. Emerging issues: ageing, sex ratios, child and infant mortality, reproductive health.

Challenges of Social Transformation

Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems, and sustainability. Poverty, deprivation and inequalities. Violence against women. Caste conflicts. Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism. Illiteracy and disparities in education.