Sociology Optional Syllabus for UPSC
The UPSC Sociology optional is examined in two Mains papers of 250 marks each, 500 marks in total. Paper I has 9 topics and Paper II has 7 topics, listed below with their subtopics.
Sociology Paper I syllabus
1. Sociology — The Discipline
- Modernity & social changes in Europe; emergence of sociology
- Scope of subject; comparison with other social sciences
- Sociology & common sense; fact, value & objectivity
- Positivism & its critique; non-positivist methodologies
2. Research Methods & Analysis
- Qualitative & quantitative methods
- Techniques of data collection
- Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability & validity
- Science, scientific method & critique; major theoretical strands
3. Sociological Thinkers
- Marx — historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle
- Durkheim — division of labour, social fact, suicide, religion & society
- Weber — social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic
- Parsons (pattern variables), Merton (manifest/latent functions, reference groups), Mead (self & identity)
4. Stratification & Mobility
- Concepts — equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty, deprivation
- Theories — structural functionalist, Marxist, Weberian
- Dimensions — class, status groups, gender, ethnicity, race
- Social mobility — open & closed systems; types, sources & causes
5. Work & Economic Life
- Social organisation of work — slave, feudal, industrial capitalist society
- Formal & informal organisation of work
- Labour & society — labour markets, trade unions, alienation
- Changing nature of work — gig economy, automation, deskilling
6. Politics & Society
- Sociological theories of power — elite theory, Marxist, pluralist
- Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups, political parties
- Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology
- Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution
7. Religion & Society
- Sociological theories of religion — Durkheim, Weber, Marx
- Types of religious practices — animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults
- Religion in modern society — secularization, religious revivalism, fundamentalism
- Religion & science; religion & social change
8. Systems of Kinship
- Family, household, marriage — definitions & forms
- Lineage & descent — patrilineal, matrilineal, bilateral
- Patriarchy & sexual division of labour
- Contemporary trends — nuclear family, same-sex unions, changing kinship
9. Social Change in Modern Society
- Sociological theories of social change — evolutionary, cyclical, conflict
- Development & dependency theories
- Agents of social change — education, technology, social movements
- Science, technology & social change; globalisation & social change
Sociology Paper II syllabus
1. Indian Society: Introduction
- Perspectives on study
- Unity in diversity
- Agrarian, industrial structure
2. Social Stratification
- Caste system, theories
- Class, gender stratification
- Social mobility
3. Tribal Communities
- Classification, distribution
- Issues, challenges
- Constitutional safeguards
4. Social Movements
- Peasant, tribal movements
- Women's movement
- Dalit, backward classes
5. Social Change
- Sanskritization, modernization
- Westernization, secularization
- Globalization impact
6. Population Dynamics & Urbanisation
- Demographic trends — fertility, mortality, migration
- Urbanisation — rural-urban migration, slums, urban poverty
- Population policy — family planning, population & development
- Industrialisation & its social impact — labour, urbanisation, class formation
7. Challenges of Development
- Poverty, deprivation
- Development programs
- Inclusive growth
Other Social Sciences optionals
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Follow Paper I and Paper II topic by topic, with revision counts — free.
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