Triumph IAS – Sociology Optional Syllabus UPSC

Sociology Optional
Syllabus for UPSC

Vikash Ranjan's Sociology Study Material Package
+ Answer Writing Practice Workbook / Test Papers

Total Number of Booklets - 12 | Nine (9) Booklets Covering 100% Syllabus
One (1) Booklet on PYQ | Two (2) Work Books Consisting 10 Test Papers.

Paper - 1 : Sociology Optional Notes (UPSC)

Fundamentals of Sociology

📝Sociology: The Discipline

📖 Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of sociology.

📖 Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences.

📖 Sociology and common sense.

📝Sociology As 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.

- Questionnaire

- Interview

- Observation

- Case study

📖 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..

📖 Talcolt 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 oflabour.

📖 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.

Paper - 2 : Sociology Optional Notes (UPSC)

Indian Society : Structure and Change

Unit - 1 : 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:

📖 Social background of Indian nationalism.

📖 Modernization of Indian tradition.

📖 Protests and movements during the colonial period.

📖 Social reforms.

Unit - 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.

📝Social Classes in India:

📖 Agrarian class structure.

📖 Industrial class structure.

📖 Middle classes in India.

📝Caste System:

📖 Perspectives on the study of caste systems: GS Ghurye, M N Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre Beteille.

📖 Features of caste system.

📖 Untouchability - forms and perspectives.

📝Systems of Kinship in India:

📖 Lineage and descent in India.

📖 Types of kinship systems.

📖 Family and marriage in India.

📖 Household dimensions of the family.

📖 Patriarchy, entitlements and sexual division of labour.

📝Tribal communities in India

📖 Definitional problems.

📖 Geographical spread.

📖 Colonial policies and tribes.

📖 Issues of integration and autonomy.

📝Religion and Society:

📖 Religious communities in India.

📖 Problems of religious minorities.

📖 Patriarchy, entitlements and sexual division of labour.

Unit - 3 : Social Changes In India

📝Visions of Social Change in India

📖 Idea of development planning and mixed economy.

📖 Constitution, law and social change.

📖 Education and social change.

📝Politics and Society

📖 Nation, democracy and citizenship.

📖 Political parties, pressure groups , social and political elite.

📖 Regionalism and decentralization of power.

📖 Secularization.

📝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.

📝Social Movements in Modern India

📖 Peasants and farmers movements.

📖 Women’s movement.

📖 Backward classes & Dalit movement.

📖 Environmental movements.

📖 Ethnicity and Identity movements.

📝Industrialization and Urbanisation in India

📖 Evolution of modern industry in India.

📖 Growth of urban settlements in India.

📖 Working class: structure, growth, class mobilization.

📖 Informal sector, child labour.

📖 Slums and deprivation in urban areas.

📝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.

Triumph IAS – Sociology Optional Syllabus UPSC

Sociology Optional Syllabus for UPSC

Vikash Ranjan's Sociology Study Material Package + Answer Writing Practice Workbook / Test Papers

Paper - 1 : Sociology Optional Notes (UPSC)

Fundamentals of Sociology

📝Sociology: The Discipline

📖 Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of sociology.

📖 Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences.

📖 Sociology and common sense.

📝Sociology As 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. - Questionnaire - Interview - Observation - Case study

📖 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..

📖 Talcolt 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 oflabour.

📖 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.

Paper - 2 : Sociology Optional Notes (UPSC)

Indian Society : Structure and Change

Unit - 1 : 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:

📖 Social background of Indian nationalism.

📖 Modernization of Indian tradition.

📖 Protests and movements during the colonial period.

📖 Social reforms.

Unit - 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.

📝Social Classes in India:

📖 Agrarian class structure.

📖 Industrial class structure.

📖 Middle classes in India.

📝Caste System:

📖 Perspectives on the study of caste systems: GS Ghurye, M N Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre Beteille.

📖 Features of caste system.

📖 Untouchability - forms and perspectives.

Sociology Optional
Syllabus for UPSC

Vikash Ranjan's Sociology Study Material Package
+ Answer Writing Practice Workbook / Test Papers

📖 Techniques of data collection.

- Questionnaire

- Interview

- Observation

- Case study