Triumph IAS

Best Sociology Notes for all Competitive Exams

Triumph IAS – Sociology Optional Syllabus UPSC

Sociology Optional
Syllabus for UPSC

Paper - 1 : Sociology Optional Notes (UPSC)

Fundamentals of Sociology

πŸ“Sociology: The Discipline

πŸ“Sociology As Science

πŸ“Research Methods And Analysis:

πŸ“Sociological Thinkers:

πŸ“Stratification And Mobility:

πŸ“– Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race.
πŸ“– Social mobility- open and closed systems, types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility.

πŸ“Works And Economic Life:

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

πŸ“Politics And Society:

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

πŸ“Religion And Society:

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

πŸ“Systems Of Kinship:

πŸ“– Family, household, marriage.
πŸ“– Types and forms of family.
πŸ“– Lineage and descent.
πŸ“– Patriarchy and sexual division oflabour.
πŸ“– Contemporary trends.

πŸ“Social Change In Modern Society:

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

Paper - 2 : Sociology Optional Notes (UPSC)

Indian Society : Structure and Change

Unit - 1 : Introducing Indian Society

Paper - 2 : Sociology Optional Notes (UPSC)

Indian Society : Structure and Change

Unit - 1 : Introducing Indian Society

πŸ“Perspectives on the study of Indian society:

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

πŸ“Impact of colonial rule on Indian society:

πŸ“– Social background of Indian nationalism.
πŸ“– Modernization of Indian tradition.
πŸ“– Protests and movements during the colonial period.
πŸ“– Social reforms.

Unit - 2 : Social Structure

πŸ“Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:

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

πŸ“Social Classes in India:

πŸ“– Agrarian class structure.
πŸ“– Industrial class structure.
πŸ“– Middle classes in India.

πŸ“Caste System:

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

πŸ“Systems of Kinship in India:

πŸ“– Lineage and descent in India.
πŸ“– Types of kinship systems.
πŸ“– Family and marriage in India.
πŸ“– Household dimensions of the family.
πŸ“– Patriarchy, entitlements and sexual division of labour.

πŸ“Tribal communities in India

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

πŸ“Religion and Society:

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

Unit - 3 : Social Changes In India

πŸ“Visions of Social Change in India

πŸ“– Idea of development planning and mixed economy.
πŸ“– Constitution, law and social change.
πŸ“– Education and social change.

πŸ“Politics and Society

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

πŸ“Rural and Agrarian transformation in India

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

πŸ“Social Movements in Modern India

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

πŸ“Industrialization and Urbanisation in India

πŸ“– Evolution of modern industry in India.
πŸ“– Growth of urban settlements in India.
πŸ“– Working class: structure, growth, class mobilization.
πŸ“– Informal sector, child labour.
πŸ“– Slums and deprivation in urban areas.

πŸ“Population Dynamics:

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

πŸ“Challenges of Social Transformation

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

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