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.
📖 Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
📖 Violence against women.
📖 Caste conflicts.
📖 Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
📖 Illiteracy and disparities in education.
Enroll now in our Sociology Optional Programme for CSE 2025-26