SOCIOLOGY

Sociology Syllabus

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.
  • 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 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.

INDIAN SOCIETY: STRUCTURE AND CHANGE

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