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Syllabus of Sociology Paper - I
FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIOLOGY
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Sociology - The Discipline:
(a) Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of Sociology.
(b) Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences.
(c) Sociology and common sense.
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Sociology as Science:
(a) Science, scientific method, and critique.
(b) Major theoretical strands of research methodology.
(c) Positivism and its critique.
(d) Fact value and objectivity.
(e) Non-positivist methodologies.
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Research Methods and Analysis:
(a) Qualitative and quantitative methods.
(b) Techniques of data collection.
(c) Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability, and validity.
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Sociological Thinkers:
(a) Karl Marx - Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle.
(b) Emile Durkhteim - Division of labour, social fact, suicide, religion and society.
(c) Max Weber - Social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism.
(d) Talcolt Parsons - Social system, pattern variables.
(e) Robert K. Merton - Latent and manifest functions, conformity and deviance, reference groups.
(f) Mead - Self and identity.
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Stratification and Mobility:
(a) Concepts - equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty, and deprivation.
(b) Theories of social stratification - Structural functionalist theory, Marxist theory, Weberian theory.
(c) Dimensions - Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race.
(d) Social mobility - open and closed systems, types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility.
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Works and Economic Life:
(a) Social organization of work in different types of society - slave society, feudal society, industrial capitalist society.
(b) Formal and informal organization of work.
(c) Labour and society.
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Politics and Society:
(a) Sociological theories of power.
(b) Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups and political parties.
(c) Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology.
(d) Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution.
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Religion and Society:
(a) Sociological theories of religion.
(b) Types of religious practices: animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults.
(c) Religion in modern society: religion and science, secularization, religious revivalism, fundamentalism.
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Systems of Kinship:
(a) Family, household, marriage.
(b) Types and forms of family.
(c) Lineage and descent.
(d) Patriarchy and sexual division of labour.
(e) Contem porary trends.
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Social Change in Modern Society:
(a) Sociological theories of social change.
(b) Development and dependency.
(c) Agents of social change.
(d) Education and social change.
(e) Science, technology, and social change.
Syllabus of Sociology Paper - II
INDIAN SOCIETY: STRUCTURE AND CHANGE
A. Introducing Indian Society:
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Perspectives on the Study of Indian Society:
(a) Indology (G.S. Ghure).
(b) Structural functionalism (M. N. Srinivas).
(c) Marxist sociology (A. R. Desai).
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Impact of colonial rule on Indian society:
(a) Social background of Indian nationalism.
(b) Modernization of Indian tradition.
(c) Protests and movements during the colonial period.
(d) Social reforms.
B. Social Structure:
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Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:
(a) The idea of Indian village and village studies
(b) Agrarian social structure— evolution of land tenure system, land reforms.
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Caste System:
(a) Perspectives on the study of caste systems: G. S. Ghurye, M. N. Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre Beteille.
(b) Features of caste system.
(c) Untouchability-forms and perspectives
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Tribal Communities in India:
(a) Definitional problems.
(b) Geographical spread.
(c) Colonial policies and tribes.
(d) Issues of integration and autonomy.
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Social Classes in India:
(a) Agrarian class structure.
(b) Industrial class structure.
(c) Middle classes in India.
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Systems of Kinship in India:
(a) Lineage and descent in India.
(b) Types of kinship systems.
(c) Family and marriage in India.
(d) Household dimensions of the family.
(e) Patriarchy, entitlements, and sexual division of labour.
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Religion and Society:
(a) Religious communities in India.
(b) Problems of religious minorities.
C. Social Changes in India:
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Visions of Social Change in India:
(a) Idea of development planning and mixed economy.
(b) Constitution, law, and social change.
(c) Education and social change.
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Rural and Agrarian Transformation in India:
(a) Programmes of rural development, Community Development Programme, cooperatives, poverty alleviation schemes.
(b) Green revolution and social change.
(c) Changing modes of production in Indian agriculture.
(d) Problems of rural labour, bondage, migration.
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Industrialization and Urbanisation in India:
(a) Evolution of modern industry in India.
(b) Growth of urban settlements in India.
(c) Working class: structure, growth, class mobilization.
(d) Informal sector, child labour.
(e) Slums and deprivation in urban areas.
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Politics and Society:
(a) Nation, democracy and citizenship.
(b) Political parties, pressure groups, social and political elite.
(c) Regionalism and decentralization of power.
(d) Secularization.
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Social Movements in Modern India:
(a) Peasants and farmers' movements.
(b) Women’s movement.
(c) Backward classes & Dalit movements.
(d) Environmental movements.
(e) Ethnicity and Identity movements.
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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.
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Challenges of Social Transformation:
(a) Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and sustainability.
(b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
(c) Violence against women.
(d) Caste conflicts.
(e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
(f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.
Previous Year UPSC Questions
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each:
(a) Discuss the nature of Sociology. Highlight its relationship with Social Anthropology.
(b) Analyse the changing nature of caste as a status group.
(c) Marriage as an institution has undergone a radical transformation from 'ritual' to 'commercial' in its outlook. Explain the factors behind this change.
(d) Democracy needs a vibrant culture of civil society in order to strengthen its foundation of citizenship. Comment.
(e) What are the 'basic and irreducible' functions of the family as proposed by Talcott Parsons? Explain.
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(a) Sociology is the product of European enlightenment and renaissance. Critically examine this statement.
(b) Do you think 'objectivity' is an over-hyped idea in sociological research? Discuss the merits and demerits of non-positivist methods.
(c) What is social mobility? Critically examine the classification of 'closed' and 'open' models of social stratification.
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(a) How do you view and assess the increasing trend of digital ethnography and the use of visual culture in sociological research?
(b) Describe the main idea of Max Weber’s book, *The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism* as a critique of Marxism.
(c) Critically explain the salient features of 'alienation' as propounded by Karl Marx.
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(a) What do you understand by 'mixed method'? Discuss its strengths and limitations in social research.
(b) Define the concept of 'gig' economy and discuss its impact on the labour market and workers' social security net.
(c) Critically assess the impact of technological advancement and automation on the nature of work and employment.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each:
(a) Describe various characteristics of a ‘social fact’. How is the rate of suicide a social fact according to Durkheim?
(b) Explain G.H. Mead’s idea of development of ‘self’ through the ‘generalised other’.
(c) Describe the differing principles of work organization in feudal and capitalist societies.
(d) How is 'power' different from 'authority'? Discuss various types of authorities as theorized by Max Weber.
(e) Critically examine the roles of science and technology in social change. What is your opinion on their increasing trend in 'online' education and teaching?
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(a) Underline the role of social media in contemporary social movements and describe its challenges.
(b) How does a multicultural society accommodate diversities of all kinds—ethnic, linguistic, and religious? Discuss its major challenges.
(c) Discuss the concept of animism and differentiate it from naturism.
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(a) Do modernization and secularization necessarily go together? Give your views.
(b) How do you understand the phenomena of the mushrooming of sects and cults in contemporary society? Discuss the factors responsible for the trend.
(c) Discuss the dimensions of power in the construction and maintenance of social hierarchies in a society.
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(a) Modern families have not just become nuclear and neo-local, but also filiocentric. How do you explain this trend?
(b) Discuss various theories of social change. Explain the limitations of unilinear theory of social change.
(c) Critically examine the World-Systems theory of Immanuel Wallerstein in terms of development and dependency of various nations.
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each:
(a) What, according to you, are the factors responsible for the continuance of caste system in India? Explain.
(b) Discuss the changes taking place in the industrial class structure in India.
(c) Is patriarchy a key to understanding different forms of inequalities in Indian society? Elaborate.
(d) Do you think that family bondings are being affected by the changing kinship patterns in India? Comment.
(e) Despite the efforts of the government, bonded labour still continues in India. Discuss.
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(a) Differentiate between 'Western' and 'Indological' perspectives on the study of Indian society. Bring out the major aspects of G. S. Ghurye’s contribution to 'Indological' approach.
(b) What are the definitional problems involved in identifying tribes in India? Discuss the main obstacles to tribal development in India.
(c) What, according to Andre Beteille, are the bases of agrarian class structure in India? Analyse.
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(a) Why is the study of marriage important in Sociology? Analyse the implications of changing marriage patterns for Indian society.
(b) Do you think that the constitutional provisions for women have led to their uplift? Give reasons for your answer.
(c) Education is a key to social development. Elucidate.
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(a) How do religious communities contribute to the cultural diversity of India?
(b) What do you understand by decentralisation of power? What is its role in strengthening the roots of democracy in India? Elaborate.
(c) What are the different forms of untouchability still practised in India? Discuss with suitable illustrations.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each:
(a) Examine with suitable examples the recent trends in the growth of urban settlements in India.
(b) Is there a connection between labour migration and informal sector? Justify your answer with reference to Indian context.
(c) Are slums the manifestations of industrialisation and urbanisation in India? Explain.
(d) Discuss the changing nature of political elites in India.
(e) What is your assessment about the recent farmers' movement in India? Elaborate.
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(a) Discuss the major challenges related to women's reproductive health in India. What measures would you suggest to overcome these challenges?
(b) What is sustainable development? How can sustainability be achieved in India where livelihood needs conflict with environmental protection?
(c) Critically examine the relevance of development planning in India.
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(a) Analyse the trilogy between environmental movement, development, and tribal identity.
(b) To what extent have the legal provisions been effective in curbing violence against women in India? Give your argument.
(c) Trace the social and historical origins of Dalit movements in modern India.
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(a) Highlight the major contributions of the reform movements in pre-independent India.
(b) Identify different forms of inequalities associated with agrarian social structure in India.
(c) What are pressure groups? Discuss their role in decision-making in democracy.
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
-
Write short answers, with a sociological perspective, on the following questions in about
150 words each:
a). Highlight the significant features of A.R. Desai's 'Dialectical Perspective' to study Indian
Society.
b). "The decade of the 1950s was the golden period of village studies in Indian Sociology."
Explain the statement.
c). Analyse the differences between the attributional and interactional approach in
studying the caste system.
d). Are Tradition and Modernity antithetical to each other. Comment.
e). Discuss the main features of Land Reforms in post-independence India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Do you agree with the view of Andre Beteille that India's villages are representative of
Indian society's basic civilizational values? Present a sociological overview.
b). Elaborate the salient features and the role of middle class in India's democracy and
development.
c). Analyse the role of market and modern forces in understanding the changing trends in
marriage systems in India.
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Answer the following:
a). Contextualize Louis Dumont's concept of 'binary opposition' with reference to caste
system in India.
b). Define the concepts of 'Descent' and 'Alliance'. Differentiate between North Indian
and South Indian Kinship systems with examples.
c). Critically examine the concept of Sanskritization with suitable illustrations.
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Answer the following:
a). Analyse the perspectives of Isolation, Assimilation and Integration in understanding
the trajectories of Indian Tribal Development.
b). Explain the implications and the impact of globalisation in situating the changing
agrarian class structure in India.
c). Critique the victory narratives of the Green Revolution in the context of Indian society.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Write short answers, with a sociological perspective, on the following questions in about
150 words each:
a). A Citing some case studies, expand the concept of 'Development-induced
Displacement'.
b). Examine the concept of Cultural Pluralism' in the context of India's Unity in Diversity.
c). Highlight the salient features of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
d). Analyse the sociological interconnections between Social Media and Mass Mobilization
in India.
e). Discuss the nature of regional variations in sex ratio in India? stating reasons thereof.
-
Answer the following:
a). How do you account for the increasing significance of religion in public and personal
spheres in the context of secularisation thesis in India. Explain.
b). In the face of rising global climatic concerns, how do you contextualise the relevance
of the Chipko Movement and its Gandhian tone? Answer analytically.
c). What actionable measures would you suggest to curb the recurrent child labour menace in
India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Do you think that the decades of Dalit political mobilizations and movements have
helped in strengthening India's democracy? Substantiate your arguments with facts.20
b). What is 'reverse migration'? Discuss its features, causes and consequences in India.20
c). Discuss the phenomenon of rural-urban continuum with suitable examples. 10
-
Answer the following:
a). Explain the thematic linkages between Patriarchy' and 'Honour killing' in India, citing
some recent cases.
b). Discuss the challenges faced by the cooperative movements in India. Suggest measures
to strengthen the movement at the grass-roots level.
c). What is 'Ageing'? Discuss the major problems of aged people in India.
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
-
Write short answers, with a sociological perspective, on the following questions in about
150 words each:
a). A Highlight the significant features of A.R. Desai's 'Dialectical Perspective' to study
Indian Society.
b). "The decade of the 1950s was the golden period of village studies in Indian Sociology."
Explain the statement.
c). Analyse the differences between the attributional and interactional approach in
studying the caste system.
d). Are Tradition and Modernity antithetical to each other. Comment.
e). Discuss the main features of Land Reforms in post-independence India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Do you agree with the view of Andre Beteille that India's villages are representative of
Indian society's basic civilizational values? Present a sociological overview.
b). Elaborate the salient features and the role of middle class in India's democracy and
development.
c). Analyse the role of market and modern forces in understanding the changing trends in
marriage systems in India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Contextualize Louis Dumont's concept of 'binary opposition' with reference to caste
system in India.
b). Define the concepts of 'Descent' and 'Alliance'. Differentiate between North Indian
and South Indian Kinship systems with examples.
c). Critically examine the concept of Sanskritization with suitable illustrations.
-
Answer the following:
a). Analyse the perspectives of Isolation, Assimilation and Integration in understanding
the trajectories of Indian Tribal Development.
b). Explain the implications and the impact of globalisation in situating the changing
agrarian class structure in India.
c). Critique the victory narratives of the Green Revolution in the context of Indian society.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Write Short answers, with a sociological perspective, on the following questions in about
150 words each:
a). Citing some case studies, expand the concept of 'Development-induced Displacement'.
b). Examine the concept of Cultural Pluralism' in the context of India's Unity in Diversity.
c). Highlight the salient features of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
d). Analyse the sociological interconnections between Social Media and Mass Mobilization
in India.
e). Discuss the nature of regional variations in sex ratio in India? stating reasons thereof.
-
Answer the following:
a). How do you account for the increasing significance of religion in public and personal
spheres in the context of secularisation thesis in India. Explain.
b). In the face of rising global climatic concerns, how do you contextualise the relevance
of the Chipko Movement and its Gandhian tone? Answer analytically.
c). What actionable measures would you suggest to curb the recurrent child labour
menace in India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Do you think that the decades of Dalit political mobilizations and movements have
helped in strengthening India's democracy? Substantiate your arguments with facts.
b). What is 'reverse migration'? Discuss its features, causes and consequences in India.
c). Discuss the phenomenon of rural-urban continuum with suitable examples.
-
Answer the following:
a). Explain the thematic linkages between Patriarchy' and 'Honour killing' in India, citing
some recent cases.
b). Discuss the challenges faced by the cooperative movements in India. Suggest measures
to strengthen the movement at the grass-roots level.
c). What is 'Ageing'? Discuss the major problems of aged people in India.
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each:
a). Delimit the scope of Sociology in relation to other social sciences.
b). How does a researcher achieve objectivity in interpretative resarch?
c). The difference between information and data in social science in subtle. Comment.
d). Durkheim argued that society is more than the sum of individual acts. Discuss.
e). How do sociololgists construct gender in their analysis on social inequality?
-
Answer the following:
a). What aspects of 'Enlightment do you think paved way for the emergence of sociology? Elaboarate.
b). Explain the different types of non-probability sasmpling techniques. Bring out the conditions of their usage with appropriate examples.
c). Discuss social mobility in open and closed system.
-
Answer the following:
a). What are the shorfalls of positivist philosophy that gave rise to the non-positivist methods of studying social reality?
b). Critically examine how Durkheim and Merton explicate Anomie.
c). Suggest measures to minimize the influence of the resarcher in the process of collecting data through focus group discussion.
-
Answer the following:
a). What characterizes degradation of work in capitalist society according to Marx?
b). Social stratification is claimed to contribute to the maintenance of social order and stability in society. Critically assess.
c). What is reliability? Explain the different tests available to social science researcher to establish reliability.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Write short answers of the following questions in about 150 words:
a). Critically examine the relevance of Durkheim's views on religion in contemporary society.
b). Discuss various theoretical perspectives on the family.
c). Explain the implications of feminization of work in the developing societies.
d). Write a note on global trends of secularization.
e). Trace the trajectory of development perspectives on social change.
-
Answer the following:
a). According to Mead the idea of self develops when the individual becomes self-conscious. Explain.
b). Analyse the nature of transition from ideology to identify politics in India.
c). How do little tradition and great tradition coexist in contemporary Indian society?
-
Answer the following:
a). Critically analyze the views of Parsons related to society as a social system.
b). Discuss how 'environmentalism' can be explained with new social movements approach.
c). Illustrate with examples the role of pressure groups in the formulation of social policies.
-
Answer the following:
a). Sociologists argue for democratization of science and technology for inclusive development. Comment.
b). Are traditional social institutions getting weakened as agents of social change in the contemporary society? Substantiate.
c). How do you understand the realtionship between patriarchy and social development?
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
-
Write short answers, with a sociological perspective, on the following questions in about 150 words each:
a). Elaborate on M.N. Srinivas's structural-functionalist approach to the study of Indian society.
b). Do you agree that the agrarian class structure in India is changing? Justify your answer with illustrations.
c). Elucidate the challenges of integrations for tribal communities in India.
d). In the context of the changing Indian society, how do you view Andre Beteille's conceptions of harmonic and disharmonic social structures?
e). Expalin Leela Dube's concept of ‘Seed and Earth’.
-
Answer the following:
a). Critically examine G.S. Ghurye's Indological approach to the understanding of Indian society.
b). Elaborate on the changing nature of caste system with suitable illustrations.
c). Discuss the problems of religious minorities in India and suggest measures to solve them.
-
Answer the following:
a). Critically examine Yogendra Singh's thesis on ‘Modernisation of Indian Tradition’.
b). Discuss the material basis of patriarchy as an ideological system.
c). Explain different forms of untouchability in India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Examine the social background of growth of Indian nationalism.
b). Explain how land reforms brought about desired agrarian transformation.
c). Discuss the challenges during village studies in India.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Write short answers of the following questions in about 150 words:
a). Discuss law as an important instrument for women's empowerment.
b). Examine different understandings of secularisation in India.
c). How do you view the growth of informal sector in India?
d). Discuss the role of pressure groups in strengthening democracy.
e). What role do co-operatives play in poverty alleviation in rural India?
-
Answer the following:
a). Examine whether rural bondage still continues to be a social reality. Give your argument.
b). Define ethnicity. Discuss the factors responsible for the growth of ethnic movements in India.
c). Discuss the changing nature of structure of political elites.
-
Answer the following:
a). "Instead of promoting equality in society, the present system of education itself has contributed to increased socio-economic disparities.” Comment.
b). Discuss recent trends in the structure of migration.
c). Discuss different forms of deprivation associated with slums.
-
Answer the following:
a). Bring out the various issues involved in Dalit movements in India.
b). Critically examine the dialectics between development and environment'.
c). Discuss the changing nature of Industrial working class.
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following:
a). Europe was the first and the only place where modernity emerged. Comment.
b). Do you think ethnomethodology helps us in getting reliable and valid data? Justify your answer.
c). Discuss the challenges involved in collecting data through census method.
d). Explain whether Durkheim's theory of Division of Labour is relevant in the present-day context.
e). Critically examine Max Weber's theory of Social Stratification.
-
Answer the following:
a). From the viewpoint of growing importance of multidisciplinary, how do you relate sociology to other social sciences?
b). How far are sociologists justified in using a positivist approach to understand social reality? Explain with suitable illustrations.
c). How is sociology related to common sense?
-
Answer the following:
a). How do qualitative and quantitative methods supplement each other in sociological enquiry?
b). Critically examine the dialectics involved in each mode of production as propounded by Karl Marx.
c). Do you agree with Max Weber's idea that bureaucracy has the potential to become an iron cage? Justify your answer.
-
Answer the following:
a). Explain the concept of social mobility. Describe with suitable illustrations how education and social mobility are related to each other.
b). How has the idea of Work from Home' forced us to redefine the formal and informal organisation of work?
c). With suitable examples, explain how conformity and deviance coexist in a society as proposed by R.K. Merton.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Answer the following:
a). Explain the emerging challenges in establishing gender equality in the informal sector.
b). Critically examine the relevance of Vilfredo Pareto's theory of Circulation of Elites in the present scenario.
c). Critically compare the views of E.B. Tylor and Max Muller on Religion.
d). What is cult? Explain the growth of cults in the contemporary world.
e). Do you think Talcott Parsons gave an adequate theory of social change? Justify your answer.
-
Answer the following:
a). Elucidate the main problems and challenges faced by the migrant labourers in the recent 'Lockdown period'.
b). Explain how political parties and pressure groups are dialectically related to each other in terms of achieving their goals.
c). Give your comments on the growth of religious revivalism in the present-day context.
-
Answer the following:
a). Explain how the pattern of patriarchy is being altered in a family and at the workplace in the present context.
b). Critically examine the contribution of dependency theories in understanding the present global scenario.
c). Explain the growing salience of ethnicity in the contemporary world with illustrations.
-
Answer the following:
a). Discuss the changing nature of kinship relations in the contemporary world.
b). Describe the role of Science and Technology in enabling us to face the challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
c). Highlight the roles and functions of civil society in a democratic system.
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following:
a). Caste system studies in India have been dominated by the "book-view" initially, how did the entry of "field-view" bring about a balance in the study of Indian caste system? Discuss.
b). What does Dr. B. R. Ambedkar mean by the concept of “Annihilation of caste"?
c). Discuss different forms of kinship system in India.
d). Critically examine briefly the phrase "Little 'Republics” as used to denote India's villages.
e). Caste-like formations are present in Non-Hindu religious communities as well. Discuss with examples.
-
Answer the following:
a). What is identity politics? Discuss the main trends in Dalit movements in India.
b). Is Indian society moving from "Hierarchy" towards "differentiation"? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.
c). Discuss the salient features of 'new middle class' in India.
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Answer the following:
a). Discuss in detail the major contribution of Prof. Yogendra Singh in theorizing India's modernization.
b). Examine the factors responsible for the rural unrest in contemporary India.
c). Discuss the changing dimensions of family structure in urban India.
-
Answer the following:
a). What are the sociological reasons and implication of “reverse migration" during the recent pandemic in India?
b). Discuss the main features of the debate between G. S. Ghurye and V. Elwin on tribal development.
c). What are the various forms of untouchability in India? Critically examine.
SECTION ‘B’
-
Answer the following:
a). Analyze the idea of developmental planning in India.
b). Comment on the role of co-operatives in rural development.
c). Urban slums are sites of social exclusion - explain.
d). Does regionalism essentially lead to decentralization of power? Substantiate your answer with relevant examples.
e). Discuss the role of technology in agrarian change in India.
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Answer the following:
a). Explain the sociological significance of the New Education Policy and its thrust on vocationalization and skill development.
b). Is 'ageing an emerging issue in Indian society? Discuss the major problems of the old age people in India.
c). Underline the socio-cultural factors) responsible for India's skewed sex-ratio.
-
Answer the following:
a). The problem of displacement is inherent in the idea of development. Analyze the statement critically.
b). Rising 'ethnocentricism' is leading to conflict in our society. Assess this statement with appropriate reasons.
c). Is social democracy a precondition for political democracy? Comment.
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Answer the following:
a). Discuss the role of social media in communal polarization. Suggest ways to combat it.
b). Urban settlements in India tend to replicate its rural caste-kinship imprints. Discuss the main reasons.
c). Does "economic empowerment" automatically bring about "substantive empowerment" for women? Briefly describe the main issues in women empowerment in India.
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following:
a). How did the intellectual forces lead to the emergence of sociology? Discuss.
b). Is sociology a value-free science? Discuss.
c). Methodology is a system of rules, principles and procedures, which forms. scientific investigation. Comment.
d). 'Ideal Types of Max Weber are mental constructs, they do not correspond to the reality. Give your views.
e). Analyse the relevance of 'Pattern variables' in the study of social change.
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Answer the following:
a). What are the reactions of R.K. Merton to the functionalism of social anthropologists? Bring out the limitations of latent functions.
b). How are Hierarchy and Exclusion the major impediments in the transformation of societies? Discuss.
c). Explain democracy as an order of society. What are the factors preventing people's participation in politics?
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Answer the following:
a). Capitalism has brought increasing informalisation of work in society. Substantiate your answer.
b). Critically Analyse Durkheim's views on elementary forms of religious life and role of religion Also discuss the consequences of religious revivalism in contemporary society.
c). Discuss the consequences of Across Region marriage on kinship system in modern Indian society.
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Answer the following:
a). Is humanity at the mercy of Nature, Science and Technology? Comment in the light of pandemic situation.
b). According to Durkheim, "The major function of education is the transmission of society's norms and values." Discuss.
c). Critically assess social mobility in closed and open systems.
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). In the context of globalisation, has the scope of sociology been changing India? Comment.
b). Discuss the importance and sources of hypothesis in social research.
c). What are the problems in observing social facts in Durkheim's views?
d). State the reasons for the various religious beliefs and practices in pre-modern societies.
e). Does the institution of marriage continue to be sacred in Indian society? Comments.
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Answer the following:
a). Discuss the new labour codes and their impact on formal and informal labour in India.
b). According to Mills, "Elites rule in institutional terms rather than psychological terms." Comment.
c). Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of social survey methods in social research.
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Answer the following:
a). Technology has accelerated the process of development and dependency. Discuss.
b). Phenomenological perspectives in sociology reject many of the assumptions of positivism. Comment.
c). Critically assess the Marxian theory of 'Alienation'."
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Answer the following:
a). How does Marx view social conflict as an essential element in social change?
b). What is the impact of gender division of labour on the development of society?
c). Examine how social movements come to an end. Illustrate with examples.
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
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Answer the following:
a). Elaborate A. R. Desai's perspective to the study of Indian society.
b). "Banning practice of 'Sati' is attributed to annihilation of a major social evil in colonial India." Comment.
c). How do you justify Dumont's deliberate stress on ideology that produce intellectualized account of Indian society?
d). Explain the definitional problems concerning the tribal communities in India.
e). "Secularism was an outcome of 20th century humanistic radicalism." Comment on this statement.
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Answer the following:
a). "Indian caste system is unique and has been unhealthy for the growth of sociology of India." How far do you agree with this view?
b). Discuss Whitehead's contention that caste has potential to displace class and colonial contradiction.
c). "Indian rural society is a faction-ridden society." Discuss.
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Answer the following:
a). Examine the colonial policy of segregation of tribes under the Government of India Act, 1935.
b). Discuss the dynamics of 'migrant workers' in India in the context of Corona pandemic.
c). How does Andre Beteille justify 'middle class in India?
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Answer the following:
a). Discuss the conceptual issues about lineage and descent in India. Give suitable illustrations.
b). Analyze household dimensions of family in India.
c). Write a note on cultural pluralism in multi-religious society like India.
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). Point out the benefits of 'green chemistry' for agrarian transformation in India.
b). Analyze the issues related to the citizenship in contemporary India. Give suitable illustrations.
c). Give an account of the consequences and remedies of chronic malnutrition in India.
d). How does the New Education Policy, 2020 aim to eradicate disparities in the system of education in India?
e). What do you understand by democratic federalism? How does it promote decentralization of power in India?
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Answer the following:
a). Discuss in detail the main issues of development planning in mixed economy like India
b). Do you think MSP (Minimum Support Price) Scheme for agriculture can help in rural development? Elaborate your response with suitable examples.
c). How can skill development programme induce social change? Illustrate.
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Answer the following:
a). Elaborate the causes, consequences and other concerns of growth of urban settlements in India.
b). Evaluate the nature and scope of anthropogenic influence on Climate in India and also analyze the environmental movements arising out of it.
c). Are the contemporary farmers' movements in India changing their course? Discuss.
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Answer the following:
a). Colonial administrators helped to construct the very traditionalism which marked the Indian society as "backward'. Comment critically.
b). What were the salient features of the India's Population Policy (2000)? How far its goals have been achieved?
c). Point out the main causes of ‘child labour' in India. How far the State policies have succeeded in its elimination?
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
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Answer the following:
a). Discuss the historical antecedents of the emergence of Sociology as a discipline.
b). Davis and Moore made it clear that social stratification is a functional necessity and also an unconscious device. Discuss.
c). What is the Marxist concept of ‘fetishism of commodities’ ?
d). Present a sociological review on the ‘new middle class’.
e). Explain the probability sampling strategies with examples.
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Answer the following:
a). According to Mead, “We play a key role in our own socialization.”
b). Bring out the significance of Ethnography in social research.
c). What is ‘reserve army of labour’ ? Present the position of feminist scholars on this.
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Answer the following:
a). Discuss the importance of interpretative understanding of social phenomena and explain its limitations.
b). Are all world religions patriarchal? Substantiate your answer with examples.
c). What, according to Merton, is the difference between ‘unanticipated consequences’ and ‘latent functions’? Give examples to elaborate.
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Answer the following:
a). Modernization presupposes class society; however, caste, ethnicity and race are still predominant. Explain.
b). Compare and contrast the contributions of Marx and Weber on social stratification in capitalist society.
c). What, according to Irawati Karve, are the Major difference between North Indian and South Indian Kinship system?
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). Differentiate between ‘Life-chances’ and ‘Life-style’ with suitable examples.
b). Discuss the issues of access and exclusion in higher education in India.
c). What is civil society? Present a note on civil society engagement with science and technology policy in India.
d). Critique A.G. Frank’s ‘development of underdevelopment’.
e). How well do you think Tonnies, Durkheim, Weber and Marx predicted the character of Modern society? Critique.
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Answer the following:
a). Why is gender a dimension of social stratification? How does gender intersect other dimensions of inequality based on caste, class, race and ethnicity?
b). What are the theoretical models of societal power? Which one of them is most applicable in advanced industrial societies?
c). What is affirmative action? Substantiate theoretical positions on affirmative actions with example.
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Answer the following:
a). What is ‘informal labour’ ? Discuss the need for and challenges in regulating informal labour in the post-industrial society.
b). Feminist scholars argue that ‘New media’ is masculine and hence reinforces structural hierarchies rather than reconfiguring them. Comment.
c). Discuss the concept of circulation of elite.
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Answer the following:
a). In the light of judicial intervention on ‘Live-in relationships’, discuss the future of marriage and family in India.
b). How, according to Merton, are deviant subcultures generated?
c). How is terrorism a new form of asymmetrical warfare? What are some of the challenges in trying to win the war on terrorism?
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
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Answer the following:
a). Elaborate Srinivas’s views on religion and society among the Coorgs.
b). Illustrate the contribution of the Tebhaga Movement to the peasants struggle in India.
c). Examine the changing initiatives of the land tenure system in India.
d). Write a note on Ghurye’s conception of caste in India.
e). Comment on the growing assertion of tribal community for autonomy in India.
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Answer the following:
a). Critically examine Dube’s contributions to the study of Indian villages.
b). What is caste politics? Substantiate your answer with examples of how identities are defined by caste dynamics.
c). Do you think that the Indian saints have brought about social reform and awareness in Indian society? Explain.
-
Answer the following:
a). What is ethno-nationalism? Examine the critical factors responsible for tribal discontent in India.
b). Is industrial development in India a bane or a born to agrarian class structure? Substantiate your answer with suitable examples.
c). Give an account of Ranajit Guha’s approach in studying ‘subaltern class’.
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Answer the following:
a). Define patriarchy. Does it have bearings on women’s entitlement in Indian family system? Explain.
b). How do you understand the ‘minority’ question? Examine the violence and discrimination against the religious minorities in India.
c). What do you understand by LGBTQ? Comment on the issues concerning their marriage rights.
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). Comment on the critical issues of commercialization of higher education in India.
b). Discuss the challenges in Implementing the Rural Development Programmes in India.
c). Elaborate urbanism as a way of life in India.
d). Comment on the changing democratic profile of India.
e). Elucidate the concerns of growing urban displacement dynamics in India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Examine the importance of Development Planning in India Mixed Economy, and analyze its problems and prospects.
b). Highlight the main features of the ‘Inter-linking of Rivers’ project in India. What could be its probable advantages to Indian agriculture?
c). Has reduction of green cover affected ecological degradation leading to global warming? Elaborate your answer with illustration.
-
Answer the following:
a). Do you think that ‘demonetization’ has accelerated the economic growth in India? How do you understand the informalization of labour, underemployment and gender discrimination in this context?
b). Discuss the implications of ‘Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan’. Do you think that civil society has a role to play here? Substantiate your answer with example.
c). Do you agree that social movements are caused by opportunity structures that are generated by media? Why?
-
Answer the following:
a). Why has ‘Active aging’ become a global goal? Do you agree that the role of elderly care-giving is disproportionately gendered in developing countries? Why?
b). What is the POSH Act? “Identification of tormentor by women at workplace does not come easily even today”. Examine the statement with substantive examples from India.
c). What is ‘social security’? Examine recent security measures adopted by the Government in India.
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following:
a). The focal point of sociology rests on interaction. How do you distinguish it from common sense?
b). Distinguish between fact and value in Weber's Protestant Ethic ad Spirit of Capitalism.
c). Do you think T and Me are central terms in Mead's work?
d). What is the difference between natural and social inequality examples from caste and class dimensions.
e). What are the new forms of family in developed societies? Discuss.
-
Answer the following:
a). Is non-positivistic methodology scientific? Illustrate.
b). Explain Durkheim's basic arguments on suicide. Can you analyse high suicide rates of contemporary Indian society with Durkheim's theory?
c). Evaluate if social stratification is functional for society.
-
Answer the following:
a). Does the collapse of functionalism and bankruptcy of Marxism coincide with the rupture of modernity? Discuss.
b). Define patriarchy. How does patriarchy manifest in interpersonal relations?
c). What is the difference between anomie in Merton and Durkheim? Explain.
-
Answer the following:
a). According to Marx, how are human beings alienated from their human potential and what does he suggest to change this?
b). Schooling does not ensure upward mobility of all members of this society. Discuss with reference in class societies.
c). Discuss the challenges thrown by religious revivalism to a secular nation-state.
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). Is the theory of cultural lag valid in present times? Discuss.
b). Are social movements primordial in means and progressive in agenda? Explain.
c). Does scientific method make Sociology a Science? Illustrate your answer with Durkheim's method.
d). Distinguish between qualitative techniques of data collection with suitable examples from Indian society.
e). In social mobility possible in closed systems of stratification? Illustrate from research work.
-
Answer the following:
a). Discuss the nature of social organization of work in capitalist society with reference to the Limits of the working day.
b). Distinguish between family and household with reference to the concept of development of the household.
c). Explain with examples, the explanatory and exploratory designs of social research.
-
Answer the following:
a). How can Parsons' AGIL framework be used to analyse key problems is a society? Discuss.
b). What is labour commitment? Discuss it with reference to studies of manufacturing industry.
c). What, according to Pareto, are the basic characteristics of elites? Discuss
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Answer the following:
a). “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relationship between the two in a society.” – C.W.Mills . Explain.
b). What are sects? Discuss their role in multi-religious societies with empirical examples.
c). In what way did Durkheim perceive religion as functional to society?
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following:
a). Write a note on G.S.Ghurye’s Indological perspective of understanding Indian society.
b). Give a critical analysis of Andre Beteille’s study of Tanjore village.
c). Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. Discuss.
d). Write a note on the changing roles of middle-class women in India.
e). Discuss the growth of religious sects in India.
-
Answer the following:
a). Analyse A.R. Desai’s views on India’s path of development.
b). Examine sociological dynamics of Champaran Peasant Movement in colonial India.
c). How do the recommendations of Swaminathan Commissions (2004-2006) ensure food and nutrition security for the Indian masses?
-
Answer the following:
a). What do you understand by discrete castes and muddled hierarchies? Substantiate your answer with suitable illustrations.
b). Discuss development induced displacement in the context of tribal uprising in India. Substantiate your answer with any one detailed illustration from India.
c). Illustrate the importance of ‘Kanyadan’ and ‘Kulabadhu’ in changing institution of marriage and family.
-
Answer the following:
a). How has the New Economic Policy (1991) affected the lifestyle and life changed in new middle class in India.
b). Write a critical narrative on the concerns of religious minorities in India.
c). Discuss the issues relating to the entitlement of transgender in Indian society.
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). Elaborate the concept of constitutional morality as given by B.R.Ambedkar.
b). Construct a sociological narrative on the increasing trend of child abuse in India.
c). Explain the dynamics of neo-farmers movement in contemporary India.
d). Assess the role of the State in promoting education of girl child.
e). Elaborate the ‘Me Too’ Movement and its impact in India.
-
Answer the following:
a). How do you relate the growth of development of metropoles and its impact on the mental and social life of people in India.
b). Has Green Revolution led to the formation of new power elite in rural India? Elaborate your answer.
c). Write a note on Basic Services to Urban Poet (BSUP) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development (IHSD) programme provided for the urban poor.
-
Answer the following:
a). Has caste system hindered democracy and adult franchise in India. Discuss.
b). Elaborate various forms of Dalit assertions in contemporary India? Discuss.
c). With increase in education and economic development is Indian society becoming more secular.
-
Answer the following:
a). What are the issues relating to male migration and its impact on birthrate? Does it necessarily result in skewed sex ratio?
b). Western patriarchy which surrenders feminine principles is the development project in India. Do you agree with this view? Why?
c). Assess the impact of ban on ‘Triple Talak’ on marriage and divorce among the Muslim community in India.
Paper-1
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following:
a). Explain how sociology has emerged as a distinct discipline based on rationality and scientific tamper.
b). Examine ethnomethodological and phenomenological perspective as critique of positivism.
c). Illustrate with example the significance of variables in sociology research.
d). Critically analyse Talcott Parsons conception of pattern variable’.
e). Can we equate ‘poverty’ with ‘poor living’? Elaborate your answer.
-
Answer the following:
a). Discuss the changing equation of discipline of sociology with other social sciences.
b). Examine the basic postulates of positivism and post-positivism.
c). Elaborate the main tenets of interpretative perspective in sociology.
-
Answer the following:
a). Discuss distinct sociological method adopted by Emile Durkheim in his study of ‘suicide’.
b). Analyse Marxian conception of historical materialism as a critique of Hegelian dialectics.
c). Examine epistemological foundation of qualitative methods of social research.
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Answer the following:
a). What is Weberian critique of Marxist notion of social stratification.
b). Examine gender. Ethnicity and race as major dimensions of social stratification.
c). How can one resolve the issue of reliability and validity in the context of sociological research on inequality?
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). What do you understand by informalisation of labour ‘? Write your answer with special reference to India.
b). Discuss the changing interface between state and civil society in post-independent India.
c). Give an assessment of Durkheimian notion of ‘scared’ and ‘profane’ in sociology of religion.
d). Examine ‘patriarchal bargain’ as gendered division of work in contemporary India.
e). Assess the role of mass media as an agent of social change.
-
Answer the following:
a). Trace the changing nature of organisation of work in capitalist society over the years.
b). What is new in ‘new social movement ‘? Elaborate your answer with special reference to India.
c). Examine the dynamics of pressure groups in multi-party political system.
-
Answer the following:
a). Examine the relationship between the contemporary trends in marriage and the changing form of family.
b). Discuss the regional variations of kinship system in Indian society.
c). Problematise the concept if secularism in the present context.
-
Answer the following:
a). Examine any two theories of social change in detail society.
b). Critically analyse the role of science and technology in bringing about social change.
c). Elaborate on various types of religious practices prevalent in India society.
Paper-2
SECTION ‘A’
-
Answer the following:
a). Write a critique of the structural and functional perspective used by M.N. Srinivas in the understanding of Indian society.
b). Which is more significant, the principle of ‘hierarchy’ or the principle of difference; in intercaste relations in the present day?
c). What are the distinct features of Islam as practiced in India, and how have they changed over time?
d). How have the struggles against untouchability changed their forms and perspective from Gandhian to Ambedkarite positions?
e). Write a short note on changing means of production and increased rural poverty.
-
Answer the following:
a). The main objective of socio- religious movement during the colonial rule in India were reforming and synthesizing Hinduism. Write an any two such important movement.
b). Discuss Yogendra Singh's thesis on Modernization of Indian Tradition. And evaluate its applicability in the present-day context.
c). What are the changes in the cultural and structural aspects of the caste system since independence?
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Answer the following:
a). Indebtedness is one of the serious issues leading to farmers’ suicides. Discuss reasons and suggest solutions.
b). Clarify the distinction between “household” and “family” and evaluate Whether joint families have completely disintegrated.
c). Compare the north Indian kinship System with the South Indian kinship system.
-
Answer the following:
a). Explain the concepts of dominant caste’ and ‘vote’ bank giving examples from specific regions.
b). What is the nature of religious change among tribal communities? Illustrate with two examples from colonial and post-independence times.
c). Compare the pressing problems of a dalit poor family living in an urban slum with a similar type of family living in a rural setting.
SECTION ‘B’
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Answer the following:
a). What are the reasons for the escalation of violence against women in the public domain?
b). Write a note on Education and equality in India.
c). Give an account of the problems relating to the “creamy layer”.
d). Do you agree that the issue of child labour raises questions about and beyond the informal sector? Give reasons.
e). What are the Emerging concerns on women’s reproductive health?
-
Answer the following:
a). Discuss some of the striking issues of development induced imbalances that need urgent attention.
b). Examine the impact of heritage tourism on urban socio-spatial patterns in India.
c). What are the causes and solutions for the low female sex-ratio in the DEMARU States of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, and Gujarat?
-
Answer the following:
a). Despite gains from the women’s gender movement and states policy of women empowerment, gender equality is far from achieved. Identify two major challenges that prevent this goal from being reached.
b). To what extent does nation building depends on strengthening of pluralities in Indian society?
c). Explain the issue relating to ethnicity and sub-ethnicity.
-
Answer the following:
a). What is cultural Revivalism? Give some examples from performing arts, language dissemination and arts crafts in recent times.
b). What, according to you are the two fundamental axes of social discrimination in Indian society? Are they changing?
c). Why have we started using another category of tribes called the Particularly Vulnerable Groups (PVTGs) Why are they so called?
