Sociology

Syllabus For Sociology
Paper - I
Fundamentals Of Sociology

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Research Methods and Analysis:

(a) Qualitative and quantitative methods.

(b) Techniques of data collection.

(c) Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability and validity.

4. Sociological Thinkers

(a) Karl Marx- Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle.

(b) Emile Durkheim- 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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) Contemporary trends.

10. 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.

 

PAPER - II

INDIAN SOCIETY: STRUCTURE AND CHANGE

A. Introducing Indian Society:

(i) Perspectives on the study of Indian society:

(a) Indology (GS. Ghurye).

(b) Structural functionalism (M N Srinivas).

(c) Marxist sociology (A R Desai).

(ii) 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:

(i) 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.

(ii) Caste System:

(a) Perspectives on the study of caste systems: GS Ghurye, M N Srinivas, Louis

Dumont, Andre Beteille.

(b) Features of caste system.

(c) Untouchability - forms and perspectives.

(iii) Tribal communities in India:

(a) Definitional problems.

(b) Geographical spread.

(c) Colonial policies and tribes.

(d) Issues of integration and autonomy.

 

(iv) Social Classes in India:

(a) Agrarian class structure.

(b) Industrial class structure.

(c) Middle classes in India.

(v) 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.

(vi) Religion and Society:

(a) Religious communities in India.

(b) Problems of religious minorities.

C. Social Changes in India:

(i) 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.

(ii) 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.

(iii) 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.

(iv) 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

(v) Social Movements in Modern India:

(a) Peasants and farmers movements.

(b) Women’s movement.

(c) Backward classes & Dalit movement.

(d) Environmental movements.

(e) Ethnicity and Identity movements.

(vi) Population Dynamics:

(a) Population size, growth, composition and distribution.

(b) Components of population growth: birth, death, migration.

(c) Population policy and family planning.

(d) Emerging issues: ageing, sex ratios, child and infant mortality, reproductive

health.

(vii) 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.

 

RECOMMENDED BOOK LIST FOR SOCIOLOGY

PAPER - I

1.   Herton and Hunt, Sociology  Mcgraw- Hill International, Singapore 1984

2.   Abrahamson Mark, Urban Sociology  Prentice-Hall Inc, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1980 

3.   Haris C. C., The Sociology Enterprises : A Disscussion of Fundamental Concept  St. Martin Press Inc., New York, 1980

4.   Wilson John, Introduction to Social Movements  Basic Books, NY , 1998.

5.   Hamilton , Malcom, B. The Sociology of Religion  Routledge, London , 1995.

6.   Williams, Malcom, Science and Social Science : An Introduction  Routledge, London , 2000. 

7.   D.K.S. Roy, Social Development and the Empowerment of Mariginalised Groups: Perspectives and Strategies  Sage, New Delhi - 2001 

8.   Harris C.C., The Family  Allen and Unwin, London - 1977 

9.       Andreas Hess, Concept of Social Stratification, European and American Models  Palgrave, Houndmills, NY , 2001 

10.                Giddens, Anthony, Capitalisation and Modern Social Theory  University Press Cambridge, 1971 

11.                Smelser, N.J.The Sociology of Economic Life  Prentice Hall, New Delhi - 1988. 

12.                Haralombos, M, and Heald, R,M. Sociology : Themes and Perspectives  Oxford. Delhi - 1980. 

13.                Randall Collins, Theoretical Sociology  Harcourt Brace and Company, Florida, 1996. 

14.                Bottomore. T.B. Sociology : A GFuide of problem and Literature  Allen and Unwin, London - 1972. 

15.                Etzioni, Amitali, Modern Organization  Prentice Hall, NY, 1995 

16.                Cuff, Sharrock, and Francis, Perrspective in Sociology  Routledge, NY 1995 

PAPER - II

1.   Mandelbaum, David, Society in India  Press Berkreley, 1970 

2.   Srivnivas M N Caste in Modern India and Other Essays  Asia Publishing House, Bombay -1962 

3.   Srinivas M N Social Change in Modern India  Berkeley,University of California Press 1966 

4.   Srinivas and Shah, The Myth of the self sufficiency of the Indian Village  The Economic weekly, 12:1375-1378 

5.   Beteille Andre Sociology  Oxford, New Delhi - 2002 

6.   Beteille Andre, The idea of Natural, Inequality and other Essays  Oxford, Delhi - 1987 

7.   Beteille Andre, Essay in Contemporary Sociology  Oxford, Delhi- 1987 

8.   Beteille Andre, Social Inequality of Indian Penguine  London - 1978 

9.   Singh Yogender Cultural Change in India  Rawat, Jaipur, 2002 

10.                Singh Yogender, Modernization of Indian Tradition  Thompson Press, New Delhi - 1973. 

11.                Unnithan T K , Indra Dev and Singh, Y, (eds) Towards a Sociology of Culture in India  Prentice Hall, new Delhi - 1965 

12.                Gupta, Dipankar, Interrograting Caste  Penguine, New Delhi - 2000 

13.                Shah A M Family in Contempory India  Orient Longman, New Delhi - 2001 

14.                Chandrani and Chandrani, Essay in Rural Sociology  Rawat, Jaipur -2000 

15.                Desai, Neera, and Krishnaraj, Women and Society in India  New Delhi - 1990 

16.                Singer Milton and Cohen B.S. Structure and chasnge in Indian Society  Weener Grin Foundation for Anthropological Research 1968 

17.                Sharma K L (ed) Sociolo Inequilities in Indian , Profiles of Caste Class, Power and Sociol Mobility  Rawat, Jaipur 19945 

18.                Gallenter Masrc, Competing, Inequalities  Oxford, NY 1998 

19.                Joshi, P C Sociol Science and Development: Quest for Relevence