UPSC Sociology Syllabus 2021 For IAS Mains | PDF Download

IAS Exam has one of the optional subjects as Sociology. It has two papers (I & II), each of 250 marks summing up to 500 for the paper. Duration for each paper is 3 hours. It is easy to crack this optional subject for those who have a keen interest in Sociology. Paper-I is more subjective and deals with the theories of sociology. Paper-II deals by and large with Indian society. Below we have provided Sociology Optional Syllabus for UPSC Mains 2021. Download the complete syllabus PDF from here.

UPSC Sociology Syllabus – Paper I

Fundamentals of Sociology

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Research Methods and Analysis

• Qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Techniques of data collection.
• Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability and validity.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Systems of Kinship

• Family, household, marriage.
• Types and forms of family.
• Lineage and descent.
• Patriarchy and sexual division of labour.
• Contemporary trends.

10. 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.

UPSC Sociology Syllabus – Paper II

Indian Society: Structure and Change

A. Introducing Indian Society

(i) Perspectives on the study of Indian society:

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

(ii) 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.

B. Social Structure

(i) Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:

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

(ii) 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.

(iii) Tribal communities in India:

• Definitional problems.
• Geographical spread.
• Colonial policies and tribes.
• Issues of integration and autonomy.

(iv) Social Classes in India:

• Agrarian class structure.
• Industrial class structure.
• Middle classes in India.

(v) 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.

(vi) Religion and Society:

• Religious communities in India.
• Problems of religious minorities.

C. Social Changes in India:

(i) Visions of Social Change in India:

• Idea of development planning and mixed economy.
• Constitution, law and social change.
• Education and social change.

(ii) 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.

(iii) 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.

(iv) Politics and Society:

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

(v) Social Movements in Modern India:

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

(vi) 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.

(vii) 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.

UPSC Sociology Syllabus 2021 – PDF Download