For a UPSC CSE aspirant, the optional subject is also an important subject. In the UPSC mains exam, optional marks have two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2. Each paper is of 250 marks which makes a total of 500 marks. The UPSC optional subject list contains 48 subjects in total, one of which is Sociology.

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SYLLABUS FOR PAPER I

1. Sociology – The Discipline

• Modernity and social changes in Europe and the emergence of sociology
• Sociology and common sense
• Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences

2. Sociology as Science:

• Major theoretical strands of research methodology
• Science, scientific method and critique
• Positivism and its critique
• Non- positivist methodologies
• Fact value and objectivity

3. Research Methods and Analysis:

• Quantitative, and qualitative methods
• Variables, hypothesis, sampling, reliability, and validity
• Techniques of data collection

4. Sociological Thinkers:

• Karl Marx- Historical materialism, alienation, mode of production, class struggle
• Max Weber- Social action, authority, ideal types, bureaucracy, the spirit of capitalism, and the protestant ethic
• Emile Durkheim- Division of labor, suicide, social fact, religion, and society
• Talcott Parsons- Social system, pattern variables
• Mead – Self, and identity
• Robert K. Merton- Latent and manifest functions, conformity and deviance, reference groups

5. Stratification and Mobility:

• Concepts- equality, hierarchy, inequality, exclusion, deprivation, and poverty
• Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity, and race
• Theories of social stratification- Structural functionalist theory, Weberian theory, Marxist theory
• Social mobility- open and closed systems, types of mobility, causes of mobility, and sources

6. Works and Economic Life:

• The social organization of work in different types of society- slave society, industrial /capitalist society, feudal society
• Labour and society
• Formal and informal organization of work

7. Politics and Society:

• Sociological theories of power
• The power elite, pressure groups, bureaucracy, and political parties
• Nation, state, democracy, citizenship, ideology, civil society
• The protest, social movements, agitation, collective action, revolution

8. Religion and Society:

• Sociological theories of religion
• Religion in modern society: religion and science, religious revivalism, secularization, fundamentalism
• Types of religious practices: animism, pluralism, sects, monism, cults

9. Systems of Kinship:

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

10. Social Change in Modern Society:

• Sociological theories of social change
• Agents of social change
• Education and social change
• Development and dependency
• Technology, science, and social change

SYLLABUS FOR PAPER II

A. Introducing Indian Society

(i) Perspectives on the study of Indian society:

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

(ii) Impact of colonial rule on Indian society:

• The social background of Indian nationalism
• Protests and movements during the colonial period
• Modernization of Indian tradition
• Social reforms

B. Social Structure:

(i) Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:

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

(ii) Caste System:

• Features of the caste system
• Perspectives on the study of caste systems: GS Ghurye, Louis Dumont, M N Srinivas, Andre Beteille
• Untouchability – perspectives, and forms

(iii) Tribal communities in India:

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

(iv) Social Classes in India:

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

(v) Systems of Kinship in India:

• Types of kinship systems
• Lineage and descent in India
• Household dimensions of the family
• Family and marriage in India

(vi) Religion and Society:

• Religious communities in India
• Patriarchy, entitlements, and the sexual division of labor
• Problems of religious minorities

C. Social Changes in India:

(i) Visions of Social Change in India:

• The idea of development planning and a mixed economy
• Education and social change
• Constitution, social change, and law

(ii) Rural and Agrarian transformation in India:

• Programmes of rural development, Programme, cooperatives, Community Development, poverty alleviation schemes
• Changing modes of production in Indian agriculture
• Green revolution and social change
• Problems of rural labour, bondage, migration

(iii) Industrialization and Urbanisation in India:

• Growth of urban settlements in India
• Evolution of modern industry in India
• Working-class: structure, growth, class mobilization
• Slums and deprivation in urban areas
• In the informal sector, child labor

(iv) Politics and Society:

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

(v) Social Movements in Modern India:

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

(vi) Population Dynamics:

• Population size, composition, growth, and distribution
• Population policy and family planning
• Components of population growth: birth, death, migration
• Emerging issues: aging, sex ratios, child and infant mortality, reproductive health

(vii) Challenges of Social Transformation:

• Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems, and sustainability
• Violence against women
• Caste conflicts
• Poverty, deprivation, and inequalities
• Illiteracy and disparities in education
• Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism