Roll No.

64
SAP ID: 500076620
UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND ENERGY STUDIES
End Semester Examination, July 2020
Open Book – Through Blackboard Learning Management System

Course: Sociology (CLNL 1029) Semester: II

Programme- BALLB

Time: 03 hrs. Max. Marks: 100

Instructions:
As this examination is in open-book format, the students are expected to demonstrate a very high degree of Academic Integrity
and not copy contents from resources referred. Instructors would look for understanding of the concept by the students and any
similarity found from resources online/ offline shall be penalized in terms of deduction of marks and even cancellation of paper
in requisite cases. The online examination committee of the School would also look for similarity of two answer scripts and if
answer scripts of two or more students are found similar, both the answer scripts shall be treated as copied and lead to
cancellation of the paper. In view of the aforesaid points, the students are warned that they should desist from using any unfair means.

All Questions are Compulsory

Answer each question in not more than 500 words

S. No. Marks CO
1 All Societies divide their world in sacred and profane. All societies whether
primitive or modern believe in the supernatural. Discuss the role played by religion 20 2,3
in modern and simple societies as per the functionalists.
Ans.

2 “Many theories of deviance are based on official statistics provided by police, courts
and various government departments. If we draw social characteristics of the deviant
based on these characteristics we will safely conclude that is committed by people of 20 2,3
lower strata and people who are poor”. Critically analyse the above statement with
reference to white-collar crimes.
Ans.
3 “Deviance is very relative concept, it is very subjective and it is also culturally
determined”. In the light of above statement, how deviance is culturally determined 20 2,3,4
and varies over time and space.
Ans.
4 The ultimate purpose of education is to to produce a hardworking, docile, obedient
and highly motivated workforce, which is too divided and fragmented to challenge
20 3,4
the authority of the government/management. Identify the above theory on education
and discuss its critiques.
Ans.
5 Caste in India is a master signifier. It is the principle basis of social stratification.
20 2,3,4
Compare and contrast Gandhi and Ambedkar’s view’s on caste.
Ans.

I, ……………………………………………., understand that submitting work that isn’t

my own may result in failure in this paper and I may also be subject to
Disciplinary Proceedings as per the Academic Integrity policy of the University.

ANSWERS
A1) All Societies divide their world in sacred and profane. All societies whether primitive or
modern believe in the supernatural.

 Religion has always been one of the most important aspect in today’s world and even
earlier.
 It as usual played a great role in the modern and simple societies.
 The functionalist view of religion has its roots in the works of Durkheim.
 Durkheim considered religion as the celebration and even (self-) worship of human
society.
 Also, he argued that there are three major functions of religion in the society :-
 (i) Religion acts as a fixative in order to maintain social solidarity through shared rituals
and beliefs.
 (ii) Social control to enforce religious-based morals and norms to help maintain
conformity and control in society.
 (iii) It offers us the answer to any existential questions.
 Durkheim also said that religion is the expression of the society itself and there is no
society without a religion.
 We perceive as individuals a force greater than ourselves and give that perception a
supernatural face.
 Durkheim also said that less complex societies have less complex religious systems
certain clans such as the Australian Aborigines.
 The more complex a particular society is, the more complex the religious system will be.
 Societies come in contact with other societies, there is a tendency for religious systems
to emphasize universalism to a greater and greater extent.
 Societies which are simple are also known as primitive society which is the earliest
forms of human societies.
  “No society is there where religion is absent” this statement given by Durkheim is quite
true if we analyse the religious system of different societies of different time period.
 No such concept was there such as religion back.
 The religious system was less complex therefore If we analyse the theory of Durkheim
we will be able to do implications that the religious system was very less complex there
were no idol worshipping but still the belief of a supernatural force existed.
 Modern societies can be distinguished and identified by rise of science, emphasis on
reason and rationality, belief in progress.
 The appearance and arrival of scientific temper among the people has certainly reduced
the role of religion among the younger people but as the society has grown over the
years the modern society is quite complex in nature in contrast to the simple societies.
 As a result, according to Durkheim the religious system is quite complex in the modern
societies.
 Practices such as idol worship are quite basic and common.
 There have also been many religious wars and riots due to the existence of many
different religions.
 Eg:- The war of Constantinople between the Ottomans and the Roman Empire, The
Babri Masjid riots in India.
 Ultimately, the primary disapproval or criticism of the functionalist theory to religion is
that it overlooks the problems associated with religion .
 For example, religion can be used to justify terrorism and violence. Religion has often
been the justification of, and motivation for war.
 This still promotes the functionalist idea of social cohesion in one sense as the people of
one particular sect maintain the social solidarity.

A2) “Many theories of deviance are based on official statistics provided by police, courts and
various government departments. If we draw social characteristics of the deviant based on
these characteristics we will safely conclude that is committed by people of lower strata and
people who are poor”

 In 1973, the publication brought to light the theory that people choose to be
deviant in response to the inequalities of the capitalist system.
 And at the same time other criminologists examined the laws and they argue
that these laws are used by the people who are treated as privileged in the
society in their favour.
 The ideas were rejected by them that laws are neutral and said that as the
inequalities increase between the working class and the ruling class the law
becomes more powerful tool for the ruling class.
  As a result, the criminal system becomes increasingly oppressive towards the
Working-class 'offenders'; or in tax legislation that disproportionately favoured
the wealthy.
 The powerful also break laws and are rarely caught.
 These crimes are on a much larger scale than the everyday crime and
delinquency.
 But the law enforcement, fearing these 'white collar' criminals, focuses on less
powerful members of the society, such as prostitutes, drug users and petty
thieves.
 The term ‘white-collar crime’ was first coined by Edwin Sutherland.
 A white-collar criminal is a person who because of their occupation , gains
respectability and high social status to perpetrate an offense.
 Sutherland exposed crime by people who were considered as almost higher or
superior, and who apparently did not need to offend as a means of survival.
 People who were in business and professionals frequently commit crimes with
little fear of facing criminal justice scrutiny.
 The person committing the crimes belongs to the elite class or higher class and
exploits his or her position to commit financial crime.
 For eg, there can be organisational crime committed by big corporate
companies in times of war or exploiting environment, etc.
 Other examples of white collar crimes are securities fraud, embezzlement,
corporate fraud, and money laundering.
 Such crimes are committed by these people not to earn livelihood or for their
survival. They do not consider themselves as individual criminals but a whole
community builder. It usually involves breaking of trust for personal or
organisation gains such As obtaining money and property.
Because of this, it can be said that the crimes committed in the society are not
necessarily committed by people of lower strata and people who are poor.
A3) DEVIANCE:
Deviance is a conduct that violates social norms and causes negative social reactions.
Some conducts are so harmful which basically are known as CRIMES and as a result
government enacted laws which are written that can stop this kind of conduct. CRIME is
the conduct that violates the laws written by the government and is an important type
of deviance that concerns people.

 Behaviour or conduct which are considered as deviant in one location may be

considered non deviant in another.
 In cultural deviation, one departs from the norms of a culture or basically do not follow
the rules and regulations of a culture and tries to break it.
 Variations are also there in the definition of deviance within a culture aur between
subcultures of a subgroup
 It is RELATIVE IN TIME which is a behaviour in a society which may be considered
deviant in one period of time but was considered deviant many years later.
(ii) Eg: Before 1900's many people used cocaine and various other drugs which were
commonly used by the people to overcome common symptoms for insomnia,
depression, migraines, toothaches, to release stress and tensions, menstrual
cramps etc. but now they are not acceptable in a society and is illegal to use
them, they might end up in jail for more than 2 years in some countries.
(iii) Free interactions between the sexes were not considered deviant in a
Cosmopolitan City where as in a village or a small town it was considered as a
deviance but now as time is passing by there are changes.
 It is RELATIVE IN SPACE which is a given behaviour which may be considered deviant to
some subgroups but acceptable in another.
(I) Sexual behaviour or conduct in earlier times were criticized in some
societies but were often practiced in other.
(II) In some cultures having more than one wife is allowed and in some other
societies monogamy is strictly proscribed and marrying more than one
woman is a socially and legally punishable offence.
 Strain Theory:
 In 1960s, as an extension of the functionalist perspective on deviance, Robert K. Merton
developed Structural-Strain Theory.
 Merton’s typology of deviance was based on two criteria:
 (1)a person’s motivations or adherence to cultural goals
 (2)a person’s belief in how to attain goals
 His theory described the differences between socially accepted goals and the availability
of means to achieve those goals.
 According to this theory, society is made of both culture and social structure. Culture
sets goals for people in the society while social structure provides or fails to provide the
means for people to achieve those goals.
 In a well-integrated society, people use appropriate and accepted means to achieve the
goals that society sets. Therefore, the goals and the means of the society are in balance.
 The deviance happens when the goals and means are not in balance with each
other.
 Merton said there are five types of deviances that people show:
 (1)Innovation- Innovators accept society's goals but reject socially acceptable means of
achieving them. For example, money is gained through crime.
 (2)Conformity- Conformists are those who accept society's goals and the socially
acceptable means of achieving the. For example, money is gained through hard work.
  (3)Ritualism- Ritualists reject society’s goals, but accept society's socially acceptable
means.
 (4)Retreatism- Retreatists reject the society's goals and the socially acceptable means to
achieve them.

 (5)Rebellion- Rebels reject the society's goals and also the socially acceptable means to
achieve them. Instead they create new goals and new ways to ways to achieve these
goals that other rebels will find acceptable. For examples, terrorists, freedom fighters,
etc.

A4) “The ultimate purpose of education is to produce a hardworking, dutiful, obedient and
highly motivated workforce, which is too divided and fragmented to challenge the authority of
the government/management”.

 This theory was set forth by the leftist philosopher Karl Marx.
 He further pronounced that the state which is dominated by the bourgeoisie uses
education as an institution to furthermore exploit the already exploited Proletariats and
the state uses education in such a way that it reduces the questioning ability of the
Proletariats against the establishment.
 Orthodox Marxists see the education system as working in the interests of ruling class
elites.
 According to the Marxist perspective on education, the system performs three functions
for these elites:
(I) It propagates and increases class inequality.
(II) It legitimates class inequality.
(III)It works in the interests of capitalist employers.
The propagation and reproduction of class inequality:-

 This means that class inequalities are carried from one generation to the next.
 Middle class and not so rich parents use their material and cultural capital in making
sure that their children get into the best schools and the top sets.
 This means that the wealthier students tend to get the best education and then go onto
to get middle class jobs.
 Meanwhile working class children are more likely to get a poorer standard of education
and end up in working class jobs.
 In this way class inequality propagates or reproduced.
The Act of class inequality:-

 Marxists proclaimed that in reality money determines how good an education you get,
but people do not realize this because schools spread the ‘myth of meritocracy’ – in
 school we learn that we all have an equal chance to succeed and that our grades
depend on our effort and ability.
 And if we fail, we believe it is our own fault or mistake.
 This legitimates or justifies the system because we think it is fair when in reality it is not.
 This has the effect of administration of the working classes – if children grow up
believing they have had a fair chance then they are less likely to rebel and try to change
society as part of a Marxist revolutionary movement.

Teaching the skills future capitalist employers need:-

 Capitalistic agendas are taught through the ‘Hidden Curriculum’.
 The Hidden Curriculum consists of those things that student learns through the
experience of attending school rather than the main curriculum subjects taught at the
school.
 Students learn those values that are important for them to draw the line in the low
grade manual jobs.
Criticism of this theory:-

 Students who are of working class are not entirely formed by the capitalist
system, and do not imply everything that they are taught.
 Education can harm the Bourgeoisie as it acts as a discharging force in the
society by making people aware.
 Also many left wing, Marxist activists are educated people.
 The above concept and ideas may not be as applicable in today’s complex
labour market where employers increasingly require workers to be able to
think rather than to just be passive robots.

A5) SOCIAL STRATIFICATION basically means a society which is divided into groups of people of
different caste, income, race, gender, occupation, income, SOCIAL STATUS etc.

 Social stratification is one of the consequences of the continuous happening of social

processes.
 Every society is divided into different hierarchies.
 In every society, some people are regarded as more important than others who are
given more respect than others, either within the society as a whole.
 In this, society tends to keep going these differences in status, hence, through this
process, people are fixed in the structure of society.
 The origin of social stratification was based on two major theories. Functionalist and
conflict.
 The functionalist theory states that social stratification is mainly inherited in an
individual's differences in environmental conditions and on the other hand Conflict
 theory claims that economic factors are responsible for the happening of different social
strata.
 The system of social stratification on caste is based on religious and other strongly
rooted traditional belief that cannot be changed or are very difficult to change.
 This is the form of social stratification whereby classification of people into different
strata is made on the basis of usually religious and other very strong conventions/
traditions that are difficult to change.
Gandhi Ji believed in the functionalist theory and Dr. Ambedkar believed in conflict theory.
These concepts have been discussed in the book “Annihilation of caste” by BR. Ambedkar.
MAHATMA GANDHI:-

 Mahatma Gandhi believed that social stratification is inherited from human nature.
 He then said that the societies are divided on the basis of functioning.
 He believed in the concept of social differentiation.
 He believed that division of labour is required in the society for maintaining the stability
and the structure of the society.
 He implied that this division of labour is essential and functional. He also stated that the
traditions of heredity are established by the normative patterns.
 Gandhi said that these four divisions in society was an essential factor for social
organization.
 Gandhi also established that this concept of social stratification is something that
everyone is bound to follow. It is a universal concept.
 He tried to give this concept legitimation by attaching moral and religious values to it.
 He believed that this stratification doesn't confer to any privileges but it only defines
duties.
 He said that the division of people into strata was the best possible adjustment for
social stability and progress.
DR.BHIM RAO AMBEDKAR :

 Just like Karl Marx, Ambedkar also believed that the society is divided into two groups:
labour and capitalists.
 He himself belonged to a lower caste Hindu religion and faced extreme no. of
discrimination.
 He believed that there exists a huge gap between these two groups and social
stratification does nothing but further increases it.
 He considered Shastras, shrutis, Vedas and puranas as of normal people who should be
treated normally.
 He said that the society is divided on the basis of economic differentiation and caste
differentiation.
 He quoted, “it’s pity that caste still has its defenders."
 He said that caste system is not merely a division of labour, it is also a division of
labourers.
 He then argued that a civilized society does need a division of labour but in a society
there is no need to pack this 'division of labour' into unnatural airtight compartments.
 He therefore said that this stratification is not merely a division of laborers, it is in fact a
hierarchy in which this division of labourers is placed one above another.
 Till the very last breath, he fighter against the cruel act of Hinduism.