6.

Works and Economic Life : 

PAPER– I  (a) Social organization of work in different types of
FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIOLOGY  society – slave society, feudal society, industrial 
1. Sociology – The Discipline:  capitalist society. 
(a) Modernity and social changes in Europe and (b) Formal and informal organization of work.  
emergence of Sociology.  (c) Labour and society. 
(b) Scope of the subject and comparison with 7. Politics and Society: 
other social sciences.  (a) Sociological theories of power. 
(c) Sociology and common sense.  (b) Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups and
2. Sociology as Science:  political parties. 
(a) Science, scientific method and critique.  (c) Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil
(b) Major theoretical strands of research society, ideology. 
methodology.  (d) Protest, agitation, social movements, collective
(c) Positivism and its critique.  action, revolution. 
(d) Fact value and objectivity.  8. Religion and Society : 
( e) Non-positivist methodologies.  (a) Sociological theories of religion. 
3. Research Methods and Analysis:  (b) Types of religious practices: animism, monism,
(a) Qualitative and quantitative methods.  pluralism, sects, cults. 
(b) Techniques of data collection.  (c) Religion in modern society: religion and
(c ) Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability and science, secularization, religious revivalism,
validity. fundamen talism. 
4. Sociological Thinkers:  9. Systems of Kinship: 
(a) Karl Marx – Historical materialism, mode of (a) Family, household, marriage. 
production, alienation, class struggle. (b) Types and forms of family. 
(b) Emile Durkhteim – Division of labour, social (c) Lineage and descent. 
fact, suicide, religion and society.  (d) Patriarchy and sexual division of labour.  
(c) Max Weber – Social action, ideal types, (e) Contem porary trends. 
authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic and the 10. Social Change in Modern Society :
spirit of  capitalism.  (a) Sociological theories of social change.  
(d) Talcolt Parsons – Social system, pattern (b) Development and dependency. 
variables.  (c) Agents of social change. 
(e) Robert K. Merton – Latent and manifest (d) Education and social change. 
functions, conformity and deviance, reference (e) Science, technology and social change. 
groups.
(f) Mead – Self and identity.  PAPER–II 
5. Stratification and Mobility :  INDIAN SOCIETY : STRUCTURE AND
(a) Concepts – equality, inequality, hierarchy, CHANGE 
exclusion, poverty and deprivation. A. Introducing Indian Society : 
(b) Theories of social stratification – Structural (i) Perspectives on the Study of Indian
func tionalist theory, Marxist theory, Weberian Society : 
theory. (a) Indology (G.S. Ghure). 
(c) Dimensions – Social stratification of class, (b) Structural functionalism (M. N. Srinivas). 
status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. (c) Marxist sociology (A. R. Desai). 
(d) Social mobility – open and closed systems, (ii) Impact of colonial rule on Indian society : 
types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility.
(a) Social background of Indian nationalism.   (a) Programmes of rural development, Community
(b) Modernization of Indian tradition.  Development Programme, cooperatives, poverty 
(c) Protests and movements during the colonial alleviation schemes. 
period.  (b) Green revolution and social change. 
(d) Social reforms.  (c) Changing modes of production in Indian
B. Social Structure:  agriculture. 
(i) Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:  (d) Problems of rural labour, bondage, migration. 
(a) The idea of Indian village and village studies.  (iii) Industrialization and Urbanisation in
(b) Agrarian social structure—  India:  
evolution of land tenure system, land reforms.  (a) Evolution of modern industry in India.  
(ii) Caste System:  (b) Growth of urban settlements in India. 
(a) Perspectives on the study of caste systems: G. (c) Working class: structure, growth, class
S. Ghurye, M. N. Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre  mobilization. 
Beteille.  (d) Informal sector, child labour. 
(b) Features of caste system.  (e) Slums and deprivation in urban areas. 
(c) Untouchability-forms and perspectives  (iv) Politics and Society : 
(iii) Tribal Communities in India:   (a) Nation, democracy and citizenship. 
(a) Definitional problems.   (b) Political parties, pressure groups, social and
(b) Geographical spread.  political elite. 
(c) Colonial policies and tribes.  (c) Regionalism and decentralization of power. 
(d) Issues of integration and autonomy.  (d) Secularization. 
(iv) Social Classes in India:  (v) Social Movements in Modern India : 
(a) Agrarian class structure.   (a) Peasants and farmers movements. 
(b) Industrial class structure. (b) Women’s movement. 
(c) Middle classes in India.  (c) Backward classes & Dalit movements.  
(v) Systems of Kinship in India:   (d) Environmental movements. 
(a) Lineage and descent in India.  (e) Ethnicity and Identity movements.  
(b) Types of kinship systems.  (vi) Population Dynamics : 
(c) Family and marriage in India.  (a) Population size, growth, composition and
(d) Household dimensions of the family.  distribution. 
(e) Patriarchy, entitlements and sexual division (b) Components of population growth: birth, death,
oflabour.  migration. 
(vi) Religion and Society :  (c) Population Policy and family planning. 
(a) Religious communities in India.  (d) Emerging issues: ageing, sex ratios, child and
(b) Problems of religious minorities.  infant mortality, reproductive health.
C. Social Changes in India:  (vii) Challenges of Social Transformation : 
(i) Visions of Social Change in India:  (a) Crisis of development : displacement,
(a) Idea of development planning and mixed environmental problems and sustainability.
economy.  (b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities. 
(b) Constitution, law and social change.   (c) Violence against women. 
(c) Education and social change.  (d) Caste conflicts. 
(ii) Rural and Agrarian Transformation in (e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious
India:  revivalism. 
(f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.