Sociology Optional Foundation + Test Series at SRIAS
Paper I: Fundamentals of Sociology
Sociology – The Discipline
Modernity and emergence of sociology
Sociology and common sense
Scope and relevance in today’s world
Sociological Thinkers
Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber
Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton, Mead, G.H. Blumer
Research Methods & Analysis
Qualitative and quantitative research
Hypothesis, variables, sampling
Data interpretation and tools
Social Stratification
Caste, class, and race
Gender and ethnicity
Mobility and inequality
Works and Economic Life
Sociology of work
Informal and formal economy
Labour and globalization
Politics and Society
Power, authority, and legitimacy
State, bureaucracy, pressure groups
Political participation
Religion, Science, and Society
Sociological interpretation of religion
Secularization and social change
Science and modernization
Social Change in Modern Society
Evolution and progress
Development, modernity, globalization
Social movements
Paper II: Indian Society – Structure & Change
Perspectives on the Study of Indian Society
Indological, Structural-functional, Marxist, Subaltern
Impact of Colonial Rule
Social reform movements
Industrialization and urbanization
Social Structure
Caste system and dynamics
Family, marriage, and kinship
Religion and tribal communities
Social Classes in India
Agrarian, industrial, middle classes
Elite theory
Social Mobility and Change
Sanskritization, Westernization, Modernization
Education and mobility
Rural and Agrarian Social Structure
Land ownership, peasantry, land reforms
Green Revolution and rural movements
Urbanization and Social Problems
Migration, slums, crime
Urban planning and housing
Social Movements in India
Dalit, Women’s, Tribal, Environmental, Peasant movements
Population Dynamics
Growth, policy, family planning
Demographic transition
Current Affairs and Sociological Analysis
Caste-based census, gender laws, digital divide, etc.
Test Series Component
Sectional Tests (Topic-wise for both Paper I & II)
Full-Length Mains Mocks (as per UPSC pattern)
Model Answers with value points, examples, diagrams
Personalized Evaluation and feedback sessions
Answer Improvement Workshops
Sociology Optional Syllabus for UPSC & OPSC
Paper I – Fundamentals of Sociology
1. Sociology – The Discipline
Modernity and emergence of sociology
Scope of sociology 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
Interpretive and critical perspectives
Fact-value distinction
3. Research Methods and Analysis
Qualitative and quantitative methods
Techniques of data collection
Sampling, reliability, validity
Hypothesis, variables, and scales
4. Sociological Thinkers
Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber
Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton, Mead, GH Blumer
5. Stratification and Mobility
Concepts of inequality, hierarchy, and exclusion
Theories of social stratification (Functionalist, Marxist, Weberian)
Dimensions of social mobility
Caste, class, gender, ethnicity
6. Works and Economic Life
Social organization of work
Formal and informal sectors
Labor and globalization
Work in industrial and post-industrial society
7. Politics and Society
Sociological theories of power
Power, authority, and legitimacy
Political parties, pressure groups, bureaucracy
8. Religion and Society
Sociological interpretations of religion
Types of religious practices
Religion in the modern world
Secularization and religious revivalism
9. Systems of Kinship
Family, household, and marriage
Types and forms of family
Lineage and descent
Patriarchy and sexual division of labor
10. Social Change in Modern Society
Theories of social change
Development and dependency
Agents of change: education, state, media
Globalization and its impact
Paper II – Indian Society: Structure and Change
A. Introducing Indian Society
Perspectives on Indian society: Indological, structural-functional, Marxist, subaltern
Impact of colonial rule on social structure
B. Social Structure
Rural and agrarian social structure
Caste system: structure, change, perspectives
Tribal communities in India: problems and policies
Social classes in India: agrarian, industrial, and middle classes
Family, marriage, and kinship in India
Religion and society: secularism and communalism
Social changes in India: modernization, westernization, sanskritization
C. Social Changes in India
Visions of social change: planned development and social legislation
Rural and agrarian transformation after independence
Industrialization and urbanization
Social movements: Dalit, women, tribal, environmental, farmers
Population dynamics: growth, fertility, migration, urbanization
Social problems: poverty, inequality, violence against women, caste conflict
Challenges of social transformation
