Sociology Strategy by Akshat Kaushal, UPSC AIR-55, CSE 2017

Sociology Paper-I:

• Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of sociology: IGNOU has a chapter on the origin of sociology + Upendra Sir’s class notes.
• Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences: This topic is best covered in Bottomore’s, Sociology – A Guide to Problems and Literature
• Sociology and common sense: Praveen Kishore Sir’s printed material covers this topic very well.
• Science, scientific method and critique: Harlombos & Holborn, Sociology Themes and Perspectives + Upendra Sir’s class notes.
• Major theoretical strands of research methodology + Positivism and its critique + Fact value and objectivity + Non-positivist methodology : Harlombos & Holborn,, Sociology Themes and Perspectives + Upendra Sir’s class notes.
• Research Methods and Analysis: Comprehensively covered in Harlombos & Holborn, Sociology Themes and Perspectives.
• Karl Marx + Max Weber: Upendra Sir’s class notes + Relevant topics from Harlombos + Praveen Kishore’s printed material + Capitalism & Modern Social Theory; An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim, and Max Weber by Anthony Giddens.
• Emile Durkheim + Talcolt Parsons + Robert Merton: Upendra Sir’s class notes + Relevant topics from Harlombos & Holborn,.
• Mead: Praveen Kishore Sir’s printed material + Harlombos & Holborn,.
• Stratification and Mobility:
  • Concepts – equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty and deprivation: Praveen Kishore’s Class room material.
  • Theories of social stratification- Structural functionalist theory, Marxist theory, Weberian theory : This topic will be covered in the thinkers part, but one can refer to Harlombos & Holborn, too.
  • Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race: Praveen Kishore’s Class room material + Sindhuri Ma’am’s handwritten notes.
  • Social mobility- open and closed systems, types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility: Upendra Sir’s class notes + Sindhuri Ma’am’s handwritten notes.
• Work and Economic Life: I did not cover this topic.
• Politics and Society: Upendra Sir’s class notes + Haralambos.
• Religion and Society:
  • Sociological theories of religion: Upendra Sir’s class notes.
  • Types of religious practices: animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults: Upendra Sir’s class notes + Harlombos & Holborn,.
  • Religion in modern society: religion and science ( Harlombos & Holborn,+ Upendra Sir’s class notes) , secularization (Harlombos & Holborn,), religious revivalism (Harlombos & Holborn,) , fundamentalism (Harlombos & Holborn,).
• Systems of kinship: Upendra Sir’s class notes + Harlombos & Holborn,.
• Social Change in Modern Society
  • Sociological theories of social change: Praveen Kishore Sir’s Printed material + Upendra Sir’s class notes.
  • Development and Dependency: Upendra Sir’s class notes.
  • Agents of social change: Upendra Sir’s class notes.
  • Education and social change: Upendra Sir’s printed material + Upendra Sir’s class notes.
  • Science, technology and social change: Upendra Sir’s class notes.