SOCIOLOGY- Paper- II REFERENCES

PAPER – II

The best thing about paper 2 is that at the first glance it appears to be a GS paper and this itself is the biggest trap set by UPSC.AS IT IS CONCERNED WITH INDIAN SOCIETY and issues and problems concerning it,so that is the reason for their inclusion in syllabus but as unit 1 (topic- 3^rd) paper-1 suggest ,there is difference in sociological and comman sense interpretation so it has to be reflected when you attempt the answer and there should be application of sociological theories while answering the problem. What generally haapens is that during course of writing answer our common-sense overpowers sociology and then we complain of poor marks in paper –ii. Secondly there are problems in interpretation of questions itself as UPSC weaves question in such a masterly language that even if we miss one word in question,entire meaning and understanding is changed.

As far as references are concerned there are variety of them available so best thing is have your own notes and reference volumes. These can be from various collections neatly summed up according to topics in syllabus. Thirdly there is very imp. Role of case studies in paper –ii so it is advisable that a separate register could be made in which case studies’s conclusion/abstract could be written and along the margin write in which topic they can be applied like caste mobility,education,social change etc.they should include name of researcher,name of case study/book. Many recent case studies can be accessed from The Hindu Tuesday book review and from sage.

The references as per topics are:-

              INDIAN SOCIETY: STRUCTURE AND CHANGE
A. Introducing Indian Society:

      (i) Perspectives on the study of Indian society: 
                                        B.K.NAGLA’s Indian Social Thought) and Mohapatra sir’s                            (vajiram n ravi) class notes selectively.

1. Indology  (G.S. Ghurye).
2. Structural functionalism (M N Srinivas).
3. Marxist sociology (A R Desai).

It is important to point that apart from mentioned thinkers it is advisable to have basic knowledge of other theorist of particular stream. Like S.C.Dube, Beteille for S-F, D.P.Mukherjee  for Marxist and Iravati Karve,Dumont for indology.

(ii) Impact of colonial rule on Indian society:  
                 a general u/s of freedom struggle will help but we need to be critical with its analysis so better read A.R.Desai’s book “Social background of Indian nationalism”( helpful for GS modern history)

4. Social background of Indian nationalism.
5. Modernization of Indian tradition.-  “Modernization of Indian Tradition” by Yoginder Singh, preferably read whole book as it covers very imp. Topics and studies in a lucid manner.read views of different thinkers regarding this topic like D.P.Mukherjee’s, A.Beteille’s view.
6. Protests and movements during the colonial period.
7. Social reforms.

B. Social Structure:
(i) Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:

8. The idea of Indian village and village studies- 

                can be covered from variety of sources and case studies which you learn while covering thinkers.cover it from multiple perspective like Marxist-SF.(article of Surinder Jodhka are worth reading in  VEENA DAS or otherwise )

8. Agrarian social structure - evolution of land tenure system, land reforms. 

                             UIAS CLASS NOTES. .(articles of Surinder Jodhka are worth reading in VEENA DAS or o/w)

 

(ii) Caste System:

11. Perspectives on the study of caste systems: GS Ghurye, M N Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre Beteille.-

                                   B.K.NAGLA, Mohapatra sir’s classnotes and aticles of Beteille in journals or TH (Debate)

11. Features of caste system.
12. Untouchability - forms and perspectives.- only from UIAS CLASS NOTES (best)

(iii) Tribal communities in India: 
    any standard handout/coaching notes. But be specific and limited. Supplement by recent problems and issues concerning from newspapers like mining, Maoism, IMR issues. Also view points like that of Virginius Xaxa are relevant which are published in journals like EPW or Internet.(google books)

14. Definitional problems.
15. Geographical spread.
16. Colonial policies and tribes.
17. Issues of integration and autonomy. 

(iv) Social Classes in India:

1. Agrarian class structure. 

                     UIAS CLASS NOTES. Along with IGNOU’s text material available on website for better coverage.(mainly covers thorner’s,Utsa pattnaik,and Dhanagre's view and changes observed in it.)

                          2.Industrial class structure.- UIAS CLASS NOTES.

                3. Middle classes in India.- articles by B.B.Mishra and another by ANDRE BETEILLE. and UIAS class notes.

(v) Systems of Kinship in India:

               IGNOU’s text is best for this section. Can be downloaded and read. And mohapatra sir’s notes very selectively.(works of iravati karve,kapadia,G.shah are worth quoting,so have knowledge of their viewpoints)

4. Lineage and descent in India.
5. Types of kinship systems.
6. Family and marriage in India.
7. Household dimensions of the family.

.

(vi) Religion and Society:

only IGNOU and recent news items covering issues of specific communities.

8. Religious communities in India.
9. Problems of religious minorities.

C. Social Changes in India:
(i) Visions of Social Change in India: 
        I referred UIAS class notes(sufficient in themselves) and have seen other resources also.

10. Idea of development planning and mixed economy.
11. Constitution, law and social change. .(very imp. Topic)
12. Education and social change.(very imp. topic)

(ii) Rural and Agrarian transformation in India:

13. Programmes of rural development, Community Development Programme, cooperatives, poverty alleviation schemes.- UIAS class notes.
14. Green revolution and social change.                                     best covered in UIAS class notes .plz read case studies concerning different regions of green revolution and its impact. (.(very imp. topic)

13. Changing modes of production in Indian agriculture .         Hand-outs given by UIAS is good.also  articles by Utsa pattnaik which appear in THE HINDU are useful.
14. Problems of rural labour, bondage,migration. Hand-out given by UIAS is sufficient.(paul brass’s studies are good and can be referred). Recent data for migration can be used from census 2011 and NSS reports to supplement answers.

(iii) Industrialization and Urbanisation in India:

17. Evolution of modern industry in India. Vajiram class notes
18. Growth of urban settlements in India. vajiram class notes.
19. Working class: structure, growth, class mobilization.-      very dynamic topic and best source is IGNOU text.
20. Informal sector, child labour. Jan Breman’s article are worth read either from VEENA DAS or available elsewhere. UIAS class notes covers good analysis of the issues.
21. Slums and deprivation in urban areas.related with above sub-topic so same source but this needs additional data from census ,NSS reports on slums and urban amenities.

(iv) Politics and Society:

        This is a topic with which UPSC seems to be a bit obsessed these days so it becomes imp. To pay attention.as topic is very dynamic so be updated with case studies which can be assessed on internet/EPW.

Apart from it Tuesday’s book review contains abstract of published books which is sufficient to get a glimpse of inside view of the topic so take notes from there. On this issue views of Rajni Kothari, T.K.Oomen,Beteille, Paul Brass are worth quoting. Both UIAS class notes and vajiram’s are good for this topic and Much depends on aspirants own analytical abilities. Ram Ahuja’s Society in India can also be referred if required.

22. Nation, democracy and citizenship.
23. Political parties, pressure groups , social and political elite.
24. Regionalism and decentralization of power.
25. Secularization

(v) Social Movements in Modern India: IGNOU M.A.’s text is good. UIAS class notes as usual has best analysis for all below sub-topics. Vajiram has plenty of material so it depends how to limit its use in12-15 markers.

26. Peasants and farmers movements.(plz be clear of the difference between these 2)
27. Women’s movement.
28. Backward classes & Dalit movement.
29. Environmental movements.
30. Ethnicity and Identity movements.

(vi) Population Dynamics:       I have also referred good handout on this issue by Bhende and Kanitkar which appears to be written for this section itself. Along with it census 2001 and 2011’s  basic facts should be on tips as without it there would be no substance in the answers.

31. Population size, growth, composition and distribution.
32. Components of population growth: birth, death, migration.
33. Population policy and family planning.
34. Emerging issues: ageing, sex ratios, child and infant mortality, reproductive health.(periscope section of TH will be useful for this.)

(vii) Challenges of Social Transformation:

35. Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and sustainability.        

                      (Articles by Walter Fernandes is ultimate, available in xerox shops.Also have interest in recent issues/projects and legislations.)

35. Poverty, deprivation and inequalities. UIAS class notes
36. Violence against women.UIAS class notes
37. Caste conflicts.UIAS class notes and recent issues of conflict from newspaper.
38. Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.-UIAS class notes
39. Illiteracy and disparities in education. UIAS class notes(imp. topic) 

                                                

these above are the references which i have used in 2010 and 2011 CSE mains exam, so my opinion regarding other sources is limited and this is is what i feel will make you feel competent to score good marks in sociology.

SOCIOLOGY- PAPER - I

Sociology is something which matched with my temperament and sometime it becomes difficult for me to differentiate between sociological thought process with  my own sphere of thought  which may be called as  “common-sense” in sociological dictionary but  seems very sociologically relevant.

           Coming straight to the references which I used in civil services preparation in my mains exam, let me update that I was a graduate in economics and political science so many topics like those of Marx, political sociology, research methods topics of paper-II were those with which I was aware of and only needed sociological perspective. This myth which I stated in above line was broken once I got hold of HARALOMBOS & HOLBORN  (as per advice of Upendra sir during Mains 2011) as it presented seemingly aware topics in entirely new perspective ie sociological.

Secondly it matters less  what you referred during preparation, and more is concerned about how you have utilized your knowledge and how much of it you retain during 3 hrs, as most of us curse our-self outside exam or our poor memory and complexity of questions but the real fact is that it relates to our no. of revisions prior to exam, our answer writing practice and re-writing it again I we are not satisfied or expect some better of ourself. it may sound weird to re-write an answer again in a mock-test-paper, but believe me it helps even if you do it or few 5-6 questions. There will be an increase in retention capacity and crispness in presentation.

As mentioned above  “THEMES AND PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIOLOGY” by HARALOMBOS & HOLBORN (H&H) is a basic text book for sociology paper-1,but it is voluminous and costly one ,so best option is to get relevant pages of it Xeroxed. The list of relevant pages along with Xerox is available in  Xerox shop in Delhi.(thankfully copyright act is not enforced as of yet, so get benefited for lax enforcement). And PLEASE don’t get confused with Haralombos and Michael, which is an undergraduate book with orange cover as UPSC is far above of its catchment area.

you can skip few case studies if they are on same topics or with similar findings. Since the book is mainly for UK so authors have cited plenty of studies and analysis of Britain which can be skipped like in chapter on Politics and society.

George Ritzer – the core of which deals with core of sociology i.e. Marx,Weber ,Durkheim and Mead.

No matter from where you have read above , it is still advisable to go through it as you can come across some best explanations and co-relations. Secondly chapters have dealt with thinkers completely from their genesis and covers even those interests which are outside syllabus of UPSC but have potential to appear anytime in future.each thinker/chapter can take atmost 2 days@3 hrs per day but its worth investing. The chapter on functionalism which covers Merton,Parson,neo-functionalism is a good read and presents a good overview of conflict and functional theories.

Major drawback of the book is that the critic is not comprehensively dealt of various studies of thinkers in a separate manner and only combined evaluation is given.

Goode and Hatte – for research methodology. There is no need to refer it if you are serious with H&H as it covers methodology in comprehensive manner.

EPW- I had purchased only 1 issue in last 3 yrs and few articles still lie unread, so am not in a position to write about it,but yes it is a good journal with deep insightful articles. But the problem is that they are very lengthy and sometimes we lose sight about the issue dealt by article and becomes boring . This year I read few Xeroxed articles compiled in a very thoughtful manner by my friend Vibhu, and thankfully I read all which were  helpful  in essay 2012(3. working women-domestic work)

1. Sociology - The Discipline:- 

1. Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of sociology.- GEORGE RITZER
2. Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences.-UIAS printed notes VOLUME-1 (best among all,only few pages) - this chapter carries issues concerning status of sociology and debate so far w.r.t natural,social or special science.
3. Sociology and common sense. - UIAS class notes.

22.    Sociology as Science:

                        Only referred UIAS class notes,and HARALOMBOS

1. Science, scientific method and critique.
2. Major theoretical strands of research methodology.
3. Positivism and its critique.
4. Fact value and objectivity.
5. Non- positivist methodologies.

33.    Research Methods and Analysis:

HARALOMBOS Chapter –“METHODOLOGY” is sufficient along with UIAS  class notes.

1. Qualitative and quantitative methods.( also refer to INTERNET)
2. Techniques of data collection.
3. Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability and validity. - Only UIAS  class notes

4. Sociological Thinkers:

4. Karl Marx- Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle. - GEORGE RITZER,UIAS class notes
5. Emile Durkheim- Division of labour, social fact, suicide, religion and society. GEORGE RITZER,UIAS class notes
6. Max Weber- Social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. GEORGE RITZER,UIAS
7. Talcolt Parsons- Social system, pattern variables. UIAS,HARALAMBOS
8. Robert K. Merton- Latent and manifest functions, conformity and deviance, reference groups. UIAS,HARALAMBOS
9. Mead - Self and identity. GEORGE RITZER

5. Stratification and Mobility: HARALOMBOS and UIAS class notes

a.     Concepts- equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty and deprivation.-

b. Theories of social stratification- Structural functionalist theory, Marxist theory, Weberian theory.

c.  Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 

d.   Social mobility- open and closed systems, types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility.

6. Works and Economic Life- (most open-ended topic)

a.Social organization of work in different types of society- slave society, feudal society, industrial /capitalist society.-INTERNET

b.Formal and informal organization of work.- HARALOMBOS

c.Labour and society.- HARALOMBOS

7. Politics and Society:

17. Sociological theories of power.- HARALOMBOS
18. Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups, and political parties.- HARALOMBOS
19. Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology. HARALOMBOS & UIAS class notes
20. Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution.- HARALOMBOS & UIAS class notes (best covered)

8. Religion and Society:

21. Sociological theories of religion. HARALOMBOS and RITZER (Durkheim, Marx, Weber)
22. Types of religious practices: animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults. HARALOMBOS and internet
23. Religion in modern society: religion and science, secularization, religious revivalism, fundamentalism. HARALOMBOS & UIAS class notes (best covered)

9. Systems of Kinship:

HARALOMBOS & UIAS class notes (best covered) along with newspaper for current updation and recent legislations.

1. Family, household, marriage.
2. Types and forms of family.
3. Lineage and descent.(UIAS is best for this)
4. Patriarchy and sexual division of labour.
5. Contemporary trends.(Important)

10. Social Change in Modern Society - (NCERT can also be referred for better u/s)

6. Sociological theories of social change.- UIAS class notes and internet
7. Development and dependency. - UIAS class notes and internet
8. Agents of social change.- UIAS class notes and internet
9. Education and social change.-UIAS PRINTED and CLASS NOTES,
10. Science, technology and social change.- UIAS class notes and internet

bird's eye view

for any topic in which need is for greater depth or understanding,reference can be made  to books.google.com