Aspirants to the UPSC often choose sociology as a minor elective subject. Candidates with backgrounds in both science and the humanities rave about the subject. This elective is open to anybody, regardless of academic background. Taking the appropriate attitude and tactics during preparation is key to doing well on this subject. Learn everything you need to know about the sociology for UPSC here, from the course outline to the recommended reading list to the overall approach.
Pros and Cons of Sociology as an Option
Choosing sociology as an elective for the UPSC exam has numerous advantages. This part will go over the pros and cons of taking the IAS exam’s sociology optional.
Benefits of a Sociology Minor
Scoring subject: Candidates can finish in four months or less if they work diligently and follow the syllabus to the letter.
Plenty of resources: This subject is well-served by many educational resources.
There’s no need for context: The sociology option is open to all candidates, regardless of their academic background, and can be easily studied. Candidates are expected to have a rudimentary understanding of some sociological principles. Concepts such as family, religion, and so on are well-known and frequently appear in the headlines. It’s a topic that most people are interested in learning more about.
Indicate one instance in independent India where religiousness/religiosity evolved into communalism by drawing a comparison. Percentage: Sociology can help address these problems more effectively.
Disadvantages in Sociology that are not required
Because it is a social science, sociology’s concepts and interpretations can be more flexible than those found in traditional science. As a result, the examiner may have to make modifications that aren’t objective.
The syllabus for the optional sociology course
Here is a peek at the UPSC sociology syllabus. In UPSC’s scheme of things, candidates can choose to take two optional papers. Both papers are worth 250 points each, for a total of 500 optional points. Download the full UPSC syllabus.
Sociology’s Preparation Strategy is optional
Haralambos and Holborn’s ‘Sociology: Themes and Perspectives’ is a good place to begin your sociology preparation. Chapters like Economic Life, Politics and Society, and Kinship and Social Change are made a lot easier to understand with the help of this book.
It’s clear from the charts that the chapter on thinkers is worth a significant share of the marks in Paper I. Because of this, you must treat this part with the utmost importance. Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Talcott Parsons, Max Weber, Herbert Mead, and Robert Merton are among the six thinkers you must study.
Tests in Sociology
Consider the following:
- The sociology test series will be administered both online and offline to candidates.
- The test can be postponed, but it cannot be preponed.
- Writing an answer is plagued by two fundamental issues: functional fixedness and the illusion of transparency. In this sociology test series, you’ll learn how to avoid them.
- Evaluators are looking for a well-crafted introduction in any answer, and you’ll be taughthow to write one in sociology.
- Within two weeks, the sociology test series copies will be assessed.
When it comes to answering questions, UPSC wants to see how well you can comprehend the question and how well you can use vocabulary like assess, discuss, illustrate, explain, and so on and sociological viewpoints. To obtain a good sense of how to approach different types of issues, sociological exam series and teacher (mentor) comments and feedback are invaluable.
For Sociology, you’ll get additional resources.Flexible-module allows the aspirant to alter their daily schedules and focus on the UPSC exam preparation simultaneously.
