UGC-NET – Paper II: SOCIOLOGY (Code: 05)
Exam Cycle: June 2026
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COURSE OVERVIEW
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Subject Name: SOCIOLOGY
Subject Code: 05
Conducting Body: National Testing Agency (NTA)
Paper Type: Paper-II – SOCIOLOGY
Total Marks: 200
Total Questions: 100 MCQs
Mode: Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Duration: 3 Hours (Paper I + II combined)
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COMPLETE LIST OF UNITS
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Unit -1 : Sociological Theory
Unit – 2 : Research Methodology and Methods
Unit -3 : Basic Concepts and Institutions
Unit – 4 : Rural and Urban Transformations
Unit – 5 : State, Politics and Development
Unit – 6 : Economy and Society
Unit – 7: Environment and Society
Unit – 8: Family, Marriage and Kinship
Unit – 9 : Science, Technology and Society
Unit – 10 : Culture and Symbolic Transformations
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UNIT-WISE DETAILED SYLLABUS
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Unit -1 : Sociological Theory
Topic 1: Classical Sociological Traditions
• Emile Durkheim
• Max Weber
• Karl Marx
Topic 2: Structure- Functionalism and Structuralism
• Bronislaw Malinowski
• A.R. Radcliffe- Brown
• Talcott Parsons
• Robert K. Merton
• Claude Levi Strauss
Topic 3: Hermeneutic and Interpretative Traditions
• G.H. Mead
• Karl Manheim
• Alfred Schutz
• Harold Garfinkel
• Erving Goffman
• Clifford Geertz
Topic 4: Post Modernism, Post Structuralism and Post Colonialism
• Edward Said
• Pierre Bourdieu
• Michel Foucault
• Jurgen Habermas
• Anthony Giddens
• Manuel Castells
Topic 5: Indian Thinkers
• M.K. Gandhi
• B.R. Ambedkar
• Radha Kamal Mukherjee
• G. S. Ghurye
• M.N. Srinivas
• Irawati Karve
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Unit – 2 : Research Methodology and Methods
Topic 1: Conceptualizing Social Reality
• Philosophy of Science
• Scientific Method and Epistemology in Social Science
• Hermeneutic Traditions
• Objectivity and Reflexivity in Social Science
• Ethics and Politics
Topic 2: Formulating Research Design
• Reading Social Science Research, Data and Documents
• Induction and Deduction
• Fact, Concept and Theory
• Hypotheses, Research Questions, Objectives
Topic 3: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
• Ethnography
• Survey Method
• Historical Method
• Comparative Method
Topic 4: Techniques
• Sampling
• Questionnaire and Schedule
• Statistical Analysis
• Observation, Interview and Case study
• Interpretation, Data Analysis and Report Writing
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Unit -3 : Basic Concepts and Institutions
Topic 1: Sociological Concepts
• Social Structure
• Culture
• Network
• Status and Role
• Identity
• Community
• Diaspora
• Values, Norms and Rules
• Personhood, Habitus and Agency
• Bureaucracy, Power and Authority
Topic 2: Social Institutions
• Marriage, Family and Kinship
• Economy
• Polity
• Religion
• Education
• Law and Customs
Topic 3: Social Stratification
• Social Difference, Hierarchy, Inequality and Marginalization
• Caste and Class
• Gender, Sexuality and Disability
• Race, Tribe and Ethnicity
Topic 4: Social Change and Processes
• Evolution and Diffusion
• Modernization and Development
• Social Transformations and Globalization
• Social Mobility
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Unit – 4 : Rural and Urban Transformations
Topic 1: Rural and Peasant Society
• Caste-Tribe Settlements
• Agrarian Social Structure and Emergent Class Relations
• Land Ownership and Agrarian Relations
• Decline of Agrarian Economy, De-Peasantization and Migration
• Agrarian Unrest and Peasant Movements
• Changing Inter-Community Relations and Violence
Topic 2: Urban Society
• Urbanism, Urbanity and Urbanization
• Towns, Cities and Mega-Cities
• Industry, Service and Business
• Neighbourhood, Slums and Ethnic Enclaves
• Middle Class and Gated Communities
• Urban Movements and Violence
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Unit – 5 : State, Politics and Development
Topic 1: Political Processes in India
• Tribe, Nation State and Border
• Bureaucracy
• Governance and Development
• Public Policy: Health, Education and Livelihoods
• Political Culture
• Grass-root Democracy
• Law and Society
• Gender and Development
• Corruption
• Role of International Development Organizations
Topic 2: Social Movements and Protests
• Political Factions, Pressure Groups
• Movements based on Caste, Ethnicity, Ideology, Gender, Disability, Religion and Region
• Civil Society and Citizenship
• NGOs, Activism and Leadership
• Reservations and Politics
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Unit – 6 : Economy and Society
Topic 1: Economy and Society
• Exchange, Gift , Capital, Labour and Market
• Mode of Production Debates
• Property and Property Relations
• State and Market: Welfarism and Neoliberalism
• Models of Economic Development
• Poverty and Exclusion
• Factory and Industry Systems
• Changing Nature of Labour Relations
• Gender and Labour Process
• Business and Family
• Digital Economy, E-Commerce
• Global Business and Corporates
• Tourism
• Consumption
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Unit – 7: Environment and Society
Topic 1: Environment and Society
• Social and Cultural Ecology: Diverse Forms
• Technological Change, Agriculture and Biodiversity
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Ethno-Medicine
• Gender and Environment
• Forest Policies, Adivasis and Exclusion
• Ecological Degradation and Migration
• Development, Displacement and Rehabilitation
• Water and Social Exclusion
• Disasters and Community Responses
• Environmental Pollution, Public Health and Disability
• Climate Change and International Policies
• Environmental Movements
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Unit – 8: Family, Marriage and Kinship
Topic 1: Family, Marriage and Kinship
• Theoretical Approaches: Structure-Functionalist, Alliance and Cultural
• Gender Relations and Power Dynamics
• Inheritance, Succession and Authority
• Gender, Sexuality and Reproduction
• Children, Youth and Elderly
• Emotions and Family
• Emergent Forms of Family
• Changing Marriage Practices
• Changing Care and Support Systems
• Family Laws
• Domestic Violence and Crime against Women
• Honour Killing
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Unit – 9 : Science, Technology and Society
Topic 1: Science, Technology and Society
• History of Technological Development
• Changing notions of Time and Space
• Flows and Boundaries
• Virtual Community
• Media: Print and Electronic, Visual and Social Media
• E-Governance and Surveillance Society
• Technology and Emerging Political Processes
• State Policy, Digital Divide and Inclusion
• Technology and Changing Family Relations
• Technology and Changing Health Systems
• Food and Technology
• Cyber Crime
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Unit – 10 : Culture and Symbolic Transformations
Topic 1: Culture and Symbolic Transformations
• Signs and Symbols
• Rituals, Beliefs and Practices
• Changing Material Culture
• Moral Economy
• Education: Formal and Informal
• Religious Organizations, Piety and Spirituality
• Commodification of Rituals
• Communalism and Secularism
• Cultural Identity and Mobilization
• Culture and Politics
• Gender, Body and Culture
• Art and Aesthetics
• Ethics and Morality
• Sports and Culture
• Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism
• Religion and Economy
• Culture and Environment
• New Religious Movements
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EXAMINATION STRUCTURE
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Paper-II: Subject Specific Examination
- Total Questions: 100
- Total Marks: 200
- Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
- Negative Marking: No
- Duration: 3 Hours (Combined with Paper I)
- Mode: Computer Based Test (CBT)
Additional Notes (if any):
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SYLLABUS SUMMARY
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Total Units: 10
Total Topics: 18
Subject: SOCIOLOGY
Subject Code: 05
Exam Category: UGC-NET Paper-II
Source: Official NTA/UGC Syllabus
Status: “As per latest official syllabus”
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