- Sociology Paper – 1 by Kshitij Tyagi (AIR 148/2011)
- Sociology Paper II by Tanvi Sundriyal (AIR 6/ CSE 2009)
Sociology Paper – 1 by Kshitij Tyagi (AIR 148/2011)
Kshitij Tyagi got 293/600 in Sociology papers in 2011’s UPSC (Mains) exam. I’m merely copy pasting his study plan here:
For initiation into the subject, NCERTs and Haralambos are good enough. I also watched a few videos of IGNOU uploaded on the net for some of the topics.
- I began with the old edition of Haralambos. It is a fantastic book for understanding the subject and its scope. I did not read the book from cover to cover and confined myself strictly to the syllabus. This initiated me into the realm of sociology. I then moved on to IGNOU’s BA notes which are an extremely useful compilation of sociological knowledge.
- I also scanned through a few chapters of Giddens to get a hang of the subject. Before Prelims, I had made some notes for the first 3 chapters of paper 1 and had read some of the thinkers. I had by then acclimatized myself with the subject and also understood that the old edition of Haralambos was necessary but insufficient.
- After prelims, I started filling the gaps and expanding my notes….I began referring to the new updated version of Haralambos, internet, etc. (The topic-wise sources are given below). Though my notes were pretty extensive, I remained alive to the problems associated with inclusion of every topic in the notes. Therefore, at certain places, I left “flags” - page nos. or references in my notes so that the topics best read whole from the book could be referred in a logical and sequential manner during revision – (For example, Talcott Parson’s pattern variables – to be read from new Haralambos, pg.xxx).
- The end result was that by the end of my preparation, I had a bunch of notes that could be revised in a single day – It consisted of my notes of around 200 pages, old and new Haralambos (for referred pages), and a couple of booklets of IGNOU BA (out of many).
- I must have revised this bunch 4-5 times. I must also emphasize the importance of keeping a copy of previous 10 years’ questions handy, along with the syllabus. I made sure that there wasn’t a question asked in previous 10 years that I couldn’t answer.
Sociology Paper I: Topicwise Booklist
- Sociology – The Discipline:——-IGNOU BA, old NCERT, old Haralambos, internet
- Sociology as Science:——old & new Haralambos
- Research Methods and Analysis:—–New Haralambos, dictionary of sociology by WP Scott / oxford dictionary of sociology
- Sociological Thinkers:——–Old & New Haralambos, some comparative analyses and remaining topics from IGNOU BA (only what is not covered by Haralambos)
- Stratification and Mobility: Old Haralambos, IGNOU BA
- Works and Economic Life: IGNOU BA, Giddens, internet.
- Politics and Society: Old Haralambos, Giddens, IGNOU BA
- Religion and Society: Old Haralambos, IGNOU BA, internet
- Systems of Kinship: IGNOU BA, dictionaries, (minor portions from Giddens and Haralambos)
- Social Change in Modern Society: IGNOU BA, previous years’ questions, internet
Mrunal Edit:
- To download IGNOU notes on Sociology (PDF format): click me
- To purchase the printed (hardcopy) of IGNOU notes on Sociology (Hindi and English): click me
What’s the Difference between Old and New Haralambos?
- The old Haralambos was a smaller version (Haralambos and Heald I suppose orange cover, published by oxford). The new version is a 1000 page tome (Haralambos and Holborn if I remember correctly) – I had its photocopy bought from Jawahar Book Depot.
- The new version has many contemporary case studies and extra topics which are of relevance to the exam. But some topics are best read from the old version since you do not have much time by your side if you want to finish it off in two odd months.
How much time does it take to finish the Sociology Syllabus?
Limit yourself to the sources I've mentioned, and revise them repeatedly/make notes. It is possible to do it in less than 4 months. All the best.
Conclusion
The key (to any successful strategy) is to pick and chose as per one's own convenience, keeping in mind the individual capabilities and constraints. The bottomline is that the syllabus has to be kept in mind and no stone is to be left unturned while covering it.
[Mr.Kshitij Tyagi did not mention a specific strategy for Paper II but pointed that he had followed the one given by Tanvi Sundriyal]
Sociology Paper II by Tanvi Sundriyal (AIR 6/ CSE 2009)
Introduction
- Before reading any notes or chaalu copy paste books I should be thorough with the original books (mentioned later)
- Thinkers and Theories(say Theories of social change,of power etc.) should be done in great detail with elaborate notes,rest of the topics can be done via a single book(you could pull out/photocopy relevant chapters and put them alongwith your notes so that everything is in one place when you revise) or mere pointers can do (say for topics like Child Labour).
- Warning: No notes should be made before a third reading of the chapter/book/source material especially for those who were, till they decided to plunge into cse preparation completely alien to the subject and its nuances.
- These notes/pointers were to be made in the format of:
First Page-The Syllabus with the newly added topics (info for the newbeeies, the syllabus changed from 2008 Mains) highlighted (you can expect increased importance to be allotted to the newer topics in the exam)and sources referred to for the various sub-topics written alongwith a mention of whether you have written notes on it or not.
This will help you in cross referring the source books when you feel that there is something missing in your notes when you revise after a long time,or to ask doubts/search for new material 'cos you would know what you don't know …very important since this would guide you in selecting which questions to answer in the final exam hour ( no one is allowed to ask…is there a choice in the question paper or even worse…how will it guide one in question selection!)
Second Page-All old questions including the 1980's ones(according to syllabus of course!)…if you notice some of the really old questions pertain to the newly added topics…bringing the changes made to a full circle! :)
Also, its important to know which sub topic can be interlinked with which other sub topic , which sub-topic requires more elaborate reading and note-making and which topics you cant afford to miss(some questions have been repeatedly asked indirectly or directly…)
All of this can only be gathered by a thorough analysis of the questions asked (preferably on your own) in the previous years so pay attention to the second page too !
Third Page- Now your note making starts…the elaborate notes and even pointers should follow this format :
a.Theory/Concept-Who said,What was said and in Which context was it said
b.Criticism-Every theoretician/perspective has a critique which points out the lacunae in the same and at the same time takes it forward…one should be very clear with this aspect.
c.Application-
Paper I and II : Emphasis ?
- In paper 1: Emphasise on case studies usa,uk('cos many studies are available from there!) or any other foreign country if you have a relevant case study …but , at the same time do not forget to connect it to Indian examples.
- In paper 2 : Emphasis should be placed on Indian Sociologists and application to Indian context, though here too works of important sociologists(from paper 1) can be applied .
Hence, studying , note making and then answer writing (in the same chronological order for very obvious reasons!) should be done keeping in mind that paper 1 and paper 2 are not exclusive of each other but are in fact interlinked and at times even draw sustenance from each other.
- The notes would be made preferably in the same format as the answer sheets given in the upsc mains exam ie A4 blank sheets with space left at both sides(instead of wasting time making margins with scale and pencil just fold the paper on both sides to give the impression of a margin) and punched to be put into well organised folders.
- This organisation of notes may sound like a very very childlike suggestion but it has great bearing on your revision…remember you are not writing notes to publish them for the benefit of mankind (which is not a bad idea but not your primary goal!) but to apply them in the examination, so please revise revise revise(this is not a typo error :) bad joke…still)
- I would share resources like advice/coaching material/your own notes with another serious student…its a personal belief that petty competitiveness pulls you down as well.
- Internet resources (some books have a few pages put out for reading online) and library(D School,Arts Faculty-Delhi University) resources (through a student) would be used appropriately.
- Note :If you get hold of an amazing book for a very small sub-topic and don't have time to go through it just read the Introduction+Preface…it usually encapsulates the whole argument
- This was the "how to read" bit… now lets come down now to the "what to read" part :
The "How to start" dilemna plagues most of the cse aspirants esp those who did not have a humanities background….The solution is simple-
How to start Sociology Preparation?
Start with NCERT XI and XII (old and new editions both)
Then for :
Paper 1- Refer (in accordance with the syllabus…if time permits you could read the whole book as well…if nothing else it may help you in the essay or later on in the interview stage):
Anthony Giddens-Sociology(I believe the 5th edition is available in India in a paperback format…expensive book but its usefulness justifies its expense)
MacIonis-Sociology(brought to India by Pearsons publications)
These books give a basic understanding and at the same time an analysis of more contemporary topics.
Now you could go onto the basic book for Thinkers which is:
Francis Abraham and John Henry Morgan-Sociological Thought
You should also elaborate upon Thinkers by referring to Ritzer selectively(a must)
Some of my friends picked up tit-bits from Lewis Coser and some referred to Raymond Aron too(optional)
For Paper 2- Start with IGNOU BA course material and stick to it! Take care to mention the case studies considered in the IGNOU booklets in your examination.
You should also read:
- M.N.Srinivas-Social Change in India
- Yogendra Singh-Modernisation of Indian Tradition
- Handbook of Indian Sociology-edited by Veena Das (selective reading of the book )
- J.C.Verma (a NBT publication on Tribals) for the portion on problems faced by tribals…
I found books like Madan and Mazumdar- Social Anthropology and Horton and Hunt relevant for prelims only
Though one could pick up meaning of terms like culture etc from the Horton and Hunt book to understand its usage and maybe, apply it in the Essay paper (if it so demands)
Now the question arises
how to supplement this basic material ?
- In paper 2 the theory portion should be connected to/updated by egs drawn from real life /recent case studies covered in magazines like Yojana and Economic and Political Weekly . You could become an online member of these magazines and avail the benefit of browsing through their archives.
- I was too lazy to do this and consequently suffered(thankfully not too badly!) in paper 2.
- In paper 1 there is an excellent reference book by the name of Haralombos and Halborn,its detailed,comprehensive and contemporary….unfortunately, reading it is a time consuming exercise so do it only as a last resort and/or to add value to selective topics(to avoid meandering away from relevant topics always keep the syllabus by your side)
- These are the books/resources which I found relevant ..if I later on recall more(not that you would want me to, once you see the content of some of these books!) I would add on to this post…
- Hopefully all of you would come to enjoy Sociology as much as I did (and also get good marks…very imp! )
sir a humble request.I have been searching madly over the internet for old copies of ncert’s but couldnt find any of old ncert’s .It would be of gr8 help if u lay ur hands on old ncerts and avail us. It would be really helful.I neither hv any contacts with previous aspirants nor i stay in delhi so i cannot get them. THX in advance..
Sorry I don’t have the sociology NCERTs.
Dear,
Ypu will get OLD NCERT of Sociology from KUmar Book Depot in Rajendar Nagar. I also purchased from there a week back.
Regards,
great….thanx alot for the guidance…in between i would like to request mrunal plz upload old question papers (33 years ) for sociology as well….thanx once again.
Yes I aim to do it very soon. Subscribe to the site
http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=CivilServiceExam
to get free email notification whenever I upload it.
Hi Mrunal,
I really appreciate all your hard work in making things easier for us.
Can you please guide me to the books which describes the complete syllabus in detail for both Pub Ad and Sociology. The syllabus mentioned in the UPSC notification is very brief and is not specific.
Many THANKS again.
please tell me list of books in hindi medium for subject sociology and public administration for upsc main exam
SEARCH NCERT SOCIOLOGY BOOKS BOTH IN HINDI AND ENGLISH MEDIUM AT= http://www.ncert.nic.in/NCERTS/textbook/textbook.htm
hello sir,
I want to prepare for civil services with sociology and pub ad. but as start i have to prepare for csat and gs please give me ur valuable suggestion , how can i start and yes i want to prepare with hindi so please how can i get best study material in hindi.
sir we [cse aspirants] realy thankful to u and ur strenuous efforts. sir that socialogy strategy very best guidance for me espsly that sociology notes by KST .. MY SPECIAL TNX TO KST AND TANVI.
sir will u plz post any toppers notes on political science, similiar to that krish tyagi’s socio notes, coz its very use ful sir.
I’ll surely post them if i get them.
Sir,
I am not able to download notes as I am not so computer savvy
Sir please tell me the books for sociology…
Hello Mrunal, thanks a lot for valuable guidence. I request you kindly to upload last 33 years Commerce Question papers and The links to download commerce materials.
Hi Mrunal,
Great to see your efforts in this blog which would be very useful for civil aspirants like me.
I would like to know the chapters according to the topics mentioned as part of sociology Paper 1 topic wise book list given by Tyagi. It would be really helpful for a person who is preparing this optional and would save time so that he can cater that into something else.
Thanks a lot !!
Dear Sir,
What is difference between Old NCERT books and the new one. As it is difficult to find out old NCERT book, the new one NCERT books can be replace old one for state civil exam preparation.
Kind regards
Deepak
Older NCERTs are filled up with truckload of facts.
Newer NCERTs have less facts and more explanation / analysis.
For UPSC, new NCERTs are good enough.
For State PSC, no idea because it varies on their individual trend.
Dear Sir,
Thank you very-very much for your reply and your valuable guidance on this website.
With warm regards,
Deepak
Dear sir,
please provide me the link to download NEW NCERTCs.
sir please provide the name of sociology books name in hindi medium for civil services.I shall be very thankful to you.
Sociology BA and MA booklets definately available in Hindi.
No idea on other books, better ask on indianofficer.com
can u please tell me wher to find anthony giddens e-book online ? pleaseee
INSTEAD OF Anthony giddens ….read haralambous and holbond . u can get its xerox in market in delhi.
haralambous is also best one for sociology paper 1 as recommended by upendra sir UIAS.
THANK U .
the IGNOU notes are requiring user ID/ password in link —> http://www.egyankosh.ac.in/handle/123456789/11
Do I need to get registered with IGNOU to access the socciology notes?
Please help.
yes you need to register a free account, to download anything from egyankosh.
sir,i want to know from where i should start my preparation for ias at initial stage
Start with this article
http://mrunal.org/2012/02/study-plan-topicwise-plausible-booklist.html
hi
pls confirm the name of book by anthony giddens . there are lots of books. is it giddens socilogy book or introduction to social theorist.
Sociology is not my subject, I’ve only copy pasted the article written by Mr.Kshitij Tyagi.
So, Post this question in indianofficer.com forum, many sociology players hang out there.
INSTEAD OF Anthony giddens ….read haralambous and holbond . u can get its xerox in market in delhi.
haralambous is also best one for sociology paper 1 as recommended by upendra sir UIAS.
THANK U .OK
sir which optional s better for a civi engineering graduate…i ve come across wit many suggesstions but none of them cleared my path….i have pub ad, anthropology, pshycology n sociology in my mind….which one u prefer me…..plzzzzzzzz reply me sir
pub ad, anthropology, pshycology n sociology
all of them are good optionals, it depends on you interest, hardwork and luck.
sir ji only 25 days left for the mains 2012..!! plzzzz get the sociology paper 2 notes of tyagi sir or tanvi ma’am..
he has uploaded only paper I notes.
HI MRUNAL JI…
I WUD REALLY LIKE TO APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK DONE BY U & BY UR TEAM…..
I HV GONE THRU ALL THE ARTICLES, SUGGESTION , THEY R INDEED VALUABLE….
A SMALL REQUEST TO U .. FEW BOOKS MENTIONED BY MS. TANVI ARE REALLY TOO COSTLY EG. SOCIOLOGY BY HARLOMBAS COSTING 2500/- . CAN U PLZ FIND IT OUT FROM OTHER SOURCES THE BASIC BOOKS FOR MAINS (FROM 3-4 STUDENTS).. SO THAT IT WILL BE EASIER FOR US TO EVALUATE THE SYLLABUS & WUD BE IN R BUDGET TO DO PREPARATION, FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS STUDENTS LIKE ME… PLZ UPLOAD SOCIOLOGY PAPER II REFERENCE..
MANY THANKS TO U … GOD BLESS U ALYS.
sorry, sociology not my optional subject so better ask the question here on following forum:
http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/forum.php
THANKS ALOT MRUNAL JI….. FOR THE QUICK RESPONSE
MAY THE JOY BE YOURS
u can get xerox of haralabos and holbond (new) in market in delhi rajender nagar
haralambous is also best one for sociology paper 1 as recommended by upendra sir UIAS.i hav also read it.
THANK U .
the name is haralambos & holborn
friend even i’m a middle class aspirant rendered bankrupt coz of the huge cost of books. if you get xerox, go for them. studying only a few books don’t help. in the worst case, download all the BA/MA notes from IGNOU (egyankosh).
sir plz paste PATHAK sir notes of PSYCHOLOGY…
need a little help.I mean i am in fix coz as per the book list i was trying to purchase Anthony Giddens-Sociology through flipkart,but sumhw i found 5 to 6 books titled
Anthony Giddens-Sociology price Rs. 2357,Giddens-Sociology price Rs.893,Sociology:Introductory Reading price rs 5052…………..and so on.
Therefore if u can help me out that which book should i buy which cn cover most of syllabus.
Waiting for ur response
Thanks and regards
Sir,can you please mention what exactly should I download from Ignou for Sociology.
Hi. Mrunal,
I am not able to decide on optional subjects to be choosen.I have done hotel mgmt.and shortlisted some subjects-Public Adm,Sociology,Political Science, Psyocology. Suggest me best options even if it is beyond the above 4 subjects.And how to go about preparations and if possible do give me coaching institutes for recommended subjects.
SIR, WHAT SHOULD BE THE WORDS LIMIT FOR 30 MARKS AND 10 MARKS QUESTIONS
WORDS LIMIT FOR 30 MARKS AND 10 MARKS QUESTION
marks*10=words
SIR,AM IN SOME SORT OF CONFUSION.THE THING IS I AM NOT UNDERSTANDING WHETHER INDIAN ECONOMY IS AN OPTIONAL OR NOT.IN MY ARENA,SOME OF THE PEOPLE SAID ECONOMICS IS AN OPTIONAL NOT INDIANECONOMY.SO PLEASE CLARIFY MY DOUBT SIR,WAITING FOR UR REPLY……………………
Economics is an optional subject.
Indian Economy is part of Paper II of that optional subject.
sir which optionals is good geography or sociology….em from civil engineering
can any one provide me relevant and important diagrams for sociology ,,if any one have send me at [email protected]
goto http://www.Mrunal.org/download
you’ll find sociology notes of Kshitij Tyagi for free download
hi mrunal sir first of all thanks for your guidance for all civilservice aspirants especially i would like to thank u very much because recently i read some of your suggestions for upsc syllabus , sir i am BBA student and i would like to take psychology and english literature as my optionals for 2013 mains because iam keen interested in these two subjects so i would like to start preparing now itself so please suggest me a good material for these two subjects .
Sir please tell me where to find Anthony Giddens e-book online ?
Please send me the flipkart link for “new haralambos book”
Actually I found two books on flipkart with name “sociology themes and perspectives” one of collins and hyppercollins each but none of them have more than 1000 pages (In vibhu goel’s blog , he has mentioned the page nos. he read ………….the last one is 1079)
Please reply……….please
thanx a lot sir………………………………
sir, is b.a. english usefull for I.A.S. .EXAMINATION…………………
actually i have english subject in b.a. and i want to leave this…….so plz give me a good advice………………………
depends on your interest.
you may pickup economics and do PG in MA (economics), then you can also apply for IES. (Indian Economics service) + good potential in private sector compared to BA (English)
you may also go for Sociology and then MSW. good opportunities in specialized recruitments in State PSC etc.
thanxxxxxx sir!!!!!!!!!!!
SIR WHERE FROM I CAN GET HINDI MEDIUM OLD NCERT BOOKS.
Delhi: bookstores behind JNU campus, or Mukharjinagar etc.
Daryaganj, Sunday.
thanx sir …………………….
sir, i would like know what or who is Haralambos? as i am new to sociology. and can you just help me out in getting some good notes. I’ll be Greatfull to you.
sir, i want to become a I.A.S. officer but my general knowledge is not good .
plz give me a good advice…………………
hi mrunal, I just wanted to know that what should be answer writing style in UP PCS (state main exam)for the sociology paper . It should be like university exams or UPSC mains exam. Please guide.
style should be same more or less on the lines of IGNOU BA and MA material on Sociology.
Thanks.
I want to enroll for the ba course in sociology in ignou. but in the online applying procedure there are a lot of optional subjects and credits written next to them that i am getting confused. kindly help me in selecting the proper subjects keeping in view that i want to pursue the civil services exam after completing the graduation. please reply.
Online procedure is actually more confusing and cumbersome.
I suggest you visit the nearest IGNOU study-centre, buy the Rs.100 application form, fill it up, along with required fees and they’ll give you admission.
hello sir i want to know about sociology for mains is their any alternative for haralambos if so than is it correct to select like ( Capitalism and Modern Social Theories by Anthony Giddens or Sociological Theories by George Ritzer,Contemporary India by Veena Das) i am just asking please suggest a compact reference books.
Seems You are headed for all second order books…Try pearson publication -Sociology-By John Machonis first if you don’t want to lose interest in Socio.
plz post the study material and references for ras sociology paper.
dear sir ,
kindly upload complete Recommended booklist for history & sociology for optionals .
http://mrunal.org/2012/07/strategy-sociology.html
and
http://mrunal.org/2012/05/topper-abhishek-69-2011.html#432
This is a joke! I had the new Haralambos and Holborn, it was my 3rd attempt and i did exceedingly well in Paper 1. I wrote all the latest case studies in the paper, including Linda ( i do not recall the last name) Bean pole families. Guess how much i got?? —- 75/300 ( UPSC is a joke – it is 95% luck and 5% hard work – irrespective of what mrunal says this is the truth) please do not waste time on this god forsaken exam, there are other ways if you really want to do good for the country, which i think itself is not worth it because of the political system. All you passionate souls, please calm down for a minute reflect and save yourselves.
I requred sir Book Name in Sociology(Hindi Medium)
sir i am not able to download sociology from ignou gyankosh..help me regarding this
you’ve to register a free account on their website first.