UPSC Sociology Syllabus for IAS Mains

UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam has Sociology as one of the Optional Subjects with 2 papers (Optional Paper I and Paper II). The mains examination is a part of IAS Exam which has 3 stages – Prelims, Mains and Interview.

UPSC Sociology Syllabus (Sociology Syllabus 2024)
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This article provides you with the UPSC Sociology syllabus for Optionals.

For details on similar optional subjects syllabus, check the linked article.

Sociology subject matter overlaps with General Studies Paper 1 in UPSC Mains (Indian Society part) and it is also helpful for GS 2, GS 3 and Essay paper. The nature of the Sociology UPSC Syllabus focuses on contemporary issues in society.

Sociology Optional Syllabus for UPSC

IAS optional paper is of 250 marks with a total of 500 marks. Sociology as an optional subject in UPSC Mains is a popular choice among aspirants as an IAS officer has to deal with many facets of the society and knowledge of sociology is helpful in their work.

Related Links:

UPSC CSE Notification IAS Online Application
Civil Services Posts UPSC 2024 Calendar
Modern History Notes UPSC Books
How to study for IAS at home UPSC 2024
Eligibility Criteria for UPSC UPSC Notes

Below we have given the Sociology Syllabus UPSC as given by the Commission in the official notification.

UPSC Sociology Optional Syllabus for Paper I

UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-I 1 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-I 2 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-I 3 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-I 4 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-I 5

Quiz of the Day!

UPSC Sociology Optional Syllabus for Paper II

UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-II 1 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-II 2 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-II 3 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-II 4 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-II 5 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-II 6 UPSC Sociology Syllabus- Sociology Optional Syllabus Paper-II 7

IAS aspirants would notice that Sociology for UPSC has a significant overlap with topics from General Studies, so they should prepare for the papers simultaneously. Also, candidates should solve more questions from previous years’ UPSC question papers as well as from mock tests to be able to crack the UPSC Sociology exam.

Frequently Asked Questions on Sociology Syllabus UPSC

Q1

Q 1. What is the Sociology optional syllabus for UPSC?

Social Institutions – In terms of length, the greatest portion of Sociology optional Paper-I is devoted to important social institutions. There are 5 units in the Paper-I syllabus covering 5 important social institutions namely religion, family and kinship, economic system, political system and stratification.
Q2

Q 2. Is Sociology a good optional for UPSC?

Sociology optional is one of the highly popular optional subjects among UPSC aspirants owing to its short and crisp syllabus, ease of understanding, and availability of good resources.
Q3

Q 3. How do I approach sociology optional for UPSC?

For a better hold over the subject, UPSC aspirants should write sociology answers on a daily basis for mains exam. Multiple revisions are required for  IAS aspirants with Sociology optional. Notes should be their own handwritten notes.
Q4

Q 4. Which book is best for sociology optional in UPSC?

Ans. Some important books for Sociology optionals books for UPSC are :

  • Introduction to Sociology by Anthony Giddens.
  • Sociological Theory by George Ritzer.
  • Sociology Themes and Perspectives by Haralambos & Holborn.
  • A Dictionary of Sociology by John Scott.
  • Sociological Thought by Francis Abraham and John Henry Morgan

This article talked about the UPSC Sociology optional syllabus. IAS aspirants who have opted for Sociology as their optional subject may also check UPSC Sociology Strategy in the linked article.

Aspirants must review the previous years’ trends for the sociology optional in the UPSC exam to review the success rate of this subject.

You can also check the articles relevant to the UPSC Sociology Syllabus and IAS exam preparation in the table below:

Political Science vs Sociology IAS Medical Science Optional Syllabus
PSIR Optional Syllabus Important Books for Sociology
IAS Subjects for Science Students Important PDFs for IAS Preparation

Comments

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  1. I want to prepare for this exam , so I want to the latest sallybus

  2. Can u plz give us study material or refrence text books for sociology ??

  3. Hi,
    This is the first time I’m preparing for civils exam, so could you please let me know what are the books i need collect for all the papers to start preparation.

  4. Sir I am confused of choosing my optional what would be the best optional geography or sociology

  5. Dear Mentor,
    I have been graduated taking economics, but after my job in primary school I have left practicing economics , so is it possible to be perfect in economics or I should go for sociology

    • Hi
      It all depends on your comfort with a subject. Having said that, you may go for Sociology as well, as the subject is scoring and the study material is easily available.

  6. Dear mentor
    How can I download previous year question paper for UPSC prelims and mains.

  7. I’m confused while choosing my optional subject I am interested in improvement of society as well in social problems . What should I choose as my optional? Please help. Thankyou.

    • Hi,
      The smart choices are:
      1. Sociology
      2. Public Administration
      3. Polity IR
      4. History

      These are non-technical subjects. You can choose from them given your interest. Go through their syllabus and find out the booklist for each. Then decide if you will be able to complete the syllabus on time along with GS preparation. Ultimately, you will get a chance to serve the nation when you get selected. Hence, take the right decision. All the best.

  8. Can you please suggest some best reference books for sociology.