sociology-optional-i 2014

Write short answer of the following:

(a) How is objectivity different from value neutrality? Discuss with reference to Weber's views on methodology. (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) How did the emergence of industrial society change the family life in Western Europe? (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) How is sociological approach to human actions different from that of psychological approach? (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) In what way biographies could be used to study social life? (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) How can we use reference group theory to understand fashion in society? (10 marks, 150 words)

(a) Which research technique would be most suitable for the study of consumer behaviour and its social correlates? Explain. (20 marks)

(b) Identify the similarities and differences between Marx's theory of 'alienation' and Durkheim's theory of 'anomie'. (20 marks)

(c) How could one use Merton's concept of deviance to understand the traffic problem in urban India? (10 marks)

(a) What do you understand by gender? How does it shape 'male' identity? (20 marks)

(b) “According to Max Weber, ‘class’ and ‘status’ are two different dimensions of power.” Discuss. (20 marks)

(c) Using Merton’s concepts of ‘manifest’ and ‘latent’ functions, explain the persistence of corruption in Indian society. (10 marks)

(a) How does Weber use the notion of ‘ideal types’ in his theory of bureaucracy? (20 marks)

(b) In what way ‘interpretative’ method is different from ‘positivist’ approach in the study of social phenomena? (20 marks)

(c) Using Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism, discuss the stages in the formation of gender identity. (10 marks)

Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : (10x5=50 marks)

(a) For Marx, class divisions are outcomes of ‘exploitation’. Discuss. (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) What are the distinctive features of social organization of work in slave society? How is it different from feudal society? (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) Discuss T. H. Marshall's views on citizenship. (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) Distinguish between Political Parties and Pressure Groups. (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) “According to Durkheim, the essence of religion in modern society is the same as religion in primitive society.” Comment. (10 marks, 150 words)

(a) "Power is not a zero-sum game." Discuss with reference to Weber's and Parsons' views. (20 marks)

(b) Critically examine the functionalist views on the institution of family. How do those help us in understanding family in the present times? (20 marks)

(c) What do you understand by institutionalization of 'live-in relationship'? (10 marks)

(a) How is religious revivalism different from communalism? Elaborate with suitable examples from the Indian context. (20 marks)

(b) Education is often viewed as an agency of social change. However in reality it could also reinforce inequalities and conservatism. Discuss. (20 marks)

(c) According to Marx, capitalism transforms even the personal relationships between men and women. Critically examine with illustrations from the contemporary Indian context. (10 marks)

(a) How is the increasing use of technology changing the status of women in Indian society? (20 marks)

(b) Write a short essay on the Latin American perspective on ‘dependency’. (20 marks)

(c) What do you understand by social movement? How has the mobilization by Scheduled Castes helped them in constructing a new identity? (10 marks)