UPSC CSE Sociology Optional Syllabus 2026

Sociology as an optional subject in UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) is widely considered by numerous aspirants preparing for CSE. Sociology is considered as the high scoring optional subject in UPSC CSE. Many toppers such as Vishal Shah (329/500) in 2018 and Mohini Suryawanshi (289/500) in 2024 have scored highest marks by choosing Sociology as their optional subject.

Sociology optional paper has a weightage of 500 marks for both Paper-I and Paper-II. Opting Sociology as an optional subject can actually make a difference in the All India Rank(AIR) of the candidate in the UPSC final result list.

UPSC CSE Sociology Optional Syllabus for Paper-I

Topic No.	Topic	Sub-Topics of Syllabus
1.	Sociology – The Discipline	(a) Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of Sociology (b) Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences (c) Sociology and common sense
2.	Sociology as Science	(a) Science, scientific method, and critique (b) Major theoretical strands of research methodology (c) Positivism and its critique (d) Fact value and objectivity (e) Non-positivist methodologies
3.	Research Methods and Analysis	(a) Qualitative and quantitative methods (b) Techniques of data collection (c) Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability, and validity
4.	Sociological Thinkers	(a) Karl Marx – Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle (b) Emile Durkheim – Division of labour, social fact, suicide, religion and society (c) Max Weber – Social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism (d) Talcott Parsons – Social system, pattern variables (e) Robert K. Merton – Latent and manifest functions, conformity and deviance, reference groups (f) Mead – Self and identity
5.	Stratification and Mobility	(a) Concepts – equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty, and deprivation (b) Theories of social stratification – Structural functionalist theory, Marxist theory, Weberian theory (c) Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity, and race (d) Social mobility – open and closed systems, types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility
6.	Works and Economic Life	(a) Social organization of work in different types of society – slave society, feudal society, industrial capitalist society (b) Formal and informal organization of work (c) Labour and society
7.	Politics and Society	(a) Sociological theories of power (b) Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups and political parties (c) Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology (d) Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution
8.	Religion and Society	(a) Sociological theories of religion (b) Types of religious practices: animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults (c) Religion in modern society: religion and science, secularization, religious revivalism, fundamentalism
9.	Systems of Kinship	(a) Family, household, marriage (b) Types and forms of family (c) Lineage and descent (d) Patriarchy and sexual division of labour (e) Contemporary trends
10.	Social Change in Modern Society	(a) Sociological theories of social change (b) Development and dependency (c) Agents of social change (d) Education and social change (e) Science, technology, and social change

UPSC CSE Sociology Optional Syllabus for Paper-II

Section	Topic	Sub-Topics of Syllabus
A.	Introducing Indian Society	(i) Perspectives on the Study of Indian Society (a) Indology (G. S. Ghurye) (b) Structural functionalism (M. N. Srinivas) (c) Marxist sociology (A. R. Desai) (ii) Impact of colonial rule on Indian society (a) Social background of Indian nationalism (b) Modernization of Indian tradition (c) Protests and movements during the colonial period (d) Social reforms
B.	(i) Rural and Agrarian Social Structure	(a) The idea of Indian village and village studies (b) Agrarian social structure — evolution of land tenure system, land reforms
	(ii) Caste System	(a) Perspectives on the study of caste systems: G. S. Ghurye, M. N. Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre Beteille (b) Features of caste system (c) Untouchability — forms and perspectives
	(iii) Tribal Communities in India	(a) Definitional problems (b) Geographical spread (c) Colonial policies and tribes (d) Issues of integration and autonomy
	(iv) Social Classes in India	(a) Agrarian class structure (b) Industrial class structure (c) Middle classes in India
	(v) Systems of Kinship in India	(a) Lineage and descent in India (b) Types of kinship systems (c) Family and marriage in India (d) Household dimensions of the family (e) Patriarchy, entitlements, and sexual division of labour
	(vi) Religion and Society	(a) Religious communities in India (b) Problems of religious minorities
C.	(i) Visions of Social Change in India	(a) Idea of development planning and mixed economy (b) Constitution, law, and social change (c) Education and social change
	(ii) Rural and Agrarian Transformation in India	(a) Programmes of rural development, Community Development Programme, cooperatives, poverty alleviation schemes (b) Green revolution and social change (c) Changing modes of production in Indian agriculture (d) Problems of rural labour, bondage, migration
	(iii) Industrialization and Urbanisation in India	(a) Evolution of modern industry in India (b) Growth of urban settlements in India (c) Working class: structure, growth, class mobilization (d) Informal sector, child labour (e) Slums and deprivation in urban areas
	(iv) Politics and Society	(a) Nation, democracy and citizenship (b) Political parties, pressure groups, social and political elite (c) Regionalism and decentralization: power (d) Secularization
	(v) Social Movements in Modern India	(a) Peasants and farmers' movements (b) Women's movement (c) Backward classes & Dalit movements (d) Environmental movements (e) Ethnicity and Identity movements
	(vi) Population Dynamics	(a) Population size, growth, composition and distribution (b) Components of population growth: birth, death, migration (c) Population policy and family planning (d) Emerging issues: ageing, sex ratios, child and infant mortality, reproductive health
	(vii) Challenges of Social Transformation	(a) Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and sustainability (b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities (c) Violence against women (d) Caste conflicts (e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism (f) Illiteracy and disparities in education

Download CSE Sociology Optional Previous Year Papers

Follow the steps to download the papers:

Open the NEXT IAS website
Go to the ‘Free resources’ tab and click on the ‘Previous Year Papers’ in the menu.
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You can also navigate using the dropdown box on the side, for example, navigating to prelims, mains or optional papers.
Search through the list of available papers to locate the Sociology Optional Paper.
You can both view and download the papers.
Download the Sociology optional subject PDF by clicking the download icon or using the ‘Save As’ option from the browser.
Once finished with the download, save the document in a folder for future reference.

Download Sociology Optional Previous Year Papers

Sociology Optional Past Year Toppers

One of the reasons why Sociology Optional has been consistently producing toppers in the top list of UPSC CSE is because its syllabus is compact and has a strong overlap with GS.
Vishal Shah has the record of the highest scores i.e., 329/500 (171 in Paper-I and 158 in Paper-II in CSE 2018), showcasing mastery over thinkers like Marx and Durkheim.
Recent achievers include Aakash Garg (AIR 5, CSE 2024: 280/500) and Mohini Suryawanshi (AIR 464, 2024: 289/500), who integrated current affairs with theory.
Jagrati Awasthi (AIR 2, 2020: 284/500), Anu Kumari (AIR 2, 2017: 310/500), and Gamini Singla (AIR 3, 2021: 287/500) excelled through PYQ analysis and answer-writing.
Aditi Varshney (AIR 57, 2022: 278/500) and Shah Margi Chirag (291/500) highlight its scoring potential across ranks.
Toppers stress upon Haralambos notes, IGNOU materials, structural diagrams, and linking Paper II (Indian society) to GS I/II/III.
With 9–10% success rates, Sociology suits diverse backgrounds, offering 280–320 scores via consistent practice and ethical insights for interviews.

FAQs on Sociology Optional Syllabus

What is the structure of UPSC Sociology Optional Syllabus?

Sociology Optional comprises two papers, each 250 marks in total 500. Paper I deals with the fundamentals of the discipline, namely, basics, research methods, major sociological thinkers, stratification, and social change. Paper II deals with Indian society, covering caste, kinship, religion, villages, and modern transformations.

What are the most important topics that one needs to study regarding Paper I in Sociology?

Paper I focuses on the following: core concepts-sociology as science, thinkers, social stratification, work/economic life, politics/society, and religion/systems of kinship. The emphasis is on methods of research and theories of social change.

What are the differences between Paper II and Paper I of sociology?

Paper II, Section A, which is India-specific, covers the following aspects: perspectives or contributions of Ghurye, Srinivas, and Desai, impact of colonialism, effect on caste and tribe; rural and agrarian structure, impact of industrialization, social movements, and problems facing the nation, such as population and secularization.

What is the GS overlap for Sociology?

Extensive synergy with GS I (society), GS II (governance, social justice), GS III (economy), and Essay: The content overlap is nearly 60%, reducing preparation time in aiding analytical answers across papers. The subjective probability of an event is the person's feeling about the chance of occurrence of the event.

Is sociology optional suitable for beginners?

Yes, its compact, static syllabus suits all backgrounds-engineers like Anu Kumari, 318/500, succeeded. Concentrate on Haralambos, IGNOU, PYQs, and answer-writing to attain 280-320 marks with 9-10% success rate.