RBSE SS Sociology study plan

Define sociology, its emergence as a discipline, and its relationship with allied social sciences in your own written notes

Distinguish and correctly apply core concepts: society, community, association, institution, status and role, norms and values, with one Indian example each

Summarise the core arguments of Marx, Durkheim and Weber and identify which perspective (functionalist, conflict, interactionist) each informs

Build a one-page glossary of 25 key terms with definitions and examples drawn from Indian social life

Compare types of family (nuclear, joint, matrilineal, patrilineal) and explain how family functions change with industrialisation

Classify forms of marriage and kinship terminology, and explain rules of descent, residence and avoidance in Indian communities

Trace the socialisation process through agencies (family, school, peer group, media) and distinguish primary from secondary socialisation

Explain the elements of social structure: status, role, groups, institutions and their interconnections, using an Indian case

Explain caste as a system: varna, jati, purity and pollution, caste panchayats, and the debate on caste today

Distinguish tribe, class and gender as axes of stratification, and compare their interaction in Indian society

Define social stratification and mobility types (vertical, horizontal, intergenerational, intragenerational) with examples

Explain how caste, class and gender overlap in access to education and employment, citing the logic of reservation policy

Distinguish social change from evolution, progress and revolution, and classify factors of change as demographic, technological, ideological and economic

Explain processes of change: sanskritisation, westernisation, modernisation, urbanisation and globalisation, with Indian illustrations

Outline major social movements in India (peasant, tribal, women's, Dalit, environmental) and their demands and outcomes

Evaluate the social consequences of development projects, including displacement and rehabilitation debates

Identify and define major social problems in India: poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, dowry, domestic violence, child labour, alcoholism and drug abuse

Match each problem to relevant social legislation (Dowry Prohibition Act, Domestic Violence Act, Child Labour Acts, SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act) and state its key provisions

Assess why legislation alone often fails: implementation gaps, awareness, judicial delays and social attitudes

Explain the causes and consequences of gender inequality in Indian institutions such as family, work and politics

Distinguish quantitative from qualitative methods and identify when each is appropriate for a research question

Explain sampling, questionnaire, interview, observation and case study, and list the strengths and limits of each

Define reliability, validity and ethics in sociological research, including informed consent and confidentiality

Describe the fieldwork tradition in Indian sociology and what participant observation contributes to understanding communities

Re-read your week 1 to 4 notes and rewrite each core concept in one sentence without consulting the source

Answer two full-length practice papers under timed conditions and mark every wrong item with the reason for the error

Revise the thinkers' positions and the change processes you confused most often, using flashcards

Build a list of the ten concepts you still find weakest and drill them until you can define and exemplify each

Consolidate the Indian society block by answering one essay-style question from each of domains 6, 7 and 8

Practise applying legislation and movement knowledge to case-based questions with reasoned conclusions

Revise research methods through a quick self-test on sampling, tools and ethics

Simulate a final full paper and review every mistake before the exam