Questions
Model Solutions
1. Write a short note on Sociology and its relationship with Economics and Political Science. 20
2. Clarify the correlation between Common Sense and Sociology. 10
Model Structure 1.
Introduction
● Definition of Sociology
● Sociology - the mother of all social science
Main Body
A. Sociology and Economics
● Define Economics
● Divergence between the two -
○ Scope of Study (society vs. utilization of resources)
○ Types of Research methods
○ Focus of the subject
○ Sociology have emerged relatively recently
● Convergence between the two -
○ Marx - MoP, Economic Base structure
○ Weber - Spirit of Protestant ethic and Rise of capitalism
○ Durkheim - Division of Labour
○ Origin of caste can be analysed by studying economic DoL in Jajmani system
○ Current Examples -
- Budgetary allocation for social development
- Amartya Sen's capability approach
B. Sociology and Political Science-
● Define of Political Science
● Divergence between the two -
○ Scope of Study - (Society vs State)
○ Types of Research methods
○ Subject matter (codified, related to power in Pol Science; Open-ended, stresses interrelation of social institutions in Sociology)
○ Focus of the subject - (Social actions vs Power)
○ Sociology have emerged relatively recently
● Convergence between the two -
○ Sociological investigation for policy forming
○ Max Weber developed sociological theory of authority and power in his study on Bureaucracy
○ Sociological analysis of voting pattern, Identity politics
○ Morris Ginsberg- Historically sociology has its roots in politics and Philosophy of History.
○ Sociological concepts such as religion, caste, ethnicity, etc used for political mobilisation. Eg. Maratha agitations in Maharashtra
○ C.W. Mills, Immanuel Wallerstein
○ Indian Context - M.N.Srinivas Dominant caste, Rajni Kothari
● Current Examples -
○ Study of caste identity in politics (AJGAR, Muslim-Yadav Vote banks, etc)
○ Issue of tribal autonomy
Conclusion
● Scope of the disciplines evolve with time and mutually reinforcing each other, to flourish together
Model Structure 2.
Introduction
● Define Common sense and Sociology
Main Body
Compare and contrast the both
● Sociology- Not Common Sense (common sense vs sociology)
○ Nature of findings: Cues from surface Vs Looking out for interconnectedness
○ Nature of Observations: Assumptions, individualistic, culturally determined Vs Organized skepticism, tested thoughts.
○ Orientation: Status-quoist, unreflective Vs Change oriented and reflective
○ Positivist argues that common sense and sociology is different
● Sociology- Common Sense (Similarities between them -Moore & Reid)
○ Concepts in sociology been framed by taking common sense knowledge into consideration
○ Common sense helps in building sociological hypotheses.
○ It also provides raw material for sociological investigation
○ Non-positivists (phenomenology, ethnomethodology) consider common sense as a part of sociology.
Conclusion:
● At first, it was rejected by positivists like Durkheim; Some see it as complementary;
● Post-modernist see sociological knowledge as no superior to common sense.
● Thus, the relation between sociology and common sense is dynamic and even mutually reinforcing at times.
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