GATE Sociology Syllabus 2027 (Out): Topics & Weightage Wise Syllabus PDF

Topics Covered

Sociological Theory

Research Methodology and Methods

Sociological Concepts

Agrarian Sociology and Rural Transformation

Family, Marriage and Kinship

Indian Society / Sociology of India

Social Movements

Sociology of Development

Theories

Important Topics

Classical Sociological Traditions

Emile Durkheim (Social Solidarity, Social Facts, Suicide, Religion, Functionalism, Division of Labour, Law, Anomie), Max Weber (Social Action, Authority, Bureaucracy, Protestant Ethic, Ideal Type, Methodology), Karl Marx (Class Conflict, Capitalism, Alienation, Surplus Value, Historical and Dialectical Materialism)

Structural Functionalism & Structuralism

Bronislaw Malinowski, A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, Talcott Parsons (AGIL Model, Systems Approach), Robert K. Merton (Middle Range Theory, Manifest & Latent Functions, Reference Groups), Claude Levi-Strauss (Structuralism, Myths)

Hermeneutic & Interpretative Traditions

G.H. Mead, Alfred Schutz (Phenomenology), Harold Garfinkel (Ethnomethodology), Erving Goffman (Symbolic Interactionism, Dramaturgy), Clifford Geertz (Culture, Thick Description)

Recent Theories

Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, Anthony Giddens, Frankfurt School, Postmodernism, Post-Structuralism

Conflict Theory

Ralf Dahrendorf, Lewis Coser, Louis Althusser

Indian Thinkers

M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, G.S. Ghurye, M.N. Srinivas, Irawati Karve, Radha Kamal Mukherjee, A.R. Desai, Andre Beteille

Topics Covered

Philosophy of Science

Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn

Scientific method

Epistemology

Hermeneutic traditions

Etic and Emic approaches

Inductive and deductive methods

Objectivity and reflexivity

Research ethics

Research design

Concepts, facts, theories, and hypotheses

Research questions and objectives

Quantitative and qualitative research

Ethnography

Survey method

Historical and comparative methods

Statistical methods

Sampling

Questionnaire and schedule

Observation

Interview

Case study

Data analysis

Report writing

Area

Topics Covered

Basic Concepts

Social structure, culture, network, identity, community, socialization, diaspora, values, norms, rules, status, role, personhood, habitus, agency, bureaucracy, power, authority, self and society

Social Institutions

Marriage, family, kinship, economy, polity, religion, education, law, customs

Social Stratification

Caste, class, gender, sexuality, disability, race, tribe, ethnicity, inequality, hierarchy, marginalization

Social Change

Evolution, diffusion, modernization, development, globalization, social mobility, Sanskritization, Westernization, educational and occupational change

Topics Covered

Rural and peasant society

Caste and tribe distinction

Agrarian social structure

Land ownership and agrarian relations

Agrarian change

Decline of agrarian economy

De-peasantization

Agrarian unrest

Peasant movements

Feudalism

Mode of production debate

Land reforms

Panchayati Raj

Rural development programmes

Community development

Green Revolution

Agricultural change

Farmers' movements

Topics Covered

Structural-functional, alliance, and cultural approaches

Gender relations and power

Inheritance and succession

Authority in family

Gender, sexuality, and reproduction

Children, youth, and elderly

Emotions and family

Emerging family forms

Changing marriage practices

Care and support systems

Family laws

Domestic violence

Crime against women

Honour killing

Topics Covered

Colonial, nationalist, and Indological perspectives

Structural-functional approach

Dialectical approach

Subaltern studies

Non-Brahmin perspectives

Feminist perspectives

Family, kinship, household, village, and urban society

Caste, class, tribe, and gender

Tradition and modernity

Peasant studies

Agrarian sociology

Village studies

Social movements

Communalism and secularism

Area

Topics Covered

Introduction

Nature, definitions, characteristics, social change, types of social movements

Theories

Structural-functional theory, Marxist theory, Resource Mobilization Theory, New Social Movements

Social Movements in India

Peasant movement, labour movement, Dalit movement, women's movement, environmental movement

Civil Society & Globalization

Relationship between state and civil society, globalization debates, citizenship issues

Area

Topics Covered

Perspectives on Development

Definitions, indices of development, modernization theory, Marxist and Neo-Marxist perspectives, dependency theory, world systems theory

Micro-politics of Development

Communities, development models, knowledge and power, subaltern movements, post-colonial development, decentralization, devolution, participatory approaches

Development and Critique

Post-development perspectives, alternative development paradigms, feminist critique, human development, development-induced displacement and dispossession

Examination Mode

Computer-Based Test (Online)

Total duration of the test

3 Hours

Sections of GATE XH 2027 paper

• General Aptitude (GA)

• Reasoning and Comprehension

• Sociology

Total Marks

100 Marks

Weightage of Sociology Section

60 Marks

Type of Questions

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)

Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions

Marking Scheme

1 or 2 marks depending on the type of question

GATE 2027 Negative Marking

• 1/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer of one marker

• 2/3 marks will be deducted for every incorrect response of a 2-marker

• No negative marking for MSQ & NAT.

• No partial marking for MSQ-type questions.

Economics

C1

English

C2

Linguistics

C3

Philosophy

C4

Psychology

C5

Sociology

C6