GATE 2025 Sociology Syllabus (XH-C6) details the latest GATE syllabus for the subject released by the official gate organizing institute IIT Roorkee 2025. We also created an easy-to-use ad-free mobile app for the GATE syllabus, previous year papers with keys, gate calculator, virtual calculator, and more. Download iStudy App for all GATE preparation needs.
You will also find IIT GATE college predictor, NIT GATE college predictor, GATE score calculator, and GATE Exam Info & Stats useful during GATE preparation. Without further due let’s jump into the GATE syllabus for Sociology.
GATE 2025 Sociology Syllabus (XH-C6)
C6.1 Sociological Theory
C6.1.1 Classical Sociological Traditions: Emile Durkheim (Social Solidarity, Social Facts, Religion, Functionalism, Suicide, Anomie, Division of Labour, Law; Max Weber (Types of authority, Social action, Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, Bureaucracy, Ideal type, Methodology); Karl Marx: Class and class conflict, dialectical and historical materialism, capitalism, surplus value, alienation)
C6.1.2 Structural-Functionalism and Structuralism: Bronislaw Malinowski; A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, Talcott Parsons (AGIL, Systems approach), Robert K. Merton (Middle range theory, reference groups, latent and manifest function), Claude Levi Strauss (Myths, Structuralism)
C6.1.3 Hermeneutic and Interpretative Traditions: G.H. Mead, Alfred Schutz (Phenomenology); Harold Garfinkel (Ethnomethodology); Erving Goffman (Symbolic interaction, dramaturgy); Clifford Geertz (Culture, thick description)
C6.1.4 Post-Modernism, Post-Structuralism and Post-Colonialism: Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, Anthony Giddens, Frankfurt School
C6.1.5 Conflict theory: Ralf Dahrendorf; C Wright Mills
C6.1.6 Indian Thinkers, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, Radha Kamal Mukherjee, G. S. Ghurye, M.N. Srinivas, Irawati Karve,
If you are preparing for GATE, download iStudy Mobile App for all GATE Syllabus, Previous Question Papers and Keys, preparation guide, Exam updates, Gate Virtual calculator, Gate Score calculator, and IITs & NITs cutoffs. It is a lightweight, easy to use, no images, and no ads platform to make students’ lives easier.
.
C6.2 Research Methodology and Methods
C6.2.1 Conceptualizing Social Reality: Philosophy of Science; Scientific Method and Epistemology in Social Science; Hermeneutic Traditions; Objectivity and Reflexivity in Social Science; Ethics and Politics of research
C6.2.2 Research Design?Reading Social Science Research, Data and Documents; Induction and Deduction; Fact, Concept and Theory/Hypotheses, Research Questions, Objectives
C6.2.3 Quantitative and Qualitative Methods: Ethnography; Survey Method; Historical Method; Comparative Method
C6.2.4 Research Techniques; Sampling; Questionnaire and Schedule; Statistical Analysis; Observation, Interview and Case study; Interpretation, Data Analysis and Report Writing
C6.3 Sociological Concepts
C6.3.1 Sociological Concepts: Social Structure; Culture; Network; Status and Role; Identity; Community; Socialization; Diaspora; Values, Norms and Rules; Personhood, Habitus and Agency; Bureaucracy, Power and Authority; Self and society
C6.3.2 Social Institutions: Marriage, Family and Kinship; Economy; Polity; Religion; Education; Law and Customs
C6.3.3 Social Stratification: Social Difference, Hierarchy, Inequality and Marginalization: Caste and Class; Status and Power; Gender, Sexuality and Disability; Race, Tribe and Ethnicity
C6.3.4 Social Change: Evolution and Diffusion; Modernization and Development; Social Transformations and Globalization; Social Mobility -Sanskritization, Educational and Occupational change
C6.4 Agrarian Sociology and Rural Transformation
Rural and Peasant Society; CasteTribe Distinction and Continuum; Agrarian Social Structure and Emergent Class Relations; Land Ownership and Agrarian Relations; Decline of Agrarian Economy, De-Peasantization and Agrarian Change; Agrarian Unrest and Peasant Movements; Feudalism, Mode of production debate; Land reforms; Panchayati Raj; Rural development programmes and community development; Green revolution and agricultural change; Peasants and farmers movements
C6.5 Family, Marriage and Kinship; Theoretical Approaches
Structural-Functionalist, Alliance and Cultural; Gender Relations and Power Dynamics; Inheritance, Succession and Authority; Gender, Sexuality and Reproduction; Children, Youth and Elderly; Emotions and Family; Emergent Forms of Family; Changing Marriage Practices; Changing Care and Support Systems; Family Laws; Domestic Violence and Crime against Women; Honour Killing
C6.6 Indian Society / Sociology of India
Colonial, Nationalist, Indological perspectives (G.S.Ghurye); Structural-Functional approach (M. N. Srinivas); Dialectical approach (A. R. Desai); Subaltern studies (R. Guha); Non Brahmin perspectives (Phule, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar); Feminist perspectives (Leela Dube, Sharmila Rege); Social Institutions – Family, Kinship, Household, Village and Urban Settings; Social Stratification – Caste, Class, Tribe and Gender; Tradition and Modernity (M.N.Srinivas, Yogendra Singh, Dipankar Gupta); Peasants and agrarian sociology (Andre Beteille, AR Desai, D.N.Dhanagare); Village studies; Communalism and Secularism
C6.7 Social Movements
C6.7.1 Introduction to social movements: Nature, Definitions, Characteristics; Social Movement and Social Change; Types of social movements (Reform, Rebellion, Revival, Revolution, Insurrection, Counter Movement)
C6.7.2 Theories of Social Movements: Structural -functional; Marxist; Resource Mobilization Theory; New Social Movements
C6.7.3 Social Movement in India with specific reference to social basis, leadership, ideology and actions: Peasant movement; Labour movement; Dalit movement; Women’s movement, Environmental movement
C6.7.4 Social Movements, civil society and globalization: Social movement and its relationship with state and civil society; Social movements and impact of globalization: Debates; Issues of citizenship
C6.8 Sociology of Development
C6.8.1 Perspectives on the Study of Development: Definitions and Indices; Liberal, Marxist, and Neo-Marxist Perspectives (Dependency theory, World Systems); Epistemological Critiques of Development
C6.8.2 State and Market: Institutions and ideologies: Planned Development and Society; Globalisation and Liberalization
C6.8.3 The Micro-Politics of Development: Transforming Communities: Maps and Models; Knowledge and Power in Development; Re-inventing Development: Subaltern Movements; Post-colonial development; Decentralization and devolution; Participatory approaches
C6.8.4 Sustainable development: Post-sustainable development; Development, violence and inequality; Post-structural perspectives (Escobar); Alternative development paradigms; Feminist critique; Human development.
If you are preparing for GATE, download iStudy Mobile App for all GATE Syllabus, Previous Question Papers and Keys, preparation guide, Exam updates, Gate Virtual calculator, Gate Score calculator, and IITs & NITs cutoffs. It is a lightweight, easy to use, no images, and no ads platform to make students’ lives easier..
GENERAL APTITUDE (Common for all branches)
Verbal Aptitude
Basic English Grammar
Tenses, articles, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, verb-noun agreement, and other parts of speech
Basic Vocabulary
Words, idioms, and phrases in context
Reading and Comprehension
Narrative Sequencing
Quantitative Aptitude
Data Interpretation
Data graphs (bar graphs, pie charts, and other graphs representing data), 2- and 3-dimensional plots, maps, and tables
Numerical Computation and Estimation
Ratios, percentages, powers, exponents and logarithms, permutations and combinations, and series
Mensuration and Geometry
Elementary Statistics and Probability
Analytical Aptitude
Logic
Deduction and Induction
Analogy
Numerical Relations and Reasoning
Spatial Aptitude
Transformation of Shapes
Translation, rotation, scaling, mirroring, assembling, and grouping
Paper folding, cutting, and patterns in 2 and 3 dimensions
InI India has tons of information for M.Tech Admissions in IITs, NITs, IIITs, and other state-level institutes. Do benefit from the content and also share it with your friends. If you want to discuss things with friends do check our communities, All Q&A about GATE Preparation and M.Tech Admissions.
We wish you great luck with GATE preparations.