About AUD

MA Sociology

Duration: 2 years (4 semesters and a summer internship)       Total Credits: 64

Medium of instruction: English                                      Number of seats: 35

Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree with 45% marks (or an equivalent grade) from a recognized University. Relaxation of 5% marks for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PD categories.

Reservation of seats: In accordance with Government of NCT of Delhi rules.

The scale and intensity of changes that are underway in contemporary India have thrown up new challenges which demand effective intervention in the higher education sector. The two key challenges here are:

• The reported unemployability of graduate and post graduate students. This real crisis of unemployable students, if true for engineering is even more true for social sciences.

• The absence of a social science vision critical for developing and fostering the idea of ‘inclusive citizenship’ in contemporary India, which is marked  by a range of social conflicts related to contending issues such as caste,  religion, gender, tribe, development and livelihood.

The Masters Programme in Sociology attempts to respond to these two challenges by incorporating in its vision and curriculum both the above mentioned concerns. This it will ensure by:

 1. Building a solid base in research methodology and application, writing and analysis that would ensure highly skilled and therefore necessarily employable students in different sectors; the developmental sector, corporations, state and the media.

2. Building a culture of critical thinking, which is committed to the promotion of liberal education which has an invaluable role for the sustainability of any democratic and inclusive society, particularly in a globalised world.

The key markers of the Masters Programme in Sociology would be:

1.Inter-disciplinarity and inter-sectoral knowledge and experience sharing: emphasis on both existential and intellectual learning; the inter-linkages between the concrete and the abstract.

2. Its Pedagogical preference would be on hands on learning, continuous inter-play between text and context, use of tools such as documentaries, films and real life narratives.

3.   Focus on developing analytical and writing skills through its built in        programmes related to report and dissertation writing.

AUD’s existing academic set up, with specialised schools and centres in humanities and social sciences with an accent on osmosis of ideas and expertise across disciplines creates an enviable and unparallel resource base.

Programme Objective

The objective of this Programme is to facilitate:

·    Comprehension and analysis of social realities in a cross-cultural framework in order to bring meaningful intervention and transformation

·     openness towards engagement with emerging spaces including those involving generation of profit

·     Development of change agents equipped with technical acumen as well as social sensibility in an extremely polarized world

·      exploring application of theoretical ideas

·     strong methodological entrenchment with focus on both epistemology and their applications

 Programme Structure

Semester One

Objective

The objective of the first semester is to lay the foundation of the discipline of Sociology and thereby familiarize the students with the tools of sociological analysis. The aim of the course on social research offered in this semester would be to create an interface between epistemologies and their applications in research. The Workshop on Expressions organized in this semester would train the students in the procedures of seeking and critiquing knowledge. Organizational exposure would attempt to explore the multiple domains of practising Sociology. In addition to visiting organizations, it would also involve guest lectures by sociologists engaged in diverse professions.

Proposed Courses:

·         Historical Background of Sociology (4 credits)

·         Conceptual Frameworks (4 credits)

·         Social Research I (4 credits)

·         Workshop on Expressions I (2 credits)

·         Organizational Exposure (2 credits)

 Semester Two

Objective

The objective of this semester is to explore both ‘field view’ and ‘book view’.  An attempt is made on the one hand to familiarize students with the social context and on the other, to orient them towards relevant theoretical ideas. The course on theoretical traditions would focus on ideas of those thinkers who have been crucial in developing a Sociological imagination. The course on social research offered in this semester aims to prepare the students with necessary knowhow for collecting diverse forms of data. The workshop on Expressions aims to train students in writing and reviewing research.

 Proposed Courses

·         Theoretical Traditions I (2 credits)

·         Social Stratification and Discrimination (4 credits)   

·         Indian Society (4 credits)

·         Social Research II (4 credits)

·         Workshop on Expressions II (2 credits)

 Summer Internship

The four-week internship is meant to immerse the students in the field and its realities.

 Semester Three

Objective

The objective of this semester is to help the students understand social transformation through the paradigm of social movements. The course on theoretical tradition would help students understand various important approaches of understanding social reality. The course on social research would focus on analysis and interpretation of data. It will also highlight research writing. The Workshop on Expressions in this semester would train the students in writing and presenting a research proposal. The work for dissertation begins as a part of this course under the supervision of a faculty member. This semester would also involve students in writing and presenting reports written on the basis of experience gathered during their summer internship.

 Proposed Courses

·         Theoretical Traditions II (2 credits)

·         Social Movements and Transformations (4 credits)

·         Intervention and Social Change (2 credits)

·         Social Research III (4 credits)

·         Workshop on Expressions III (2 credits)

·         Internship (Report and Presentation) (2 credits)

 Semester Four

Objective

The objective of this semester is to map diverse contexts, global and local. This semester aims to offer students options pertaining to their areas of interest. The focus of this semester is to create clusters of two electives.  The students will be expected to choose two such clusters. Although all the taught courses are worth 2 credits each, the plan of this semester is to teach them four hours a week and complete them within six weeks. After the completion of the coursework, it is expected that students will be involved in writing their dissertation or term papers as opted by them.

Proposed Courses

·         Globalization and the Emerging Social Order (2 credits)

·         Elective 1 (2 credits)

·         Elective 2 (2 credits)

·         Elective 3 (2 credits)

·         Elective 4 (2 credits)

·         Dissertation (Optional)/Three Guided Term Papers (Optional) (6 credits)

Electives:  A number of elective courses will be offered.  A few of the following will be offered in a phased manner.

·         Sociology of Religion

·          Sociology of Law

·         Women,  Society and Changing Contexts

·         Tribes in Transitions

·         Family and Kinship

·          Sociology of ‘The Other’

·         Reading Autobiographies: Interrogating Societies

Career options:

Many jobs today make use of the social insight and skills acquired through the study of Sociology. Typical employment sectors include:

·         Local and National government

·         Industry and Commerce

·        The developmental sector including health, education, social work,          micro finance

·         The media

·         The corporate and market research

·         Management

.         Publishing

Bulletin of Information

Application Form

  Instructions

Schedule for Admission

Guidelines for Entrance Test