AIR 38 · CSE 2017 · Sociology I · 34 pages

Aparna Gupta: Sociology I answer copy

16 answers by Aparna Gupta, as written in the test. Each question opens a page with how other toppers answered it.

The questions

  1. Q1(a)Language as a social fact12.5 marks
  2. Q1(b)Interactionist perspective on deviance12.5 marks
  3. Q1(c)Sociology and common sense12.5 marks
  4. Q1(d)Limitations of questionnaire as a technique of data collection12.5 marks
  5. Q2(a)Sociology as a scientific study of the totality of social life has made immense contributions to the study of economic phenomena in its various dimensions. Comment.25 marks
  6. Q2(b)The division of labor goes beyond the economic interests, it also establishes social and moral order within the society. Discuss in context of theory of Emile Durkheim.25 marks
  7. Q5(a)Latent dysfunctions of science and technology12.5 marks
  8. Q5(b)Cognitive consonance between pattern variable and paradigm12.5 marks
  9. Q5(c)5. (c) Inequality and poverty12.5 marks
  10. Q5(d)Critical social science methodology12.5 marks
  11. Q6(a)Discuss the relationship between crime and social exclusion. Analyze the role of welfare state in breaking this linkage.20 marks
  12. Q6(b)"The institution of marriage is marked by continuity as well as change".15 marks
  13. Q6(c)Critically analyze the dysfunctions of the institution of family.15 marks
  14. Q8(a)Compare and contrast Talcott Parson with Karl Marx with respect to their views on social change.20 marks
  15. Q8(b)Critically analyze the Pluralist perspective on power and state. Bring out the differences between Classical Pluralism and Elite pluralism.20 marks
  16. Q8(c)Elaborate on the social distribution of poverty in society.10 marks

The answers

Question 1(a) · 12.5 marks · 188 words written

Language as a social fact

Opening · a definition

Social facts are ways of acting, thinking and feeling which are external to and coercive of individuals (Durkheim). Durkheim himself studied language as a social fact, as it showcases the various characteristics of social facts:

Body · points

  1. Language is a thing and has to be empirically studied. Every language has given grammatical rules, and one cannot philosophise about them.
  2. Language is external to individuals. People have to adopt the existing language in a society. A 'private' language, or a language developed by single individual cannot serve the core purpose of language i.e. communication.
  3. Language is coercive of individuals. It is one of the social facts in a society and thus reflects the other social facts. For eg. there are no words for certain specific things in some languages. In cultures where cross-cousin marriages happen, the word for uterine kin is same as that for affine uterine kin.
  4. Language can be explained only on the bases of other social facts. Any developments in language are result of social changes.

Close · a summary

Durkheim's analyses of language as social fact establishes the focus of studying language in a scientific, empirical manner.