The M.A. in Sociology is a two-year, full-time course divided into two parts, consisting of four Semesters. Semester-I and Semester-II will form Part-I and Semester III and Semester IV will form Part-II. Students Admitted in 2019 and after have to follow the CBCS system.

Each student will take a total of 17 courses out of which Nine courses are compulsory in M.A. (Part-I) and three courses are compulsory in M.A. (Part-II).  The medium of instruction is primarily English for the MA Course.

The Department will announce a list of elective courses to be taught in each of the two semesters making up the M.A. (Part–II) year before the start of the academic year. Generally, an elective course will be taught only if at least five students decide to take the course. Students will be required to convey their selection of particular elective courses by prescribed dates.

Open Elective: SOC 228: Sociological Thinkers

Open Elective: SOC 229: Identity in Contemporary India

(See Syllabus for Details)

Students of the Department may take upto two courses in any other department of the University. All elective courses taught in the M.A. Programme in the Department will be open as interdisciplinary courses to a limited number of full-time students registered in any regular masters programme of the University. The total of such students accepted in each semester, distributed over all the elective courses being taught in the department, will be more or less equivalent to the intake in the M.A. Sociology programme in any one year. The Department will post a last date (on its website) for receiving requests for enrolment by non-sociology students along with its teaching schedule. All non-sociology students wishing to take courses in the Department will be required to meet with the Departmental Interdisciplinary Advisory Committee before their enrolment in courses in the Department.

Interdisciplinary Programme Form for Department of Sociology Students

Interdisciplinary Programme Form for External Students

M.A. in Sociology Syllabus

M.A. Sociology Syllabus (CBCS mode) 2019 onwards

Scheme of Examination & Evaluation

1. English shall be the medium of instruction and examination.

2. Examinations shall be conducted in the courses taught in each semester at the end of that semester as per the Academic Calendar notified by the University of Delhi.

3. Each course will carry 100 marks and 5 credits. Course SOC 109 carries 2 credits and is based on internal evaluation only (Please see the New Syllabus for those who have been admitted from 2019 onwards for the changes in the credit system). Please note that courses opted for outside the Department may carry 4 credits and all students need 80 credits for the completion of the MA Degree.

4. The M.A. Examination in Sociology will have two components:

(i) an end-of-semester written examination of two hours duration in each course at the end of the semester in which it is taught. The maximum marks for the end-of-semester examination in each course will be 70, except in Research Methods Courses (I and II) in which the end-of-semester examination will carry a maximum of 50 marks.

(ii) a system of Continuous Internal Assessment (The Tutorial Programme) in each course during the semester in which it is taught. Continuous Internal Assessment will carry a maximum of 30 marks in each course, except in Methods Courses in which the Continuous Internal Assessment will carry a maximum of 50 marks. The Continuous Internal Assessment entails the submission of a written assignment in that course and the marks will be based on evaluations of presentations, participation in discussions and the written work submitted.

Conditions for Admission to Examinations

1. No candidate will be deemed to have pursued a regular course of study in the M.A. course in Sociology, unless she/he has attended 75% of the tutorial meetings held in the semester, and has submitted 75% of the total written assignments in that semester. The student cannot submit tutorial assignments unless she/he has participated in at least one tutorial meeting held in that subject.

2. The scheme and mode of evaluation applicable to non-sociology students taking courses in the Department will be the same as that applicable to the regular students of the Department.

3. Plagiarism and cheating in the tutorials will be strictly penalized.

Note: Any of the above rules may change subject to University guidelines.

Promotion Rules (Ordinance IX, Clause 8)

Pass Percentage & Promotion Criteria

(a) The minimum marks required to pass any paper in a semester shall be 40%. The student must secure 40% in the End Semester Examination and 40% in the total of End Semester Examination & Internal Assessment of the paper separately.

(b) No student will be detained in I or III Semester on the basis of his/her performance in I or III Semester examination; i.e. the student will be promoted automatically from I to II and III to IV Semester.

(c) A Student shall be eligible for promotion from 1st year to 2nd year of the course provided he/she has passed 50% of the papers of I and II Semester taken together. However, he/she will have to clear the remaining paper/s while studying in the 2nd year of the programme.

(d) Students who do not fulfill the promotion criteria (c) above shall be declared fail in the part concerned. However, they shall have the option to retain the marks in the papers in which they have secured Pass marks as per Clause (a) above.

(e) A student who has to reappear in a paper prescribed for Semester I/III may do so only in the odd Semester examinations to be held in November/December. A student who has to reappear in a paper prescribed for Semester II/IV may do so only in the even Semester examinations to be held in April/May.

Reappearance in passed papers:

(a) A student may reappear in any theory paper prescribed for a semester, on foregoing in writing her/his previous performance in the paper/s concerned. This can be done only once in the immediate subsequent semester examination (for example, a student reappearing in a paper prescribed for Semester I examination, may do so along with the immediate next Semester III examination only).

(b) A candidate who has cleared the papers of Part II (III & IV Semesters) may reappear in any paper of III or IV Semester only once, at the immediate subsequent examination on foregoing in writing her/his previous performance in the paper/s concerned, within the prescribed span period.

(Note: The candidate of this category will not be eligible to join any higher course of study)

(c) In the case of reappearance in a paper, the result will be prepared on the basis of candidate’s current performance in the examination.

(d) In the case of a candidate, who opts to re-appear in any paper/s under the aforesaid provisions, on surrendering her/his earlier performance but fails to reappear in the paper/s concerned, the marks previously secured by the candidate in the paper/s in which she/he has failed to re-appear shall be taken into account while determining her/his result of the examination held currently.

(e) Reappearance in Practical examinations, dissertation, project and field work shall not be allowed.

(f) A student who reappears in a paper shall carry forward the internal assessment marks, originally awarded.

Division Criteria:

A student who passes all the papers prescribed for Semester I & II examinations would be eligible for the degree. Such a student shall be categorized on the basis of the combined result of Semester I & II Semesters examinations as follows:-

National Scholarships under the Centre of Advanced Study

These scholarships are awarded to students who join the M.A. course. The number of scholarships to be awarded every year will be eight, so that in the two years together there will be maximum of sixteen scholarships. At least half of these will be awarded to graduates from universities other than the University of Delhi.

The value of the scholarships will be Rs.250/- per month. In addition, the following sums will be made available: (a) Rs.400 for the duration of the course, payable in installments of Rs.200 each year, for the purchase of books; (b) Rs. 100 to cover incidental expenses; and (c) for scholars coming from universities other than Delhi University and who do not reside in Delhi, actual 2nd class railway fare from the place of residence to Delhi and back once during the term of the scholarship.
The scholarship will normally be tenable for the period of the Master’s degree course (which includes the vacation), subject to the satisfactory progress of the scholar.

Veena Dua Memorial Scholarship

This is one scholarship of the value of Rs. 1,200/- per month to be awarded every year to a deserving M.A. (Part I) student. The scholarship will be tenable for twelve months covering the duration of the part-I course. It shall be renewable in the second year of the M.A. course provided the scholar obtained 55% or above marks in the aggregate of the eight papers comprising Part I of M.A course.

Professor M.S.A. Rao Memorial Merit Grant

This is one prize of the value of Rs. 2500/ (approx.) to be awarded to deserving student of the M.A. Part II course. The prize shall be awarded every year in April of the same academic year (next calendar year).

Prof. M.S.A. Rao Memorial Gold Medal

A gold medal in memory of the late Professor M.S.A. Rao is awarded to the candidate who secures the highest marks in the M.A. (Sociology) course on Methods of Sociological Research, and obtains a first division in the aggregate of M.A. Part I and II.

Kunda Datar Gold Medal in Sociology

A gold medal, named after the late Mrs. Kunda Datar, is awarded each year to the candidate who secures the highest marks in M.A. Sociology.

Shiv Lal Sawhney Scholarship

The Shiv Lal Sawhney Scholarship has been instituted in the Department by the U.S. based family of the late Mr Sawhney who was an alumunus of Delhi University. The scholarship enables the selection of up to five M.A. (Previous) students each year to conduct fieldwork during the summer vacation between the first and second years. The fieldwork, for a period of six weeks, is to be conducted in one of the educational institutions run by the Krishnamurti Foundation (India). A comparative approach is encouraged and students may engage with other educational institutions as well. The students present their findings in research papers at a workshop organised in the department in August each year and some of the papers are selected for publication as working papers by the D.S. Kothari Centre for Science, Ethics and Education, University of Delhi.

A limited number of M.A. students will also be awarded bursaries, based on their financial needs, to cover their tuition fees, in part or full.

Sanwal Memorial Prize (Discontinued)

The Department had instituted a prize in the form of books in memory of the late Dr. R.D. Sanwal, to be awarded to the student who secures the highest marks in M.A. Sociology. The same has been discontinued owing to lack of funds.