B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 1 Sociology I 2016 Dec Question Paper with Solutions

For full marks, cover: what "nature" means; the origin of the word and three definitions; the characteristics of sociology's nature in the standard textbook list traced to Bierstedt, each explained with an Indian example; the scientific character of sociology in brief; value neutrality (Weber); sociology as a field with several perspectives; a summary table; why the nature of sociology matters to a law student; a conclusion.

What "nature" means

To ask about the nature of a subject is to ask what kind of knowledge it produces and how. Is it a science or an art? Does it describe or prescribe? Does it study particular events or general patterns? Answering these questions tells us what sociology can and cannot do.

Origin and definitions

The word sociology was coined by the French thinker Auguste Comte in 1838. It joins the Latin socius (companion) and the Greek logos (study). Literally, it is the study of companionship, that is, of people living together.

1. Comte saw it as the science of social phenomena, to be studied by observation like any natural science.

2. It is a social science, not a natural one. Its subject is human beings in groups, not matter, plants or animals. It therefore stands beside economics, political science, anthropology and psychology. Its findings are affected by the fact that people think, feel and choose.

3. It is categorical, not normative. Sociology describes how society works. It does not lay down how people ought to behave. A sociologist may study why inter-caste marriages are rising in Bengaluru, but whether such marriages are good is a moral question. Of course, the evidence a sociologist gathers can inform moral and legal debate.

4. It is a pure science, not an applied one. Its first aim is knowledge for its own sake. Applying that knowledge is the task of social workers, planners, administrators and lawmakers. A sociologist explains why farmers commit suicide in times of distress. A government department designs the relief scheme.

5. It is abstract, not concrete. Sociology is not interested in a particular wedding, riot or election as such. It studies the forms and patterns that run through many such events, such as ritual, conflict or voting behaviour. History records the concrete event; sociology looks for the pattern behind it.

The characteristics applied: one example

Suppose a sociologist studies why divorce petitions are rising in Indian cities. She collects court records and interviews couples, which is empirical work. She explains the trend through ideas such as women's employment and smaller households, which is rational work. She looks for a pattern across many cases, not the story of one couple, so her study is generalising and abstract. She reports what is happening without declaring divorce good or bad, so it is categorical. Her aim is understanding, so it is pure. Family courts and lawmakers may then apply her findings.

Is sociology a science?

Sociology follows the scientific method. It defines problems, frames hypotheses, observes, classifies and generalises. Emile Durkheim's Suicide (1897) showed that even a private act follows social patterns that can be measured. Yet controlled experiments are rare, observers carry biases, and human behaviour changes with circumstance. Most scholars therefore call sociology a social science: scientific in method but less exact than physics or chemistry.

Why its nature matters to a law student

Law states what people ought to do. Sociology shows what they actually do and why. A lawyer who understands that sociology is categorical and empirical can use its findings as evidence. Such findings show how dowry, child marriage or caste discrimination persist despite the law. Lawmakers can then design rules that work in practice and not only on paper.