BSOC 133
SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
Programme: BAG/2021/2022
Course Code: BSOC 133
Max. Marks: 100
IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022, BSOC 133 Solved Assignment 2022, BSOC 133
Assignment 2022, FREE BSOC 133 Assignment, IGNOU Assignments 2022- Gandhi
National Open University had recently uploaded the assignments of this session
for the year 2022. Students are recommended to download their Assignments from
this webpage itself. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment
2022 They don’t need to go anywhere else when everything regarding the
Assignments are available during this text only.
IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022
BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022: for
college kids – BSOC 133 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES Solved Assignment 2022,
Students are advised that after successfully downloading their Assignments,
you’ll find each and every course assignments of your downloaded. Candidates
got to create separate assignment for the IGNOU Master Course, so as that it’s
easy for Evaluators to ascertain your assignments.
BSOC 133 Free Solved
Assignment
Assignment I
Answer the
following Descriptive Category Questions in about 500 words each. Each question
carries 20 marks. 2 × 20 = 40
1. Discuss
the Marxian concepts of dialectics and social change.
The Concept of Dialectics: The word dialectics’ is a logical
term which means the method of intellectual discussion by dialogue. IGNOU BSOC
133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
said that the term meant the art of deputation by question and answer. Plato
(427-397 B.C.) also developed this term before Aristotle in relation with his
doctrine of ideas. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Before Plato,
Socrates (470-590 B.C.) used this term to investigate the presuppositions at
the back of all sciences. The word was also used by the German philosopher
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) to describe the impossibility of applying to objects
of a nonsensuous understanding the principles which are found to govern
phenomena of sense-experience. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022
Dialectics can also be understood as a process which means that it is a process
of reason in ascending and descending forms.
The ascending form of dialectics believes that one is able
to exhibit the existence of a higher reality, e.g., the forms of God and in the
descending form of dialectics, one is able to describe the manifestation of a
higher reality in the phenomenal world of sense-experience. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free
Solved Assignment 2022 Karl Marx used the term ‘dialectics’ on the basis of his
critique of the German philosopher Hegel’s theories of idealism.
Social Change and Revolution: This section deals with the
ideas of Marx on social change and revolution. Both the sociologists, Marx and
Engels outlined their scheme of history in which the main idea was that based
on a mode of production there was a succession of historical phases. IGNOU BSOC
133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 They saw the change from one phase to the next
as a state of revolution brought about by conflicts between old institutions
and new productive forces.
Communism would wipe out all class divisions and therefore
would allow for a fresh start with moral and social transformation. This was
the vision both Marx and Engels carried in their minds for future society. IGNOU
BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 The
idea of socialist revolution of Marx pre-supposes an era of shift from
capitalism to socialism. According to him, the bourgeois revolution is a defeat
of the aristocracy which came at the end of a long period of growth of
capitalism.
Therefore, Marx saw communism as a series of steps to
completely revolutionise the entire mode of production. Marx also devised the
intensification of class antagonism in capitalism, because the new forces of
production do not correspond to the relations of production. The gap between
the levels of distribution of gains between the two classes will be increased
which shall leave the have-nots extremely alienated and conscious of their
class interests. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Marx opined that
the socialist revolution would be qualitatively different from all the
revolutions of the past as it would for the first time, after the beginning of
history of inequality and exploitation emerged in a stage of classless society
with a hope for all members of society.
The word ‘dialectics’ refers to a method of intellectual
discussion by dialogue. It is a term of logic. According to the Greek
philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), it referred to the art of deputation by
question and answer. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Before
Aristotle, another Greek philosopher Plato (427-397 B.C.) developed this term
in relation with his doctrine of ideas. He evolved it as the art of analysing
ideas in themselves and in relation to the idea of ultimate good. Even before
Plato, yet another Greek philosopher Socrates (470-390 B.C.) used this term to
examine the presuppositions at the back of all sciences. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free
Solved Assignment 2022 Until the end of the middle ages, this term remained a
part of logic. Carrying the same tradition of treating this term as reason, in
modern philosophy of Europe, the word was used by the German philosopher
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) to discuss the impossibility of applying to objects
of a nonsensuous understanding the principles which are found to govern
phenomena of sense-experience.
2. What is
social revolution and how it will be reached? Discuss from Marxian perspective.
Revolution Marx: Karl Marx became the leader of a
revolutionary party while working with the Communist League, a federation of
workers. The London branch of the Communist League endowed him with writing of
a document in the year which would spell aims and objectives of the party which
was presented by Karl Marx early in 1848. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment
2022 The document was called the Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848) and
after that Karl Marx and his family were expelled from Belgium and its
territory. Then, he was invited back to Paris by the new French Government.
Marx once again left Paris and went to Cologne to find out what he could do to
promote his idea in his native Rhineland. The new journal started by Marx was
named as “The New Rheinische Zeitung’ which was read avidly by the public. But
then Marx was arrested for sedition and tried in Cologne court where he
delivered a speech on socioeconomic conditions in Germany and other countries. IGNOU
BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 The jury thanked him but the Government
had already taken away his citizenship and therefore he was dismissed from
Rhineland in July 1849.
A social revolution is a fundamental change in a society. It
involves a shift in power in a society. Revolutions occur when a number of
people in a society feel discontent with the current order and agree that
change is necessary. When we stop wanting to live the way we're living, or if
we stop believing in the legitimacy of our current social or political order,
we may turn to revolution.
It's important to note that revolution is different than
reform, which seeks to change small parts of an existing system, but ultimately
keep it in place. Revolution seeks to overthrow this whole system. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Revolution
can bring about important social, political, and economic changes. Let's talk
about some of the causes of social revolution.
These revolutions are usually recognized as having
transformed society, economy, culture, philosophy, and technology along with
but more than just the political systems.
Marxism is a social, political, and economic theory
originated by Karl Marx that focuses on the struggle between capitalists and
the working class. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Marx wrote that
the power relationships between capitalists and workers were inherently
exploitative and would inevitably create class conflict.
Assignment II
Answer the
following Middle Category Questions in about 250 words each. Each question
carries 10 marks. 3 × 10 = 30
3. Compare
and contrast the viewpoint of Durkheim and Marx on division of labour.
The classical sociology of Marx, Durkheim and Weber see the
development of industrialisation and specialisation in different ways and
present different kinds of prospects. However, the blueprints for the future
society are not present in the work of any of these theorists but their
analysis presents an effective framework for studying modern society. IGNOU
BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 The concept of division of labour is
present in most of the work of Marx like Economic and Philosophical Manuscript,
The German Ideology, Capital etc. Durkheim dedicated his first and major
theoretical work in this domain with the same name and ecplores a curious
paradox by asking: “how does it come about that individual, whilst becoming
more autonomous, depends ever more closely on society?”(Durkheim 1893: xxx).
Both Marx and Durkheim say that the modern division of labour was possible
because of decimation of old social order. Durkheim says that “the division of
labour varies in direct proportion to the volume and densities of societies and
if it progresses in a continuous manner over the course of social development
it is because societies become regularly more dense and generally more
voluminous.”(Durkheim 1986; 205). IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022
So, for him, increase in social density is the cause for the specialisation and
subsequent development of division of labour in societies.
Further, he says that growth and development of societies
necessitate a greater division of labour. So, it is not the instrument whereby
that division is brought about; but it is its determining cause (Durkheim 1986;
205). IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 The determining cause for the
increase in the “moral and social density” is not demography rather it is due
to increase in the interactions among the social groups on permanent basis. So,
he agrees with Marx that the locus of specialisation in cities where people
from different strata come and converge to go for differentiation of work. Marx
gives the example of Northern America and says that Northern states of American
Union is more denser than India due to development of division of labour
despite India having higher population (Tucker 1978; 393).
4. What did
Durkheim mean by ‘collective conscience’?
The doctrine of collective conscience has its origins in the
French sociologist Emile Durkheim’s The Division of Labour in Society.
Durkheim’s religious training and his subsequent nurturing in a strongly
cohesive Jewish community made him an enthusiast of group solidarity. He
defined collective conscience as “the totality of beliefs and sentiments common
to average citizens of the same society.” The doctrine shapes many of his ideas
in the book. For example, when Durkheim argues against Herbert Spencer’s
radical individualism, he calls for the collective integration of individuals
in a society. His theory of punishment is an extension of collective
sentiments: “an act is criminal when it offends strong and defined states of
the collective conscience.” According to Durkheim, passion is the soul of
punishment and ceases only when exhausted. Durkheim’s theory of morality is
also centred on group solidarity. For him, social reality is a group concept
having social integration as a core value. The stronger the group, the more
unified it is. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Durkheim expands his
moral theory on the foundation of group solidarity. “Everything which is a
source of solidarity is moral…and morality is as solid as these ties are
numerous and strong.” Without common sentiments and common ideas, says
Durkheim, one is not a man. Compliance is demanded from the members of the
group. Collective representations express collective realities. The pattern
that we arrive at thus expects a preconceived behaviour from the members a
group to constitute what Durkheim calls “mechanical solidarity”
5.
Distinguish between normal and pathological social facts.
Durkheim classified social facts into Normal and Pathological
social facts. Normal social facts are the most widely distributed and useful
social facts assisting in the maintenance of society and social life.
Pathological social facts are those that might associate with social problems
and ills of various types.
Related Link:
IGNOU BEGC 131 Free Solved Assignment 2022
IGNOU BEGC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022
IGNOU BANS 184 Free Solved Assignment 2022
IGNOU BEGAE 182 Free Solved Assignment 2022
Normal social fact confirms to the given standards. But
normality varies from society to society and also within a society. It is
important that a social fact which is normal may not be normative. For example,
Sati Pratha is not regarded as a normal social fact in castes other than
Rajput’s.
Durkheim says that crime is present in every society with
some structural changes. It is a good example of pathological social fact. IGNOU
BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 We consider crime as pathological. But
Durkheim argues that though we may refer to crime as immoral because it flouts
values we believe in from a scientific viewpoint it would be incorrect to call
it abnormal. Firstly, because crime is present not only in the majority of
societies of one particular type but in all societies of all type. Secondly, if
there were not occasional deviances or flouting’s of norms, there would be no
change in human behaviour and equally important, no opportunities through which
a society can either reaffirm the existing norms or else re-assess such behaviour
and modify the norm itself.
Assignment III
Answer the
following Short Category Questions in about 100 words each. Each question
carries 6 marks. 5 × 6 = 30
6. What did
Weber mean by verstehen or interpretative understanding?
Max Weber and Georg Simmel introduced interpretive
understanding (Verstehen) into sociology, where it has come to mean a
systematic interpretive process in which an outside observer of a culture (such
as an anthropologist or sociologist) relates to an indigenous people or
sub-cultural group on their own terms and from their own point of view, rather
than interpreting them in terms of the observer's own culture. IGNOU BSOC 133
Free Solved Assignment 2022 Verstehen can mean either a kind of empathic or
participatory understanding of social phenomena. In anthropological terms this
is sometimes described as cultural relativism, especially by those that have a
tendency to argue toward universal ideals. In sociology it is an aspect of the
comparative-historical approach, where the context of a society like twelfth
century "France" can be potentially better understood
(besserverstehen) by the sociologist than it could have been by people living
in a village in Burgundy. It relates to how people in life give meaning to the
social world around them and how the social scientist accesses and evaluates
this "first-person perspective.
7. Describe
the three types of authority.
The sociologist and philosopher Max Weber distinguishes
three types of authority—charismatic, traditional and legal-rational—each of
which corresponds to a brand of leadership that is operative in contemporary
society. Jeffry Ocay, a scholar in critical theory, explains that the
achievement of a particular form of political order in any democracy depends on
prevailing conditions “in which different forms of society cohere” and
different ways “in which consensus is achieved.” First, charismatic authority
points to an individual who possesses certain traits that make a leader
extraordinary. This type of leader is not only capable of but actually possesses
the superior power of charisma to rally diverse and conflict-prone people
behind him. His power comes from the massive trust and almost unbreakable faith
people put in him.
Second, traditional authority indicates the presence of a
dominant personality. This leader is someone who depends on established
tradition or order. While this leader is also a dominant personality, the
prevailing order in society gives him the mandate to rule. This type of
leadership, however, is reflective of everyday routine and conduct. IGNOU BSOC
133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Third,
legal-rational authority is one that is grounded in clearly defined laws. The
obedience of people is not based on the capacity of any leader but on the
legitimacy and competence that procedures and laws bestow upon persons in
authority. Contemporary society depends on this type of rationalization, as the
complexities of its problems require the emergence of a bureaucracy that
embodies order and systematization.
8. Explain
the difference between ‘value relevance’ and ‘value neutrality’.
The concept of value-neutrality was proposed by Max Weber.
It refers to the duty and responsibility of the social researcher to overcome
his personal biases while conducting any research. It aims to separate fact and
emotion and stigmatize people less. It is not only important in sociology but
outlines the basic ethics of many disciplines.
Value neutrality is of enormous importance to social workers
because their contribution towards the knowledge of society and social
phenomena immensely affect laws, legislations, people, groups, policies
required to be made, social changes that should emerge and so on. According to
Max Weber, it is important for sociologists to be value-neutral because
otherwise their findings and analysis could provide distorted and manipulated
results. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 They need to remain
impartial while conducting the research, and should not omit or deduct any
important information from the findings and should present the results without
distorting any parts of it.
Main approaches for examining the effect of accounting
information in financial markets have emerged in the last three decades. We
formally define information content, valuation relevance, and value relevance.
Respectively, these approaches are based on Beaver (1968), Ball and Brown
(1968), and tests of association between market values and accounting numbers.
We systematically compare and contrast these paradigms to highlight their
relative strengths and weaknesses, and to identify possible reasons why one
method provides different results from another. Implementing these research
methods using data from the last three decades, we show that information
content has remained constant while valuation relevance and value relevance
have both declined.
9. What did
Marx mean by ‘mode of production’?
The mode of production is a central concept in Marxism and
is defined as the way a society is organized to produce goods and services. It
consists of two major aspects: the forces of production and the relations of
production. The forces of production include all of the elements that are
brought together in production—from land, raw material, and fuel to human skill
and labor to machinery, tools, and factories. The relations of production
include relationships among people and people’s relationships to the forces of
production through which decisions are made about what to do with the results.
In Marxist theory, the mode of production concept was used
to illustrate the historical differences between different societies'
economies, and Marx commented on neolithic, Asiatic, slavery/ancient,
feudalism, and capitalism.
Marx and fellow German philosopher Friedrich Engels saw
hunter-gatherers as the first form of what they called "primitive
communism." Possessions were generally held by the tribe until the advent
of agriculture and other technological advances. IGNOU BSOC 133 Free Solved
Assignment 2022 Next came the Asiatic mode of production, which represented the
first form of a class society. Forced labor is extracted by a smaller group.
Technical advances such as writing, standardized weights, irrigation, and
mathematics make this mode possible.
10. Explain
the purpose and use of ideal types in social sciences.
The ‘ideal type’ is one of Weber’s best known contributions
to contemporary sociology. It occupies a very important place in his
methodology. Weber believed, it was the responsibility of sociologists to
develop conceptual tools. The most important of such conceptual tool is the
ideal type. Weber used Ideal type in a specific sense. To him Ideal type is a
mental construct, like a model, for the scrutiny and systematic
characterization of a concrete situation. Indeed he used Ideal type as a
methodological tool to understand and analyze social reality. Methodology is a
conceptual and logical research procedure by which knowledge is developed. IGNOU
BSOC 133 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Historically much of the methodological
concern in the social sciences has been directed towards establishing their
scientific credentials.
Max Weber was particularly concerned with the problem of
objectivity in social sciences. Hence he used Ideal type as a methodological
tool that looks at reality objectively. It scrutinizes, classifies,
systematizes and defines social reality without subjective bias. The Ideal
types are nothing to do with values. Its function as a research tool is for
classification and comparison. “The Ideal typical concept will develop our
skill in imputation in research. It is not a description of reality but it aims
to give unambiguous means of expression to such a description.” In other words,
Ideal types are concepts formulated on the basis of facts collected carefully
and analytically for empirical research. In this sense, Ideal types are
constructs or concepts which are used as methodological devices or tools in our
understanding and analysis of any social problem
GET PDF & Handwritten
WhatsApp 7838475019
For Details : Phone Number – : 8130208920
Email – : senrigenterprises@gmail.com
Address – : New Delhi – 110062