CSS Sociology General Sociology: Basic Concepts Syllabus

General Sociology: Basic Concepts syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Sociology: Basic Concepts in CSS Sociology, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Individual and Society

   5 topics

   • Sociability and the Sociality of Man
   • Meaning and Characteristics of Society
   • Community: Meaning and Characteristics
   • Individual–Society Relationship
   • Evolution of Societies
2. 2

   Culture

   6 topics

   • Meaning and Characteristics of Culture
   • Types of Culture
   • Functions of Culture
   • Elements of Culture
   • Cultural Processes and Concepts
   • Socialization
3. 3

   Social Interaction and Stratification

   4 topics

   • Caste and Class Systems
   • Feudal System in Pakistan
   • Social Mobility
   • Culture of Poverty
4. 4

   Social Control

   3 topics

   • Mechanisms of Social Control
   • Anomie and Alienation
   • Social Integration
5. 5

   Public Opinion

   3 topics

   • Formation of Public Opinion
   • Opinion Leaders
   • Characteristics of Leadership

General Sociology: Basic Concepts flashcards for CSS Sociology

21 of 50 cards from the General Sociology: Basic Concepts deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is sociability in sociology?

   Sociability is the innate human tendency and capacity to associate, interact, and form relationships with other people, making social life possible.

2. What is meant by the 'sociality of man'?

   It is the idea that man is by nature a social being who cannot develop his personality or survive fully in isolation; human life is inherently lived in association with others.

3. Which two classic statements express that man is a social animal, and by whom?

   Aristotle's statement 'Man is a social animal' (one who lives outside society is either a beast or a god), reinforced by the dependence and association arguments of later sociologists.

4. Name the three main factors used to prove that man is a social animal.

   (1) Man's natural instinct/sociality, (2) man's necessity and dependence on society, and (3) the influence of society in shaping human personality.

5. What do 'feral children' / cases of isolation (e.g., Kaspar Hauser, Anna, Isabelle) prove about sociality?

   They prove that without social contact a human fails to develop language, reasoning, and human personality—showing that human nature is a product of society, not biology alone.

6. Define 'society' in sociology.

   Society is a web or system of social relationships among individuals and groups who share common interests, interact regularly, and possess a sense of belonging.

7. According to MacIver and Page, what is society?

   Society is 'a system of usages and procedures, of authority and mutual aid, of many groupings and divisions, of controls of human behaviour and of liberties'—a web of social relationships.

8. List the key characteristics of society.

   Social relationships, likeness (similarity), difference, interdependence, cooperation and conflict, mutual awareness, a system of social control, and it is abstract and dynamic.

9. Why is society described as 'abstract'?

   Because society is not a visible physical object but a network of intangible social relationships, norms, and interactions that can be felt but not seen or touched.

10. What roles do 'likeness' and 'difference' play in society (per MacIver)?

    Likeness creates a sense of belonging and enables association, while difference (e.g., of sex, aptitude, role) makes division of labour and mutual interdependence possible; both are essential to society.

11. Define 'community' in sociology.

    A community is a group of people permanently living in a definite geographic area, sharing a common life and a strong sense of belonging (community sentiment).

12. According to MacIver, what are the two essential elements (bases) of a community?

    (1) Locality (a definite territory/geographic area) and (2) community sentiment (a 'we-feeling', role-feeling, and dependence-feeling).

13. List the main characteristics of a community.

    A group of people, a definite locality/territory, community sentiment (we-feeling), permanence, naturalness (spontaneous growth), likeness, a wider/total social life, and a particular name.

14. What are the three components of 'community sentiment' (MacIver)?

    We-feeling (sense of belonging together), role-feeling (each person feels he has a role to play), and dependence-feeling (mutual reliance on the community).

15. Distinguish between community and society.

    Community is a concrete group bound to a definite territory with community sentiment, while society is an abstract web of social relationships not tied to a fixed locality; a society may contain many communities.

16. Distinguish between community and association.

    A community is a natural, all-embracing group living in an area, whereas an association is a deliberately organized group formed to pursue specific interests; one belongs to a community but joins an association.

17. What are the two opposing theoretical views on the individual–society relationship?

    The social-contract / individualistic view (society is created by individuals for their benefit) and the organismic / group-mind view (society is an organic whole that precedes and shapes individuals).

18. What is the 'social contract theory' of the individual–society relationship?

    It holds that society arose from a voluntary agreement among individuals; thinkers include Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, who saw society as a deliberate creation for mutual benefit.

19. What is the 'organismic theory' of the individual–society relationship?

    Advanced by Herbert Spencer, it views society as a living organism in which individuals are like cells/organs—interdependent parts whose existence depends on the whole.

20. What is the modern (balanced) view of the individual–society relationship?

    Individual and society are mutually dependent and complementary—society shapes the individual through socialization, while individuals collectively constitute and continually change society.

21. State Aristotle's two outcomes for one who can live without society.

    One who lives outside society is either 'a beast or a god'—i.e., either subhuman or superhuman—because normal human life requires society.

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