B.A (H) Sociology

About The Course

Gain a better understanding of society and social behaviour, with our Honours course in Sociology, which delves deep into the fundamental concepts related to structure of society, organisation of society and human interactions within these constructs. From global warfare and religious cults to family structure, social class, race and gender, the scope and range of the course gives you a wide opportunity to implement what you learn, whether it is in academia, public policy, social development or more.

Student Development Initiatives

BESC’s B.A (H) Sociology course focuses on overall student growth. Through mentoring, tutorials, site visits, workshops, parent-teacher interactions, and expert seminars, students gain guidance, exposure, and practical skills beyond the classroom.

Mentoring Programs
Tutorials & Remedial Classes
Student Presentations
Industry Visits
Well-Stocked Library
Expert Seminars

Innovative Teaching Methods

BESC’s B.A (H) Sociology course uses modern teaching approaches to engage students, foster critical thinking, and build a love for learning. Flipped classrooms, ICT-enabled lessons, workshops, seminars, and regular assignments make learning interactive and practical.

Flipped Classroom
ICT-Enabled Teaching
Peer Students' Lecture
Regular Assignments
Hands-On Workshops
Lectures by academic luminaries

Course Information

A candidate taking up an Honours Course in a subject must have obtained, at the previous qualifying examination, a minimum of:

55% marks in Sociology
OR,
45% marks in Sociology + 50% marks in BO4

Note:

If the candidate has not studied Sociology in class XII, he / she needs to achieve the above-mentioned marks in English to apply for Sociology (H).

Sociology (H) is not available for candidates from Commerce stream.

Please also read General Eligibility Criteria, Under Admissions.

Course Code	Name of Course	Type	Semester	Marks
CC-1	Introductory Sociology I	SOC-A-CC-1-1-TH&TU	1	100
CC-2	Sociology of India-I	SOC-A-CC -1-2-TH&TU	1	100
GE-1	Introduction To Sociology		1	100
AECC1	Compulsory English / MIL (Bengali / Hindi)		1	100
CC-3	Introductory Sociology-II	SOC-A-CC -2-3-TH&TU	2	100
C-4	Sociology of India II	SOC-A-CC-2-4-TH&TU	2	100
GE-2	Sociology of India		2	100
AECC2	ENVS		2	100
CC-5	Political Sociology	SOC-A-CC-3-5-TH&TU	3	100
CC-6	Sociology of Religion	SOC-A-CC-3-6-TH&TU	3	100
CC-7	Sociology of Gender and Sexuality	SOC-A-CC-3-7-TH&TU	3	100
GE-3	Sociological Theories		3	100
SEC -A-1 or SEC -A-2	Reading + Writing and Interpretation in Sociology or Gender Sensitisation	SOC-A-SEC- 3-A(1)-TH or SOC-A-SEC- 3-A(2)-TH	3	100
CC-8	Economic Sociology	SOC-A-CC-4-8-TH&T	4	100
CC-9	Population Studies	SOC-A-CC-4-9-TH&TU	4	100
CC-10	Social Stratification	SOC-A-CC -4-10-TH&TU	4	100
GE-4	Methods of Sociological Enquiry		4	100
SEC-B-1 or SEC-B-2	Statistical Reasoning for Sociology or Theory and Practice of Development	SOC-A-SEC- 4-B (1)-TH or SOC-A-SEC- 4- B(2)-TH	4	100
CC-11	Sociological Thinkers I	SOC-A-CC-5-11-TH&TU	5	100
CC-12	Research Methods – I	SOC-A-CC-5-12-TH&TU	5<t/d>	100
DSE-A-1 or DSE-A-2	Urban Sociology or Sociology of Work and Industry	SOC-A-DSE- 5 -A(1)-TH&TU or SOC-A-DSE- 5 -A(2)-TH&TU	5	100
DSE-B-1 or DSE-B-2	India Sociological Traditions or Sociology of Visual Culture and Media	SOC-A-DSE-5 -B(1)-TH&TU or SOC-A-DSE-5 -B(2)-TH&TU	5	100
CC-13	Sociological Thinkers-II	SOC-A-CC-6-13-TH&TU	6	100
CC-14	Research Methods – II	SOC-A-CC-6-14-TH&TU	6	100<t/d>
DSE-A-3 or DSE-A-4	Environmental Sociology or Agrarian Sociology	SOC-A-DSE- 6 -A(3)-TH&TU or SOC-A-DSE- 6 -A(4)-TH&TU	6	100
DSE-B-3 or DSE-B-4	Sociology of Health and Medicine or Project: Fieldwork And Dissertation	SOC-A-DSE-6 -B(3)-TH&TU or SOC-A-DSE-6 -B(4)-TH&TU	6	100<t/d>

Choose Any Two

Education or Film Studies / Sociology / Political Science / Geography or Psychology or Journalism & Mass Communication / English / Economics / Bengali or Hindi

IDC 1

Political Science, Sociology, History, Journalism & Mass Communication, Bengali, Hindi, Education, Psychology, Geography, Film Studies

IDC 2

English, Political Science, History, Journalism & Mass Communication, Bengali, Hindi, Education, Psychology, Geography, Film Studies, Statistics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics

IDC 3

English, Political Science, History, Journalism & Mass Communication, Bengali, Hindi, Education, Psychology, Geography, Film Studies, Statistics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics

PO CO PSO - 2018-2019

PO CO PSO - 2019-2020

PO CO PSO - 2020-2021

Career Prospects

Graduates can pursue postgraduate studies in English or related disciplines, teaching qualifications, or research degrees. Professionally, the programme builds strong communication and analytical skills valued across education, media, publishing, corporate communications, PR and the creative sector.

Social & Market Research

Analyzing consumer behavior, social trends, and public opinion for research firms, advertising agencies, and global corporations.

NGO & International Development

Working with global organizations like the UN, WHO, or local NGOs as a Program Coordinator, Field Researcher, or Social Activist to address systemic inequality.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Managing a company's social impact initiatives, ensuring ethical business practices and community development partnerships.

Human Resources (HR) & Diversity Specialist

Using an understanding of group dynamics and social equity to manage recruitment, workplace culture, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.

Policy Analysis & Advocacy

Working with government agencies or think tanks to assess the impact of legislation and advocate for marginalized communities.

Urban & Community Planning

Collaborating with city planners to design sustainable and inclusive urban spaces based on demographic and social research.

Public Relations (PR) & Communications

Crafting socially conscious brand messages and managing public perception by understanding cultural nuances and audience psychology.

Journalism & Social Commentary

Reporting on social issues, crime, and cultural shifts as a specialized journalist, columnist, or documentary filmmaker.

Education & Academic Research

Pursuing a career in teaching (with B.Ed) or advancing into higher education and specialized social research as a Professor.

Criminology & Rehabilitation

Working within the legal or corrections system to understand criminal behavior, aid in prisoner rehabilitation, or support victim advocacy.

FAQs*

Students pursuing their higher studies in Sociology Honours will develop critical thinking. It will help us in developing in various capacities such as, morally, ethically, and socially. It helps us to know about a range of aspects – it improves our ability for social interaction and goes beyond this and helps us develop our ability to think, understand, interpret, and assess skills. 1. Improves Critical Thinking and Assessment Skills: One of the most important benefits of Sociology is to make students think critically and merge their sociological knowledge with the real world. They learn critical thinking skills which help them represent their viewpoints and understand others’ viewpoints as well. This way, Sociology helps us develop our thinking and assessment capability but shoves us to think in multiple dimensions. 2. Offers Knowledge about Other Cultures: Sociology enlightens us about different cultural perspectives and various ways of life. As a result, we get to know about diverse cultures, customs, rituals, and traditions. Thus, we can come out of our own culture, beliefs, and tradition and learn to understand and respect other religions, cultures, values, and morals. In a sense, Sociology helps us develop humanity and be polite and kind to other people in society. 3. Reflects Humanity: Sociology is a manifestation of human life. It teaches us to be sensitive, environmentally aware and develop among themselves independent learning abilities and debunk social realities. It teaches us to be more humane. 4. Teamwork: Students can develop individual and teamwork by functioning effectively as an individual or as a member of a group in fieldwork-based research.

The scope of the Sociology degree encompasses critical thinking. It will help us in developing effective communication practices, where they will learn to communicate social ideas clearly and effectively by using sociological terminologies. It helps us to know about a range of aspects – it improves our ability for social interaction. Students can develop themselves as ethical, sociologically sensitive, and responsible citizens of society. They can understand and appreciate the role of Sociology in finding sustainable solutions for environmental issues and related challenges. They can develop an interest for context-specific empathetic understanding to allow divergences to co-exist peacefully.

Sociology can prepare students for various competitive exams in the future such as Civil Service, Public Service Commission, etc.

Students may switch to master’s in social work, Human Resources, etc.

* Frequently Asked Questions

Beyond the Classroom

BESC’s B.A (H) Sociology course is designed to strike the perfect balance between academic learning and real-world exposure. Alongside a strong foundation in the classroom, students benefit from industry mentorship, site visits, hands-on workshops, expert seminars, and insightful guest lectures. These experiences enrich their understanding, bridge theory with practice, and prepare them to confidently navigate professional environments.