ISC Class 12 Sociology Syllabus 2026-27
CISCE has released the ISC Class 12 Sociology Syllabus 2026-27 for the new academic session.
Students must follow the latest syllabus to prepare effectively for the ISC Class 12 board examination. The syllabus defines the prescribed units, chapter-wise topics, and examination structure for Sociology.
Teachers must align classroom instruction with the updated topic list and marking scheme issued by CISCE.
The Class 12th Sociology Syllabus helps students plan revision, focus on relevant content, and avoid deleted topics. Students should review the syllabus before creating a study timetable.
Oswal Publishers has updated its ISC Class 12 Sociology books according to the latest syllabus and paper pattern.
Download the official ISC Class 12 Sociology Syllabus 2026-27 PDF from the link below.
ISC Sociology Class 12 Latest Syllabus 2026-27
There will be two papers in the subject:
Paper I - Theory: 3 hours ……70 marks
Paper II- Practical Work ……30 marks
Paper - I (Theory) –
70 Marks
1. Social Institutions
(i) Definition and features of Social Institutions. Self explanatory.
(ii) Types of Social Institutions: Kinship, Marriage and Family
Kinship: Meaning of kinship, Types of kinship: consanguineous and affinal kinship – discuss features in detail. Degree of kinship (primary, secondary, tertiary)- discuss in detail; descent- features and types (matrilineal, patrilineal and bi-lateral); types of residence (matrilocal, patrilocal and avunculocal)- Kinship usages- definitions and reasons for each usage along with examples: avoidance, joking relationship, teknonymy, avunculate, amitate, couvade;
Marriage: definition and functions.
Definition, features, merits, demerits, functions of the following:
- Rules of marriage: exogamy (clan, gotra, pravara, village and sapinda) and endogamy (caste, sub-caste, varna and tribe), cousin marriage-cross and parallel cousin, levirate, sororate, hypergamy and hypogamy.
- Forms of marriage: polygamy (polyandry and polygyny), monogamy.
Family: definition and features (MacIver’s features); Functions of family to be discussed explaining the reasons for its universal existence.
Types of family: definition and features of each of the following- consanguineous and conjugal family (family of origin and procreation), matriarchal and patriarchal family (matripotestal, patripotestal and avuncupotestal), nuclear and joint families. Comparison between consanguineal and conjugal, matriarchal and patriarchal, nuclear and joint.
Structural changes (disintegration of the joint family), functional changes; Factors responsible for the changes. Small family norm.
2. Religion and Society
(i) Definition and concepts of religion and science; beliefs, rituals, superstitions, taboo.
Differences and similarities between religion and science.
Beliefs, rituals, superstitions, tabooDefinition of each along with relevance/functions to be explained with the help of examples.
(ii) Theories of religion: animism, naturism, totemism, functional theories.
A brief discussion of animism (Tylor’s theory), naturism (Max Mueller’s theory), totemism; functional theories (Malinowski, Radcliffe Brown and Durkhiem).
(iii) Functions and dysfunctions of religion.
(iv) Morality and social control.
Definition of morality and social control; relation between religion, morality and social control, moral code, religious code.
3. Political Organization
Political Organization and its role in bringing about change in society.
Definition of political organisation; definition of Panchayati Raj, features of the 73rd Constitution Amendment Act, Role of the Bal Panchayats;
4. Economic Organisation
(i) Economic Organisation
Definition of economic organization, economic and free goods.
(ii) Economies of Indian tribes: food gathering, agriculture, shifting axe cultivation, handicrafts, pastoralism, industrial labour and tribal industries.
Economies of Indian tribes (a description of each economy with examples): (i) Food gathering; (ii) agriculture: (iii) shifting axe cultivation; features and terms used by different tribes (jhum-Naga tribe, dahi and koman- Bhuiya tribe, penda-Maria tribe, podu-Khond tribe and bewar-Baiga tribe), criticism of this type of cultivation (iv) handicraft making; (v) Pastoralism; (vi) industrial labour migration of large numbers of Santhal, Kond and Gond to tea gardens in the north east; large resources of coal, iron and steel in Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh; examples of Santhal, Ho in pick-mining, coal-cutting, the mica and the iron & steel industry.
(iii) Agrarian Economy, Jajmani system and MGNREGA (features of each one in detail).
Agrarian Economy: land relations – owner, tenant, share cropper.
(iv) Traditional Markets
To be discussed with respect to features and sociological importance of Weekly markets, barter exchange- definition only.
5. Tribal India - Past, Present and Future
(i) Definition of tribe, features.
Definition of tribe, features (unity and selfsufficiency, clan and family, common totemic ancestor, territory, occupation, endogamy, dormitories, language, common culture,common name, common religion, political organization and territory).
(ii) Dormitories in Tribal India
Definition; origin of dormitories; features and functions; culture contact and change in dormitories.
(iii) Present conditions, problems and solutions.
Economic, political regionalism and separatism), social and cultural conditions and problems.
Discuss briefly the following policies of the Government of India for upliftment of the Indian tribes: Tribal Panchsheel, important constitutional safeguards: important Committees and Commissions: Kaka Kalelkar and Mandal Commission, Backward Classes Commission; Special Central Assistance; Economic programmes and facilities: Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP); Large Sized Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS); 20 Point Programme; Programme for encouragement in crafts, home industries and agriculture; Educational policies.
Discuss briefly the following policies of the Government of India (post independence) for upliftment of the Indian tribes: Tribal Panchsheel, important constitutional safeguards: important Committees and Commissions: Kaka Kalelkar and Mandal Commission, Backward Classes Commission; Special Central Assistance; Economic programmes and facilities: Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP); Large Sized Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS); 20 Point Programme; Programme for encouragement in crafts, home industries and agriculture; Educational policies.
6. Social Stratification
(i) Social stratification: the elements.
Definition of social stratification, inequality and difference; features of social stratification.
Class: The class system: its nature, development, types of classes.
Discuss briefly the growth, nature of the different classes (lower, middle, upper).
(ii) Caste: The caste system: concept (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra), caste origin, caste and class comparison, its features.
Definition; Theory of Divine Origin/ The Traditional Theory; characteristics of caste, merits and demerits of caste.
Comparison between caste and class.
Social mobility - brahminisation, sanskritisation and westernization - definitions only.
(iii) Gender: Difference between sex and gender, patriarchal ideology and the status of women in independent India.
Difference between sex and gender, gender bias and its consequences for both men and women – at the workplace, property rights and family status.
Gender issues: female infanticide, female foeticide, dowry, sati, child marriage, domestic violence, rape, widowhood, sexual harassment and women as perpetrators of violence.
7. Social Change and Development
(i) Social change and Development
Definition of Social Change and development – features and sources of social change.
(ii) Aspects of Development
Industrialization, urbanization, modernization, globalization and sustainable development - definitions only.
The relationship between social change and development (with respect to the above aspects of development with special focus on sustainable development, ecological and environment issues for improving quality of life for the present and future).
(iii) Social Movements: Meaning, causes and their role in society.
(iv) Role of Education in creating Social change.
Meaning and functions of education. Emphasize the role of education in creating social change. Role of Right to Education (RTE), its features and its implications to be discussed briefly.
(v) Role of Mass Media in creating Social change
Role of Mass Media (Print, electronic, audiovisual; positive and negative aspects of mass media). Understanding each of the above forms of mass media and their role in creating social change; The Right to Information (RTI)- features and importance.
