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Sociology is one of the most popular optional subjects for the UPSC civil services exam. Increasingly, many aspirants are opting for sociology optional coaching in the online mode because of the numerous benefits that e-learning provides.
Nowadays, many brick and mortar coaching institutes as well as reputed educational portals provide sociology optional coaching online. Some of the top online coaching platforms for you to consider for sociology optional for the UPSC civil services exam are as follows:
1. IAS Gurukul:Undoubtedly, IAS Gurukul is the most reputed of the numerous online platforms for sociology optional for UPSC. The faculty at the institute, Pranay Aggarwal, is one of India’s top sociologists and has been endorsed by scores of selected IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other officers who have cleared the civil services exam with sociology optional. IAS Gurukul provides offline classes as well as online courses. The online sociology optional coaching at IAS Gurukul is done through seamless technology integration and comes equipped with features like doubts clearing on phone/ Whatsapp, regular answer writing and full length tests; and long validity period. Importantly, IAS Gurukul specializes in sociology optional coaching for UPSC. In contrast, other UPSC coaching institutes promote too many courses while some e-portals do not specialize in UPSC exam preparation. The sociology course at IAS Gurukul is completed in about 4-6 months.
2. Coursera: It provides certification programs in sociology and various other subjects from some of the world’s best universities such as University of Pennsylvania, University of Amsterdam, Yale and many others. The quality of courses is good. The key drawback for a UPSC aspirants is that these courses are not focused on the UPSC exam and also do not cover the full UPSC sociology optional syllabus.
3. EdX:Like Coursera; EdX is an online learning platform. It was developed by MIT and Harvard University. It offers online Bachelor’sand Master’s degrees as well as shorter courses in various subjects; including sociology.
4. IGNOU:IGNOU is one of the world’s largest universities. It conducts BA and MA courses in sociology in online/ distance mode. The course duration is 3 years for Bachelors and 2 years for the Masters course. The focus is on self-learning with the help of aides like study material. While the courses are in easy to understand language, the syllabus of the BA and MA courses are much broader than the dictates of UPSC. The course material, though, is helpful to clarify one’s concepts for sociology optional for the UPSC exam as well.
Some of the key benefits of taking online coaching for sociology optional are as follows:
1. Flexibility:Flexibility is the key benefit on e-learning. UPSC candidates preparing in the online mode are not restricted to attend any particular session as classroom coaching students are. Classroom students are constrained to attend classes during the class timings. In contrast, online students can prepare for their UPSC optional (sociology) at the time of their own choosing, be it early morning hours or late in the night. This is particularly important for working professionals who are preparing for the UPSC/ IAS exam and who have to attend office during the day.
2. Quicker syllabus completion: Those students who are preparing for sociology optional through online coaching can complete the syllabus faster because they can watch the lectures at 1.5 X or 2X speed; thereby completing the course at a faster pace.
3. Helps making notes:Those taking online coaching for sociology optional for UPSC exam can view the lecture at a slower pace (eg. at 0.5X) or pause the lecture to make notes.
4. Clearing concepts: Online students of sociology optional coaching also have the option of watching a lecture multiple times if required, in the rare case when a concept is not clear.
5. Learning at one’s own pace: Online students can choose and decide the pace at which they will like to understand the subject. Initially, you may opt to study at a slower pace and develop a comfort with the subject. As you become better acquainted with the subject of sociology, the pace can be increased.
Sociology remains a popular optional subject for the IAS aspirants because of its short syllabus, ease of understanding and easy availability of resources. Many students with sociology optional clear the UPSC exam every year. Sociology optional, in fact, plays a key role in their selection. To see reviews of IAS Gurukul sociology optional courses by selected candidates, click here.