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Anthropology Optional

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  • Paper I

    • Meaning, scope and development of Anthropology

      • Meaning of Anthropology

      • Scope of Anthropology

      • Development of Anthropology

    • Relationships with other disciplines

      • Social Sciences

      • Behavioural Sciences

      • Life Sciences

      • Medical Sciences

      • Earth Sciences

      • Humanities

    • Main branches of Anthropology, their scope and relevance

      • Social-cultural Anthropology

      • Biological Anthropology

      • Archaeological Anthropology

      • Linguistic Anthropology

    • Human Evolution and emergence of Man

      • Biological and Cultural factors in human evolution

      • Theories of Organic Evolution

        • Pre-Darwinian

        • Darwinian

        • Post-Darwinian

      • Synthetic theory of evolution

      • Brief outline of terms and concepts of evolutionary biology

        • Doll's rule

        • Cope's rule

        • Gause's rule

        • Parallelism

        • Convergence

        • Adaptive radiation

        • Mosaic evolution

    • Characteristics of Primates

      • Evolutionary Trend and Primate Taxonomy

      • Primate Adaptations (Arboreal and Terrestrial)

      • Primate Behaviour

      • Tertiary and Quaternary fossil primates

      • Living Major Primates

      • Comparative Anatomy of Man and Apes

      • Skeletal changes due to erect posture and its implications

    • Phylogenetic status, characteristics and geographical distribution of fossil hominids

      • Plio-pleistocene hominids in South and East Africa — Australopithecines

      • Homo erectus

        • Africa (Paranthropus)

        • Europe (Homo erectus heidelbergensis)

        • Asia (Homo erectus javanicus, Homo erectus pekinensis)

      • Neanderthal man

        • La-Chapelle-aux-Saints (Classical type)

        • Mt. Carmel (Progressive type)

      • Rhodesian man

      • Homo sapiens — Cromagnon, Grimaldi and Chancelade

    • The biological basis of Life

      • The Cell

      • DNA structure and replication

      • Protein Synthesis

      • Gene

      • Mutation

      • Chromosomes

      • Cell Division

    • Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology and Cultural Evolution

      • Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology

      • Chronology: Relative and Absolute Dating methods

      • Cultural Evolution — Broad Outlines of Prehistoric cultures

        • Palaeolithic

        • Mesolithic

        • Neolithic

        • Chalcolithic

        • Copper-Bronze Age

        • Iron Age

    • The Nature of Culture

      • The concept and characteristics of culture and civilization

      • Ethnocentrism vis-a-vis cultural Relativism

    • The Nature of Society

      • Concept of Society

      • Society and Culture

      • Social Institutions

      • Social groups

      • Social stratification

    • Marriage

      • Definition and universality

      • Laws of marriage (endogamy, exogamy, hypergamy, hypogamy, incest taboo)

      • Types of marriage (monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, group marriage)

      • Functions of marriage

      • Marriage regulations (preferential, prescriptive and proscriptive)

      • Marriage payments (bride wealth and dowry)

    • Family

      • Definition and universality

      • Family, household and domestic groups

      • Functions of family

      • Types of family (from the perspectives of structure, blood relation, marriage, residence and succession)

      • Impact of urbanization, industrialization and feminist movements on family

    • Kinship

      • Consanguinity and Affinity

      • Principles and types of descent (Unilineal, Double, Bilateral, Ambilineal)

      • Forms of descent groups (lineage, clan, phratry, moiety and kindred)

      • Kinship terminology (descriptive and classificatory)

      • Descent, Filiation and Complementary Filiation

      • Descent and Alliance

    • Economic Organization

      • Meaning, scope and relevance of economic anthropology

      • Formalist and Substantivist debate

      • Principles governing production, distribution and exchange (reciprocity, redistribution and market)

        • Communities subsisting on hunting and gathering

        • Fishing

        • Swiddening

        • Pastoralism

        • Horticulture

        • Agriculture

      • Globalization and indigenous economic systems

    • Political Organization and Social Control

      • Band, tribe, chiefdom, kingdom and state

      • Concepts of power, authority and legitimacy

      • Social control, law and justice in simple societies

    • Religion

      • Anthropological approaches to the study of religion (evolutionary, psychological and functional)

      • Monotheism and polytheism

      • Sacred and profane

      • Myths and rituals

      • Forms of religion in tribal and peasant societies (animism, animatism, fetishism, naturism and totemism)

      • Religion, magic and science distinguished

      • Magico-religious functionaries (priest, shaman, medicine man, sorcerer and witch)

    • Anthropological theories

      • Classical evolutionism (Tylor, Morgan and Frazer)

      • Historical particularism (Boas)

      • Diffusionism (British, German and American)

      • Functionalism (Malinowski)

      • Structural-Functionalism (Radcliffe-Brown)

      • Structuralism (Levi-Strauss and E. Leach)

      • Culture and personality (Benedict, Mead, Linton, Kardiner and Cora Du Bois)

      • Neo-evolutionism (Childe, White, Steward, Sahlins and Service)

      • Cultural materialism (Harris)

      • Symbolic and interpretive theories (Turner, Schneider and Geertz)

      • Cognitive theories (Tyler, Conklin)

      • Post-modernism in anthropology

    • Culture, Language and Communication

      • Nature, origin and characteristics of language

      • Verbal and non-verbal communication

      • Social context of language use

    • Research methods in Anthropology

      • Fieldwork tradition in anthropology

      • Distinction between technique, method and methodology

      • Tools of data collection

        • Observation

        • Interview

        • Schedules

        • Questionnaire

        • Case study

        • Genealogy

        • Life-history

        • Oral history

        • Secondary sources of information

        • Participatory methods

      • Analysis, interpretation and presentation of data

    • Human Genetics: Methods and Application

      • Methods for study of genetic principles in man

        • Family study

          • Pedigree analysis

          • Twin study

          • Foster child

          • Co-twin method

          • Cytogenetic method

          • Chromosomal and karyotype analysis

        • Biochemical methods

        • Immunological methods

        • D.N.A. technology and recombinant technologies

    • Mendelian genetics in man

      • Family study

      • Single factor, multifactor, lethal, sub-lethal and polygenic inheritance in man

    • Genetic polymorphism and selection

      • Concept of genetic polymorphism and selection

      • Mendelian population

      • Hardy-Weinberg law

      • Causes and changes which bring down frequency — mutation, isolation, migration, selection, inbreeding and genetic drift

      • Consanguineous and non-consanguineous mating

      • Genetic load

      • Genetic effect of consanguineous and cousin marriages

    • Chromosomes and chromosomal aberrations in man, methodology

      • Numerical and structural aberrations (disorders)

      • Sex chromosomal aberrations — Klinefelter (XXY), Turner (XO), Super female (XXX), intersex and other syndromic disorders

      • Autosomal aberrations — Down syndrome, Patau, Edward and Cri-du-chat syndromes

      • Genetic imprints in human disease

      • Genetic screening, genetic counselling, human DNA profiling, gene mapping and genome study

    • Race and racism

      • Biological basis of morphological variation of non-metric and metric characters

      • Racial criteria, racial traits in relation to heredity and environment

      • Biological basis of racial classification, racial differentiation and race crossing in man

    • Age, sex and population variation as genetic marker

      • ABO, Rh blood groups, HLA, Hp, transferrin, Gm, blood enzymes

      • Physiological characteristics — Hb level, body fat, pulse rate, respiratory functions and sensory perceptions

        • In different cultural and socio-economic groups

    • Concepts and methods of Ecological Anthropology

      • Bio-cultural Adaptations — Genetic and Non-genetic factors

      • Man's physiological responses to environmental stresses: hot desert, cold, high altitude climate

    • Epidemiological Anthropology

      • Health and disease

      • Infectious and non-infectious diseases

      • Nutritional deficiency related diseases

    • Concept of human growth and development

      • Stages of growth — pre-natal, natal, infant, childhood, adolescence, maturity, senescence

      • Factors affecting growth and development — genetic, environmental, biochemical, nutritional, cultural and socio-economic

      • Ageing and senescence

      • Theories and observations — biological and chronological longevity

      • Human physique and somatotypes

      • Methodologies for growth studies

    • Relevance of menarche, menopause and other bioevents to fertility

      • Fertility patterns and differentials

    • Demographic theories

      • Biological

      • Social

      • Cultural

    • Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility, natality and mortality

      • Fecundity

      • Fertility

      • Natality

      • Mortality

    • Applications of Anthropology

      • Anthropology of sports

      • Nutritional anthropology

      • Anthropology in designing of defence and other equipments

      • Forensic Anthropology

      • Methods and principles of personal identification and reconstruction

      • Applied human genetics — Paternity diagnosis, genetic counselling and eugenics

      • DNA technology in diseases and medicine

      • Serogenetics and cytogenetics in reproductive biology

  • Paper II

    • Evolution of the Indian Culture and Civilization

      • Prehistoric (Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Neolithic-Chalcolithic)

      • Protohistoric (Indus Civilization): Pre-Harappan, Harappan and post-Harappan cultures

      • Contributions of tribal cultures to Indian civilization

    • Palaeo-Anthropological evidences from India

      • Siwaliks and Narmada basin (Ramapithecus, Sivapithecus and Narmada Man)

    • Ethno-archaeology in India

      • The concept of ethno-archaeology

      • Survivals and Parallels among the hunting, foraging, fishing, pastoral and peasant communities

        • Including arts and crafts producing communities

    • Demographic profile of India

      • Ethnic and linguistic elements in the Indian population and their distribution

      • Indian population — factors influencing its structure and growth

    • The structure and nature of traditional Indian social system

      • Varnashram

      • Purushartha

      • Karma

      • Rina

      • Rebirth

    • Caste system in India

      • Structure and characteristics

      • Varna and caste

      • Theories of origin of caste system

      • Dominant caste

      • Caste mobility

      • Future of caste system

      • Jajmani system

      • Tribe-caste continuum

    • Sacred Complex and Nature-Man-Spirit Complex

      • Sacred Complex

      • Nature-Man-Spirit Complex

    • Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity on Indian society

      • Buddhism

      • Jainism

      • Islam

      • Christianity

    • Emergence, growth and development in India

      • Contributions of the 18th, 19th and early 20th Century scholar-administrators

      • Contributions of Indian anthropologists to tribal and caste studies

    • Indian Village

      • Significance of village study in India

      • Indian village as a social system

      • Traditional and changing patterns of settlement and inter-caste relations

      • Agrarian relations in Indian villages

      • Impact of globalization on Indian villages

    • Linguistic and religious minorities

      • Their social, political and economic status

    • Indigenous and exogenous processes of socio-cultural change in Indian society

      • Sanskritization

      • Westernization

      • Modernization

      • Inter-play of little and great traditions

      • Panchayati raj and social change

      • Media and social change

    • Tribal situation in India

      • Bio-genetic variability, linguistic and socio-economic characteristics of tribal populations and their distribution

    • Problems of the tribal communities

      • Land alienation

      • Poverty

      • Indebtedness

      • Low literacy

      • Poor educational facilities

      • Unemployment

      • Underemployment

      • Health and nutrition

    • Developmental projects and their impact on tribal displacement and problems of rehabilitation

      • Development of forest policy and tribals

      • Impact of urbanisation and industrialization on tribal populations

    • Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes

      • Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes

    • Social change and contemporary tribal societies

      • Impact of modern democratic institutions, development programmes and welfare measures on tribals and weaker sections

    • The concept of ethnicity

      • Ethnic conflicts and political developments

      • Unrest among tribal communities

      • Regionalism and demand for autonomy

      • Pseudo-tribalism

      • Social change among the tribes during colonial and post-Independent India

    • Impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other religions on tribal societies

      • Hinduism

      • Buddhism

      • Christianity

      • Islam

      • Other religions

    • Tribe and nation state

      • A comparative study of tribal communities in India and other countries

    • History of administration of tribal areas

      • Tribal policies, plans, programmes of tribal development and their implementation

      • The concept of PTGs (Primitive Tribal Groups), their distribution, special programmes for their development

      • Role of N.G.O.s in tribal development

    • Role of anthropology in tribal and rural development

      • Tribal development

      • Rural development

    • Contributions of anthropology to the understanding of regionalism, communalism, and ethnic and political movements

      • Regionalism

      • Communalism

      • Ethnic and political movements