Syllabus for Anthropology Optional

The UPSC optional subject list contains 48 subjects in total, one of which is Anthropology. 

Anthropology Optional is often a choice for science graduates as it contains elements of science. Hence it usually attracts the aspirants from the science stream and is easier to grasp the concepts, theories, and principles of anthropology. The study material for anthropology is also widely available.

• Meaning, scope and development of Anthropology.
  • Relationship with other disciplines: History, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Life Science, Medical Science.
  • Main branches of Anthropology, their scope and relevance:
    • Social-cultural Anthropology
    • Biological Anthropology.
    • Archaeological Anthropology.
  • Human Evolution and the emergence of Man:(Organic Evolution-Theories of evolution in historical perspective, pre-Darwinian, Darwinian and Post-Darwinian period. Modern 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); Principles of systematics and taxonomy, major primate taxa, tertiary and quaternary fossil primates, Systematics of Hominoidea and Hominidae, Origin and evolution of man-'Homo Erectus and Homo sapiens'.
  • Phylogenetic status, characteristics and geographical distribution of the following:
    • Prepleistocence fossil primates-Oreopithecus.
    • South and East African hominids-Plesianthropus/Australopithecus Africanus, Paranthropus, Australopithecus.
    • Paranthropus-Homo Erectus-Homo erectus javanicus, Homo erectus pekinensis.
    • Homo Heidelbergensis.
    • Neanderthal man-La-Chapelle-as-saints (Classical type), Mt. Carmelites types (Progressive type).
    • Rhodesian man
    • Homo sapiens-Cromagnon, Grimaldi, Chancelede.
    • Recent advances in understanding the evolution, distribution and multidisciplinary approach to understanding a fossil type in relation to others
  • Evolutionary trend and classification of the order Primates, Relationship with other mammals, molecular evolution of Primates, Comparative anatomy of man and apes, primate locomotion;-terrestrial and arboreal adaptation, skeletal changes due to erect posture and its implications
  • Cultural Evolution- broad Outlines of Prehistoric cultures:
    • Paleolithic
    • Mesolithic
    • Neolithic
    • Chalcolithic
    • Copper-Bronze Age
    • Iron Age
• Family: Definition and typology of family, household, and domestic groups. Basic structure and functions; stability and changes in the family. Typological and processual approaches to the study of the family. Impact of urbanization, industrialization, education and feminist movements. The universality of family-a critique.
• Concept of kinship: Definition of kin, incest prohibition exogamy, and endogamy. Principles of descent-types and functions. Political and jural aspects of kinship. Unilineal, bilateral and double descent. Descent, filiation and complementary filiation. Kinship terminology, typology and approaches to the study of terminology Alliance and descent.
• Marriage: Definition, types, and variation of marriage systems. Debates on the universal definition of marriage. Regulation of marriage-preferential, prescriptive, proscriptive and open systems. Types and form of marriage Dowry, bride-price, position, and marriage stability.
• Study of culture, patterns, and processes. Concept of culture, patterns of culture, relationships between culture and civilization and society.
• Concept of Social Change and Cultural Change:
  • Social structure and social organization, Role-analysis and social network. Institutions, groups community. Social stratification: principles and form, status, class and power, gender. Nature and types of mobility.
• Concept of Society:
  • Approaches to the study of culture and society-classical evolutionism, neo-evolutionism, culture ecology, historical particularism and diffusionism, structural-functionalism, culture and personality, transaction-realism, symbolism, cognitive approach, and new ethnography, post-structuralism, and post-modernism
• Definitions and functions of religion. Anthropological approaches to the study of religion-evolutionary, psychological and functional. Magic, witchcraft and sorcery; definitions and functions and functionaries: priest, saman, medicine man and sorcerers. Symbolism in religion and rituals. Ethnomedicine. Myths and rituals: definitions and approaches to their study-structural, functional, and processual Relation with economic and political structures.
• Meaning, scope, and relevance, principles governing production, distribution, and consumption in communities subsisting on hunting-gathering, fishing, pastoralism, horticulture, and other economic pursuits. Formalist and substantivist debate-Dalton, Karl-pollyanna and Marx approach and New Economic Anthropology. Exchange: gifts, barter, trade, ceremonial exchange and market economy.
• Theoretical foundations Types of political organizations-band, tribes, chiefdom, states, the concept of power, authority, and legitimacy. Social control, law, and justice in tribal and peasant societies.
• Concepts of developmental Anthropological perspective. Models of development. Critiques of classical developmental theories. Concepts of planning and planned development. Concept of participatory development. Culture ecology and sustainable development. Displacement and rehabilitation.
• Concept of research in anthroplogy, subjectivity and reflexivity in terms of gender class, ideology and ethics. Distinction between methodology, methods and techniques. Nature and explanation in anthropological research. Positivistics and non-positivistic approaches. Comparative methods; nature, purpose and methods of comparison in social and cultural anthroplogy. Basic techniques of data collection. Interview, participant and other forms of observation, schedules, questionnaire, case-study methods, extended casestudy methods, life histories and seconday sources, oral history, genealogical method, participatory, learning and assessment (PLA). Participatory rapid assessment (PRA). Analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.
• Concept, scope and major branches of human genetics. Its relationship with other branches of science and medicine.
• Method for study of genetic principles in man-family study (pedegree 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.
• Twin study method-zygosity, heritability estimates, present status of the twin study method and its applications.
• Mendelian genetics in man-family study, single factor, multifactor, lethal, sub-lethal, and polygenic inheritance in man.
• 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 (statistical and probability methods for study of human genetics).
• 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.
• Concept of race in histrogical and biological perspective. 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.
• Ethnic groups of mankind-characteristics and distribution in world, racial classification of human groups. Principal living peoples of world. Their distribution and characterisicts.
• Age, sex and population variation in gentic 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. Impact of smoking air pollutions, alcoholism, drugs and occupational hazards on health.
• Concepts and Methods of Ecological Anthropology. Adaptation-social and cultural Deterministic theories-a critique. Resources-biological, non-biological and sustainable development. Biological adaptation-climatic, environmental, nutritional and genetic.
• Relevance in understanding of contemporary society. Dynamics of ethnicity at rural, tribal, urban and international levels. Ethric conflicts and political developments. Concept of ethnic boundaries. Ethnicity and concept of nation state.
• Concept of human growth and development-stages of growth-prenatal, 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.
  • Reproductive biology, demography and population study. Reproductive physiology of male and female. Biological aspects of human fertility. Relevance of menarche, menopause and other bioevents to fertility. Fertily patterns and differentials.
  • Demographic theories-biological, social and cultural.
  • Demographic methods-census, registration system, sample methods, duel reporting system.
  • Population structures and population dynamics.
  • Demographic rates and ratios, life table-structure and utility.
  • Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility natality and mortality.
• Methods of studying population growth.
  • Biological consequences of population control and family welfare.
  • 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-prevention and cure of diseases.
  • Anthropo-gentics in medicine
  • Serogenetics and cytogenetics in reproductive biology.
  • Application of statistical principles in human genetics and Physical Anthropology.
• Concept of research in anthropology, subjectivity and reflexivity in terms of gender class, ideology and ethics. The distinction between methodology, methods and techniques. Nature and explanation in anthropological research. Positivists and non-positivistic approaches. Comparative methods; nature, purpose and methods of comparison in social and cultural anthropology. Basic techniques of data collection. Interview, participant and other forms of observation, schedules, questionnaire, case-study methods, extended case study methods, life histories and secondary sources, oral history, genealogical method, participatory, learning and assessment (PLA). Participatory rapid assessment (PRA). Analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.
• Concept, scope and major branches of human genetics. Its relationship with other branches of science and medicine.
• Method for study of genetic principles in a 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.
• Twin study method-zygosity, heritability estimates, the present status of the twin study method and its applications.
• Mendelian genetics in the man-family study, single factor, multifactor, lethal, sub-lethal, and polygenic inheritance in man.
• 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 (statistical and probability methods for the study of human genetics).
• 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.
• Concept of race in historical and biological perspective. 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.
• Ethnic groups of mankind-characteristics and distribution in the world, racial classification of human groups. Principal living peoples of the world. Their distribution and characteristics.
• Age, sex and population variation in genetic marker-ABO, Rh blood groups, HLA, Hp, transferring, Gm, blood enzymes. Physiological characteristics-Hb level, body fat, pulse rate, respiratory functions and sensory perceptions in different cultural and socio-economic groups. Impact of smoking air pollutions, alcoholism, drugs and occupational hazards on health.
• Concepts and Methods of Ecological Anthropology. Adaptation-social and cultural Deterministic theories-a critique. Resources-biological, non-biological and sustainable development. Biological adaptation-climatic, environmental, nutritional and genetic.
• Relevance in the understanding of contemporary society. Dynamics of ethnicity at rural, tribal, urban and international levels. Ethnic conflicts and political developments. Concept of ethnic boundaries. Ethnicity and concept of nation-state.
  • Concept of human growth and development-stages of growth-prenatal, 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.
• Reproductive biology, demography and population study. Reproductive physiology of male and female. Biological aspects of human fertility. The relevance of menarche, menopause and other bioevents to fertility. Fertility patterns and differentials.
• Demographic theories-biological, social and cultural.
  • Demographic methods-census, registration system, sample methods, duel reporting system.
  • Population structures and population dynamics.
  • Demographic rates and ratios, life table-structure and utility.
  • Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility natality and mortality.
  • Methods of studying population growth.
  • Biological consequences of population control and family welfare.
  • 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-prevention and cure of diseases.
  • Anthropo-genetics in medicine
  • Serogenetics and cytogenetics in reproductive biology.
  • Application of statistical principles in human genetics and Physical Anthropology.

• Evolution of the Indian Culture and Civilization-Pre historic (Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic), Protohistoric (Indus Civilization). Vedic and post-Vedic beginnings. Contributions of the tribal cultures.
• Demographic profile of India – Ethnic and linguistic elements in the Indian population and their distribution. Indian population – factors influencing its structure and growth.
• The basic structure and nature of traditional Indian social system-a critique. Varnasharam, Purushartha, Karma, Rina and Rebirth. Theories on the origin of caste system, Jajmani system. Structural basis of inequality in traditional Indian society. Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity on Indian society.
• Emergence, growth and development of anthropology in India-contributions of the 19th Century and early 20th Century scholar-administrators. Contributions of Indian anthropologists to tribal and caste studies. Contemporary nature of anthropological studies in India.
• Approaches to the study of Indian society and culture-traditional and contemporary.
  • Aspects of Indian village-Social organisations of agriculture, impact of market economy on Indian villages.
  • Linguistic and religious minorities-social, political and economic status.
• Tribal situation in India-biogenetic variability, linguistic and socio-economic characteristics of the 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-tribal displacement and problems of rehabilitation: Development of forest policy and tribals, Impact of urbanisation and industrialization on tribal and rural 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. Emergence of ethnicity, tribal movements and quest for identity. 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.
  • 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.
• Contributions of anthropology to the understanding of regionalism, communalism, and ethnic and political movements.