Duration of the online course: 37 hours and 6 minutes
5
(4)
Learn to analyze society, culture, and power with this free online sociology course—practical concepts, quizzes, and a shareable certificate option.
In this free course, learn about
Meaning and scope of sociology; why it studies social life, institutions, and patterns
Empirical/scientific method in sociology and the importance of systematic research
Major sociological approaches: functionalist, conflict/Marxist, Weberian, interactionist
Nature of society: individuals vs groups; higher-order groups; cooperation and conflict
Globalization ideas like the "global village" and their social implications
Family: definitions, key features, classifications; perspectives; forms like fraternal polyandry
State: definition, key characteristics, nation vs state; power and authority; India-specific context
Sociology of work: why work diversifies; industrialization (Durkheim), development stages, capitalism, guilds
Religion in society: bases/forms (polytheism); Marx & Weber; religion’s functions in capitalism
Education: concept and sociological functions (socialization, integration, role allocation)
Social stratification: inequality, Marx’s class divide, multidimensional models, Indian stratification issues
Deviance: definitions, Durkheim on deviance; perspectives and theories incl. labeling theory
Social change: definitions; linear theories; industrial society, urbanization, and critiques of Social Darwinism
Population and social problems: Malthus, demographic transition; functionalist view of social problems
About the free online course
Seeing the world through a sociological lens changes how you understand everyday life. This free online course helps you move beyond opinions and headlines to think systematically about how societies function, how groups shape individual behavior, and why social patterns persist or change over time. You will build a foundation in key ideas that sociologists use to examine families, education, religion, work, the state, and the forces that connect them. By the end, you should feel more confident interpreting social issues with clarity, context, and evidence.
The learning experience blends clear explanations with frequent checks for understanding, so you can practice turning concepts into analysis. You will explore major ways of approaching society, including how order is maintained, how conflict and inequality emerge, and how meanings are created in daily interactions. Along the way, the course emphasizes the relationship between individuals and groups, showing how cooperation and conflict can exist at the same time and how modernization and globalization reshape communities into a kind of global village.
As you progress, you will examine how institutions influence opportunities and identities. Discussions of the family look at changing forms and perspectives; sessions on the state focus on definitions, power, and the distinction between nation and state. You will also consider how work evolves alongside development, mechanization, capitalism, and motivation, and why religion remains influential across different social conditions. The course then connects these themes to education and social stratification, highlighting how inequality is structured and reproduced, with attention to real-world contexts such as stratification in India.
To round out your introduction, you will engage with ideas about deviance, social problems, and social change, including different theories that explain stability, disruption, and transformation. The course also introduces sociological research methods, helping you understand why empirical approaches matter and what tools like ethnography can reveal about social life. Whether you are preparing for school exams, exploring social science for the first time, or looking to strengthen critical thinking for future studies, this course offers a practical starting point you can apply to current events, community issues, and academic work.
Course content
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-01 What is sociology?54m
Exercise: Which method is important to the empirical approach explored in the study of sociology?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-02 Sociological approaches50m
Exercise: Which of the following is a primary focus of sociologists as per the text?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-03 Nature of society: Individuals and groups49m
Exercise: In sociology, what is considered a 'higher order group'?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-04 Cooperation and conflict52m
Exercise: The concept of a 'global village' suggests:
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-05 Family-I: Definition and classification of family55m
Exercise: Which of the following is NOT a characteristic typically associated with the concept of family, as outlined by traditional sociological definitions?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-06 Family-II: Perspectives on family51m
Exercise: Which form of family is characterized by a woman married to multiple brothers?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-07 State-I: Definition of state56m
Exercise: Which of the following best describes the key characteristic of a state according to the sociological text?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-08 State-II: State in India49m
Exercise: What is one of the key characteristics of a state as described in the text?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-09 State-III: The concept of power55m
Exercise: What type of power involves the ability to impose one's will over others even against resistance within social groups?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-10 State-IV: Functionalist and Marxist perspectives on power55m
Exercise: What is the primary distinction between the concepts of 'nation' and 'state' as described in the lecture?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-11 Sociology of work-I: Need for work49m
Exercise: What is a key reason that work became more diverse over time according to the sociology of work?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-12 Sociology of work-II: Social change and work49m
Exercise: According to the text, what is one of the primary consequences of industrialization as theorized by Emile Durkheim?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-13 Sociology of work-III: Development and work56m
Exercise: Which stage of societal development introduced mechanization and increased production through the use of machines?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-14 Sociology of work-IV: Capitalism and motivation for work51m
Exercise: What is a guild according to sociological literature?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-15 Religion-I: Social conditions and religious thought55m
Exercise: According to the text, which of the following is NOT a reason that religion can be appealing in a capitalist society?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-16 Religion-II: Bases of religion56m
Exercise: According to the Marxist theory explained in the text, what role does religion play in capitalist societies?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-17 Religion-III: Forms of religious beliefs59m
Exercise: According to Karl Marx’s theory, why is religion referred to as the 'opium of the working class'?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-18 Religion-IV: Explanation of Religion49m
Exercise: Which term best describes the belief in multiple gods widespread among various cultures?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-19 Religion-V: Religion and society57m
Exercise: What is one of the primary goals of the sociology of religion according to the text?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-20 Religion-VI: Contributions of Marx and Weber49m
Exercise: In the context of the Indian marriage laws of the 1970s, what was the legal minimum age of marriage for girls according to those laws?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-21 Education-I: Concept of education?55m
Exercise: What does the concept of education as described in the passage emphasize?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-22 Education-II: Functions of education57m
Exercise: According to the text, what is one key role of education from a sociological perspective?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-23 Social stratification-I: Social inequality and stratification56m
Exercise: Social stratification is an essential topic in sociology because it deals with which general societal issue?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-24 Social stratification-II: Explanations of social stratification58m
Exercise: In the study of social stratification, what is the basic concept that Marx argues divides society?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-25 Social stratification-III: Theories and facts55m
Exercise: What is an example of a multi-dimensional model of social stratification according to the text?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-26 Social stratification-IV: Stratification in India58m
Exercise: What is one of the challenges associated with social stratification in India as discussed in the lecture?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-27 Deviance-I: Concept of deviance54m
Exercise: What does Emile Durkheim suggest about the role of deviance in society according to the lecture?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-28 Deviance-II: Perspectives on deviance58m
Exercise: In the study of deviance in sociology, how is deviance generally defined?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-29 Deviance-III: Theories of deviance50m
Exercise: Which theory of deviance focuses on the impact of societal labels and how individuals might conform to these labels?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-30 Social change-I: Definition of social change58m
Exercise: In the context of sociology, what does social change refer to?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-31 Social change-II: Theories of social change50m
Exercise: Which of the following is a characteristic of linear theories of social change?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-32 Social change-III: Social change in industrial society1h00m
Exercise: Which of the following best reflects the broad definition of social change?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-33 Social change-IV: Urbanization and related issues in social change55m
Exercise: What is a primary sociological critique of the theory that 'survival of the fittest' leads to progress in human societies?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-38 Social Problems and Theory55m
Exercise: In sociology, how is a social problem generally defined from a functionalist perspective?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-34 Population-I: Malthusian theory of population53m
Exercise: Which theory is used to explain the imbalance between population growth and means of subsistence?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-35 Population-II: Population and Society53m
Exercise: According to the Demographic Transition Theory, what is a significant reason for the decline in death rates in developing countries after 1950?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-36 Perspectives in Sociology-I1h02m
Exercise: Which sociological perspective primarily views society as a system of interconnected parts, focusing on order, equilibrium, and the needs of society?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-37 Perspectives in Sociology-II53m
Exercise: According to Garfinkel's concept of ethnomethodology, what is a key reason individuals perceive an order in society where none actually exists?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-39 Sociological methods-I54m
Exercise: What is considered the most crucial aspect of conducting sociological research according to the lecture?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-40 Sociological methods-II: Ethnography49m
Exercise: What is a key characteristic of ethnography as a research method?
Video class: Mod-01 Lec-41 Sociological methods-III: Ethnography in India49m
Exercise: What is a significant contribution of ethnographer M N Srinivas to Indian sociology?
This free course includes:
37 hours and 6 minutes of online video course
Digital certificate of course completion (Free)
Exercises to train your knowledge
100% free, from content to certificate
What topics are covered in an introductory sociology course?
The course examines society, groups, family, state and power, work, religion, education, inequality, deviance, social change, population, and research methods.
How do functionalist and Marxist perspectives differ in sociology?
Functionalism emphasizes social order and interconnected institutions, while Marxism focuses on class inequality, conflict, and power linked to economic relations.
What sociological research methods are introduced in this course?
The course introduces empirical sociological inquiry, including ethnography, and considers how researchers study social life and institutions.
Ready to get started?Download the app and get started today.
Course comments: Introductory Sociology
Reena Smita Ekka
It was fruitful and helpful in my teaching..