BSOC-103 Solved Question Paper June 2026 gives you a complete answer to every one of the 8 questions IGNOU set in this term-end exam of Introduction to Sociology-II — evolutionism, Malinowski, Lévi-Strauss, Dahrendorf, the Dalit perspective, radical feminism, factors of change and Durkheim on totemism. The paper asks for any five in about 400 words each; two answers are open on this page and the other six come on WhatsApp 9899436384.
BSOC-103 Introduction to Sociology-II key facts for the June 2026 solved question paper
- Course code: BSOC-103
- Course title: Introduction to Sociology-II
- Programmes: BA (Honours) Sociology (BASOH), Semester II core course; also BA (Major) Sociology (BAFSO), the four-year programme
- Credits: 6, as stated in IGNOU's assignment booklet, with three tutor-marked assignments
- Blocks and units: 4 blocks, 12 units (Block 1 units 1–4, Block 2 units 5–6, Block 3 units 7–8, Block 4 units 9–12) [VERIFY: unit numbering derived from block order and unit counts; the source lists unit titles without numbers]
- Maximum marks: 100 (Term-End Examination)
- Weightage in the final result: term-end exam 70 per cent, assignments 30 per cent
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the June 2026 paper: 8 essay questions, attempt any five, 20 marks each, about 400 words each, no sections and no compulsory question
- Paper language: English and Hindi in the same booklet
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Q2 on Malinowski's functionalism and Q8 on Durkheim's totemism)
- Questions in the paid file: all 8 answered; 6 of them are not shown on this page
What the BSOC-103 solved question paper for June 2026 contains
BSOC-103 Introduction to Sociology-II is a six-credit core course of IGNOU's BA (Honours) Sociology (BASOH) that teaches the major perspectives of sociology, from evolutionism and functionalism to feminist and Dalit perspectives. It follows BSOC-101 Introduction to Sociology-I and lays the theoretical ground for the later thinkers courses.
This session did something no other paper in our collection has done: the first four questions walked straight down Block 1, one question per unit, in unit order. Q1 took the evolutionary perspective, Q2 functionalism, Q3 structuralism and Q4 the conflict perspective — all four units of Block 1, each asked exactly once. Block 3 then gave two questions (the Dalit perspective and radical feminism) and Block 4 gave two (factors of change and Durkheim's totemism).
Block 2 was skipped completely. There was no question on Weber's interpretive sociology, on Schutz, or on symbolic interactionism — even though symbolic interactionism had been set in six of the eight earlier papers. Sections 6 and 7 below work out what that gap is worth to you, and the answer is the most clear-cut December shortlist on any of our pages.
Two of the eight answers are shown in full below so you can judge the depth before you ask for the file. We chose one question from Block 1 and one from Block 4 so you can see how our answers handle a classic theorist and a classic debate.
BSOC-103 sample answers: Malinowski and Durkheim's totemism
Question 2 on Malinowski and Question 8 on Durkheim's totemism are solved in full below, both following the paper's own instruction of about 400 words. The remaining six are answered only in the full file.
Question 2 Any 5 of 8 Block 1, Functionalism 20 marks "explain" → build the argument Functionalism set in all 8 earlier papers — never once skipped
2. "Malinowski's approach emphasised functionalism." Explain. 20
Introduction. Bronislaw Malinowski (1884–1942), the Polish-born anthropologist who taught at the London School of Economics, is regarded, along with A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, as a founder of functionalism in British social anthropology. His central claim was simple: every custom, object and belief in a culture exists because it does a job, and that job is to satisfy human needs.
Fieldwork as the base. Malinowski built this view during long fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands, off New Guinea, between 1915 and 1918. Living among the islanders and learning their language, he showed in Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922) that customs which look strange to an outsider make sense once we see how they work in daily life. Participant observation became the standard method of anthropology because of him.
Theory of needs. In A Scientific Theory of Culture (1944) he described culture as an instrumental apparatus working at three levels:
- Basic or biological needs — nutrition, reproduction, bodily comfort, safety and health — met by cultural responses such as food supply, kinship, shelter and protection.
- Derived needs, created by meeting the basic ones, served by the economy, social control, education and political organisation.
- Integrative needs, met by knowledge, magic, religion and art, which give people a shared outlook and confidence.
Institutions. For Malinowski the real unit of study is the institution — an organised system with a charter, personnel, norms, material apparatus, activities and a function. Studying an institution means asking which need it serves.
Examples from the Trobriands. The kula ring, in which shell necklaces travel clockwise and armshells anticlockwise between islands, looked useless as trade, yet it built alliances, prestige and trust. Magic was used for dangerous deep-sea fishing but not for safe lagoon fishing, which showed that it reduced anxiety precisely where human skill could not guarantee success.
How he differs from Radcliffe-Brown. Radcliffe-Brown asked how a practice maintains the social structure. Malinowski started from the individual and from biological needs, which makes his functionalism more psychological and more practical.
Criticism. Critics say the needs argument is circular, cannot explain why different cultures meet the same need in different ways, and ignores history, conflict and change. Its claims also rest heavily on one society.
Conclusion. Even so, Malinowski's insistence that culture be studied as a working whole, through close fieldwork, gave functionalism both its method and its most memorable examples.
Why the two Trobriand examples matter more than the theory: the question is a quotation followed by "Explain", so the examiner wants you to show the approach working, not just name its parts. The kula ring and the fishing-magic contrast are the two things every marker of this paper recognises. If you are short of time, cut a level from the needs scheme before you cut either example.
Question 8 Any 5 of 8 Block 4, Religion 20 marks "discuss" → theory + criticism Religion set in 3 of 4 June papers and 0 of 4 December papers
8. Discuss Durkheim's analysis of totemism. 20
Introduction. Émile Durkheim analysed totemism in The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912). He wanted to find the simplest form of religion, believing it would reveal what all religions share. He chose the totemism of Australian Aboriginal clans, working from ethnographic reports such as those of Baldwin Spencer and F.J. Gillen on the Arunta of Central Australia. He did no fieldwork himself.
Sacred and profane. Durkheim defined religion not by belief in gods but by the division of the world into the sacred — things set apart and protected by prohibitions — and the profane, the ordinary world. A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices about sacred things that binds its followers into one moral community.
What the totem is. Each clan takes its name and identity from a totem, usually an animal or a plant. Durkheim noticed that the most sacred objects were not the animals themselves but the emblems of the totem carved on wooden or stone objects called churinga. Sacredness ran in three directions: the emblem, the totemic species, and the clan members themselves.
Totem as the symbol of society. Since the totem is at once the symbol of the god and the emblem of the clan, Durkheim argued that the god and the clan are the same thing. The totem is the flag of the group. In worshipping it, the clan is in effect worshipping its own collective life. Religion is therefore society worshipping itself.
Collective effervescence. The source of this sacred force lies in ritual gatherings. When scattered families come together for ceremonies, the shared excitement lifts people out of ordinary life. They feel a power greater than themselves and project it onto the totemic emblem.
Rites and their functions. Negative rites are taboos that keep the sacred apart. Positive rites, such as the intichiuma ceremonies meant to increase the totemic species, renew the bond with the sacred. Piacular rites deal with misfortune and mourning. Together they discipline members, strengthen solidarity and renew the group's confidence.
Criticism. Scholars objected that one Australian case cannot stand for all religion, that Australian totemism is not the simplest form, and that individual faith gets little room. Lévi-Strauss later argued in Totemism (1962) that totems are mainly a way of classifying the world.
Conclusion. Despite these limits, Durkheim's analysis founded the sociology of religion by showing that religious life is rooted in social life.
Two things to carry away from this answer. First, the chain — sacred and profane, then the totem as the clan's flag, then collective effervescence as the source of the sacred — is the argument; the rites are detail. Second, the Lévi-Strauss criticism at the end does double duty on this paper, because Q3 asks about Lévi-Strauss directly. Prepare him once and you have material for both questions.
Questions answered only in the full file
These six questions are printed as they appear in the June 2026 paper. Their answers are not shown here.
1. Critically evaluate evolutionary theory. 20
3. Give an account of structuralism as applied to the study of myths by Lévi-Strauss. 20
4. Discuss the contributions of Ralph [Ralf] Dahrendorf to conflict theory. 20
5. What do you understand by Dalit perspective? Discuss. 20
6. Discuss radical feminist analysis of women's oppression. 20
7. What are the various factors of change? Elaborate. 20
BSOC-103 Introduction to Sociology-II blocks and units
BSOC-103 is studied in 4 blocks and 12 units that move from classical perspectives to Indian debates and finally to the Durkheim, Marx and Weber comparisons.
| Block | Units | Thinkers and topics IGNOU tests | June 2026 questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1: Perspectives in Sociology-I | 1 Evolutionary perspective; 2 Functionalism; 3 Structuralism; 4 Conflict perspective | Spencer and the neo-evolutionists; Malinowski versus Radcliffe-Brown and Merton; Lévi-Strauss on myths and culture; Marx, Coser and Dahrendorf | 4 — Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 |
| Block 2: Perspectives in Sociology-II | 5 Interpretive sociology; 6 Symbolic interactionism | Weber's verstehen and ideal types; Schutz's phenomenology; Mead, Blumer and Goffman's dramaturgy | 0 — none |
| Block 3: Perspectives in Sociology-III | 7 Feminist perspectives; 8 Dalit perspective | Liberal, Marxist and radical feminism and the third wave; the theoretical rationale of the Dalit view of inequality | 2 — Q5, Q6 |
| Block 4: Differences and Debates | 9 Division of labour; 10 Religion; 11 Capitalism; 12 Social change and transformation | Durkheim and Marx on division of labour; Durkheim on totemism and Weber on world religions; Marx and Weber on capitalism; factors of change | 2 — Q7, Q8 |
June 2026 drew its 8 questions from 8 of the 12 units · the four that fed nothing are Units 5 and 6 (the whole of Block 2), Unit 9 (division of labour) and Unit 11 (capitalism) · block split 4 – 0 – 2 – 2
Block 1 is the striking part. It has four units and June 2026 asked one question from each, in order, as the paper's first four questions. We have not seen another paper line up that cleanly with its own syllabus — if you had read Block 1 and nothing else, you could have looked at Q1 to Q4 and recognised every one.
That also sets the arithmetic of the paper. You need five answers and Block 1 gives you four, so Block 1 plus any single question from Block 3 or Block 4 completes the paper. No other block comes close: Block 3 and Block 4 together give four, and Block 2 gives nothing at all this session.
Read the matching units in your BSOC-103 study material before you revise from the solved answers.
How the BSOC-103 question paper is set and marked
The paper has 8 essay questions of 20 marks each, and you attempt any five in about 400 words each, for 100 marks in 3 hours.
| Feature | BSOC-103 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Questions set | 8 essay questions |
| Questions to attempt | Any 5 |
| Marks per question | 20 |
| Word limit | About 400 words each |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Time | 3 hours |
| Compulsory question | None |
| Language of paper | English and Hindi in the same booklet |
| Weightage in final result | Term-end exam 70 per cent, assignments 30 per cent |
8 questions · 20 marks each · 160 marks printed, 100 attempted · 180 minutes ÷ 5 = 36 minutes an answer · 400 words at 20 marks is exactly 20 words a mark, IGNOU's standard scale, printed on this paper rather than inferred
That ratio is worth trusting. BSOC-103 prints it, BSOC-101 printed the same 400 words for a 20-mark question in this very session, and so did the Hindi half of BSOC-102. When a paper gives you marks but no word count, you can derive the length yourself on the same scale: a 10-mark part is about 200 words, a 15-mark part about 300, a 5-mark note about 100.
The pattern has not changed in any session we checked, from December 2021 to June 2026, so you can plan your five answers before you ever see the paper. Because every question carries the same 20 marks, there is no short-note section to fall back on — five solid essays decide your score, and an answer that stops at 150 words rarely gets past half marks.
BSOC-103 topics IGNOU keeps repeating
We read the BSOC-103 papers for December 2021, June 2022, December 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, June 2025 and December 2025, all from IGNOU's own websites. The December 2024 paper is published only as a scanned image we could not read, so it is not counted. The count column below covers those eight earlier papers, with June 2026 kept separate — a repeat table that counts the current paper inside its own history hides the one thing you want from it, which is what the latest examiner left out.
| Topic | Block | Sessions asked earlier | Papers (of 8) | In June 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functionalism (Durkheim, Merton, Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown, Spencer) | 1 | Dec 2021, Jun 2022, Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 8 | Yes — Q2 (Malinowski) |
| Conflict theory (Marx, Coser, Lenski, Dahrendorf) | 1 | Dec 2021, Jun 2022, Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 8 | Yes — Q4 (Dahrendorf) |
| Lévi-Strauss: structuralism, myths, culture | 1 | Dec 2021, Jun 2022, Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 7 | Yes — Q3 (myths) |
| Dalit perspective | 3 | Dec 2021, Jun 2022, Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 6 | Yes — Q5 |
| Feminist perspectives (liberal, Marxist, radical, third wave) | 3 | Dec 2021, Jun 2022, Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2025 | 6 | Yes — Q6 (radical) |
| Symbolic interactionism (Mead, Blumer, Goffman) | 2 | Dec 2021, Jun 2022, Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 6 | No |
| Evolutionary and neo-evolutionary theory | 1 | Dec 2021, Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Dec 2025 | 5 | Yes — Q1 |
| Division of labour (Durkheim and Marx) | 4 | Dec 2021, Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024 | 5 | No |
| Weber's interpretive sociology | 2 | Jun 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 4 | No |
| Religion (Durkheim and Weber) | 4 | Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025 | 3 | Yes — Q8 (totemism) |
| Social change: factors and theories | 4 | Jun 2024, Jun 2025 | 2 | Yes — Q7 |
| Phenomenology (Alfred Schutz) | 2 | Jun 2023, Jun 2024 | 2 | No |
| Marx on capitalism | 4 | Jun 2022, Dec 2023 | 2 | No |
13 recurring topics tracked · only 8 of the 13 appeared again in June 2026 · a reuse rate of 62 per cent, the lowest of any sociology paper we have measured · five topics were skipped, more than on any other paper in our collection
Two topics have never been skipped. Functionalism and conflict theory were set in all eight earlier papers and again in June 2026 — nine sessions out of nine. If you prepare nothing else for this course, prepare those two. Lévi-Strauss is close behind at seven of eight, and he came back as Q3.
The five skipped topics are not scattered, and that is what makes them useful. Three of them are the entire content of Block 2 — symbolic interactionism, Weber's interpretive sociology and Schutz's phenomenology — and the other two are Block 4's division of labour and Marx on capitalism. Across the eight earlier papers those three Block 2 topics account for twelve questions between them, roughly one and a half Block 2 questions per paper. June 2026 gave Block 2 none.
Symbolic interactionism is the single clearest case: six of eight earlier papers, level with the Dalit and feminist perspectives and behind only functionalism, conflict theory and Lévi-Strauss — and then nothing in June 2026.
IGNOU also reuses wording on this paper. "Factors of change" appeared in June 2024 and came back almost unchanged in June 2026, and the Dalit perspective has now been set in seven of the nine sessions we could read.
The December and June split: what each session prefers
The eight readable earlier papers divide into exactly four December sessions (December 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025) and exactly four June sessions (June 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025). A balanced window makes a session comparison meaningful, because neither side is over-sampled.
| Topic | Block | December papers (of 4) | June papers (of 4) | In June 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbolic interactionism | 2 | 4 | 2 | No |
| Dalit perspective | 3 | 4 | 2 | Yes |
| Evolutionary and neo-evolutionary theory | 1 | 4 | 1 | Yes |
| Division of labour | 4 | 3 | 2 | No |
| Religion (Durkheim and Weber) | 4 | 0 | 3 | Yes |
| Social change: factors and theories | 4 | 0 | 2 | Yes |
| Phenomenology (Schutz) | 2 | 0 | 2 | No |
Three topics have been set in every one of the four December papers: symbolic interactionism, the Dalit perspective and evolutionary theory. Running the other way, three topics have never been set in a December paper — religion, social change and phenomenology — and all three belong to June sessions, with religion and social change both returning in June 2026.
Symbolic interactionism now carries three independent signals pointing the same way: six of eight earlier papers overall, four of four December papers, and skipped in June 2026. On the evidence of this page it is the strongest single candidate for December 2026 of any topic in any course we have analysed.
So the ranked December 2026 shortlist is:
- Symbolic interactionism (Block 2) — Mead, Blumer and Goffman's dramaturgy. Six of eight overall, four of four December, skipped in June 2026.
- Division of labour, Durkheim and Marx (Block 4) — five of eight, three of four December, skipped in June 2026.
- Weber's interpretive sociology (Block 2) — verstehen and ideal types. Four of eight, skipped in June 2026.
- Phenomenology, Alfred Schutz (Block 2) — two of eight, June-leaning, but it completes Block 2, and Block 2 is the block the paper owes you.
- Marx on capitalism (Block 4) — two of eight, skipped in June 2026.
And note which of the two answers published on this page serves which session. Q2 on Malinowski is from the never-skipped functionalism topic, so it is useful whenever you sit the paper. Q8 on totemism is from a topic set in three of four June papers and none of the four December papers — excellent for a June attempt, lower priority for December.
Two honest caveats. The December 2024 paper is a scan we could not read, so the window has a one-session hole. And a split measured over four sessions a side is a strong signal, not a rule. Prepare these topics because they are the best-supported candidates, not because the pattern guarantees them.
It is worth adding that the sibling courses behave the same way. BSOC-101 shows three topics locked to one session type on its own balanced window, and BSOC-102 shows two topics set in every December paper. Across three BASOH sociology papers now, session-specific preparation is clearly worth doing in this programme — unlike courses where every topic returns every session.
You can compare older sessions yourself on our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper page, and our IGNOU Solved Guess Paper page lists solved sets by course code.
How our BSOC-103 answers are written and checked
Our answers are written from the official June 2026 paper and the IGNOU course units, then reviewed before they reach you. The file is prepared by the team led by Prateek Talwar, Academic Head of Unnati Educations, and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola.
Each answer starts from the exact wording of the question. If IGNOU asks you to "critically evaluate", the answer gives both the theory and its criticism. If it asks you to "explain", it builds the argument step by step with one clear example, such as the kula ring or the Arunta churinga. On this paper that distinction decides the structure of four of the eight answers, so it is worth reading the verb before you start writing.
Names, dates and book titles are checked against standard sources, so you will not find invented quotations — Malinowski's 1922 and 1944 titles, Durkheim's 1912 study, Spencer and Gillen on the Arunta, and Lévi-Strauss's 1962 book on totemism are all verifiable. Answers are written in simple English, kept close to 400 words and broken into short headed paragraphs that are easy to reproduce in the exam hall.
BSOC-103 solved file index: all 8 June 2026 questions
The solved file answers all 8 questions; 2 are shown on this page and 6 are in the full file only.
| Q. no. | Question as printed | Block and unit | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critically evaluate evolutionary theory. | Block 1, Unit 1: Evolutionary Perspective | Full file only |
| 2 | "Malinowski's approach emphasised functionalism." Explain. | Block 1, Unit 2: Functionalism | On this page |
| 3 | Give an account of structuralism as applied to the study of myths by Lévi-Strauss. | Block 1, Unit 3: Structuralism | Full file only |
| 4 | Discuss the contributions of Ralph [Ralf] Dahrendorf to conflict theory. | Block 1, Unit 4: Conflict Perspective | Full file only |
| 5 | What do you understand by Dalit perspective? Discuss. | Block 3, Unit 8: Dalit Perspective | Full file only |
| 6 | Discuss radical feminist analysis of women's oppression. | Block 3, Unit 7: Feminist Perspectives | Full file only |
| 7 | What are the various factors of change? Elaborate. | Block 4, Unit 12: Social Change and Transformation | Full file only |
| 8 | Discuss Durkheim's analysis of totemism. | Block 4, Unit 10: Religion (Durkheim and Weber) | On this page |
Read the index down the Block column and the shape of the paper is obvious: Q1 to Q4 are Block 1 in unit order, then Q5 and Q6 are Block 3, then Q7 and Q8 are Block 4. The paper is laid out block by block, which means in the hall you can find your strongest block's questions immediately instead of reading all eight. It also means the Block 2 gap sits where you would least notice it — between Q4 and Q5, where nothing was printed at all.
Students who want the papers of other courses in their programme can browse our BASOH question paper collection.
IGNOU programmes that include BSOC-103 Introduction to Sociology-II
BSOC-103 Introduction to Sociology-II is a Semester II core course of IGNOU's BA (Honours) Sociology (BASOH) and is also offered in the four-year BA (Major) Sociology (BAFSO). The June 2026 question paper prints BASOH on its cover.
In the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Sociology programme, BSOC-103 follows BSOC-101 Introduction to Sociology-I from Semester I and sits alongside BSOC-104 Sociology of India-II. Taken together, the first-year BASOH sociology core runs BSOC-101 and BSOC-102 in Semester I, then BSOC-103 and BSOC-104 in Semester II.
IGNOU also publishes a separate BSOC-103 assignment booklet for BAFSO, which confirms the course is six credits with three tutor-marked assignments. You can open it as the official IGNOU BSOC-103 assignment for BAFSO (2025-26).
Get the full BSOC-103 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
The full June 2026 solved file has complete answers to all 8 questions and is sent as a single file, so you can revise all eight answers in one place before the exam.
Message us on WhatsApp 9899436384 with "BSOC 103 June 2026". We will share the price and payment details, and after payment you receive the complete file with the 6 answers not shown here: evolutionary theory, Lévi-Strauss on myths, Dahrendorf, the Dalit perspective, radical feminism and factors of change.
BSOC-103 FAQs
How do I get the full BSOC-103 solved question paper on WhatsApp?
Send a message to WhatsApp 9899436384 with the code BSOC 103 and the session June 2026. Our team replies with the price and payment details, and once payment is confirmed you receive the full solved file. It contains answers to all 8 questions of the paper: the 2 answers shown on this page plus the 6 that appear only in the full file.
How many questions must I attempt in the BSOC-103 June 2026 paper?
You must attempt any five of the eight questions. Each question carries 20 marks and asks for an answer of about 400 words, so the paper totals 100 marks in 3 hours — about 36 minutes an answer. There is no compulsory question and no internal choice, which means picking your five strongest topics before the exam really matters.
Which BSOC-103 topics repeat most in IGNOU papers?
Functionalism and conflict theory were set in all eight earlier papers we checked, from December 2021 to December 2025, and came back again in June 2026 — nine sessions out of nine. Lévi-Strauss and structuralism came in seven of the eight, while the Dalit perspective, feminist perspectives and symbolic interactionism came in six each. The December 2024 paper is a scanned file we could not read, so it is not counted.
Which BSOC-103 topics did June 2026 leave out?
Five, which is unusually many. Three of them are the whole of Block 2 — symbolic interactionism, Weber's interpretive sociology and Schutz's phenomenology — and the other two are Block 4's division of labour and Marx on capitalism. Symbolic interactionism is the notable one: it was set in six of the eight earlier papers and in all four December papers, and still did not appear. If you are sitting December 2026, start there.
Which BSOC-103 topics should I add for a December exam?
The eight readable earlier papers split evenly into four December and four June sessions. On that window, symbolic interactionism, the Dalit perspective and evolutionary theory were each set in all four December papers, while religion, social change and phenomenology have never been set in a December paper at all. Since June 2026 skipped symbolic interactionism, division of labour and Weber's interpretive sociology, those three are the best-supported additions for December 2026. One session in the window could not be read, so treat this as a strong signal rather than a rule.
How many credits does BSOC-103 Introduction to Sociology-II carry?
BSOC-103 is a six-credit core course, as stated in IGNOU's own assignment booklets. Being six credits, it has three tutor-marked assignments. Assignments carry 30 per cent weightage in your final result and the term-end exam carries 70 per cent, so a strong TEE score in BSOC-103 matters more than the assignment marks.
Which BSOC-103 answers can I read on this page?
Two full answers: Question 2 on Malinowski's functionalism and Question 8 on Durkheim's analysis of totemism. They let you judge our length, structure and depth before you buy. The other six questions, on evolutionary theory, Lévi-Strauss, Dahrendorf, the Dalit perspective, radical feminism and factors of change, are answered only in the full file.
How long should a BSOC-103 answer be in the exam?
About 400 words, because the paper's own note asks you to attempt any five questions in about 400 words each — exactly 20 words a mark, which is IGNOU's standard scale. In practice that means a short introduction, three or four paragraphs on the thinker's main ideas with one example, a line of criticism and a two-sentence conclusion. Our full file follows this length for every answer.
Will the BSOC-103 June 2026 answers help in the December 2026 exam?
Yes, because the paper keeps returning to the same thinkers — functionalism and conflict theory have been set in every session we could read. Read the solved answers along with your eGyanKosh blocks, and add the topics June 2026 skipped, since IGNOU can always word a question in a new way. Note that Question 8 on totemism comes from a topic set only in June papers, so for a December attempt it is lower priority than Question 2 on Malinowski.
Is BSOC-103 studied in both BASOH and BAFSO?
Yes. BSOC-103 is a core course of IGNOU's BA (Honours) Sociology (BASOH), and IGNOU also issues a BSOC-103 assignment booklet for the four-year BA (Major) Sociology (BAFSO). The June 2026 question paper prints BASOH on its cover. Any student registered for BSOC-103 can use this solved file for revision.
About the authors
This page was prepared by the academic team at Unnati Educations, which has been helping IGNOU, NIOS, MDU Rohtak and GGSIPU students with solved papers and assignment support for over a decade.
Prateek Talwar, Academic Head, led the writing of the BSOC-103 answers, the block mapping and the repeat analysis on this page, including the December-versus-June session split and the comparison across BSOC-101, BSOC-102 and BSOC-103. He reads every official paper in a series before a single answer is drafted.
Sheetal Kirola reviewed this page and the solved file against the printed question wording and the 400-word limit, and verified the references used — Malinowski's dates and his Trobriand fieldwork, Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922) and A Scientific Theory of Culture (1944), the kula ring directions, Durkheim's The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912), Spencer and Gillen on the Arunta, the churinga and intichiuma, and Lévi-Strauss's Totemism (1962).