m runal.

o rg

http://mrunal.o rg/2012/06/strategy-anthro po lo gy.html

[Strategy] Anthropology Study-plan and Booklist by Dr.Vijay (IAS) for UPSC Civil Service (Mains) Exam Mrunal
[Strategy] Anthropology Study-plan and Booklist by Dr.Vijay (IAS) for UPSC Civil Service (Mains) Exam
T his article, is a compilation of gems given by Dr. K.Vijayakarthikeyan (AIR 22 / CSE 2010) on the IOf orum. At present, He is an IAS of f icer in Tamilnadu cadre.

Disclaimer
Its completely based on my anthro strategy which helped me (Dr. Vijay) get 375 marks in Anthropology, in 1st attempt in cse 2010, it worked wonders with me, it may or may not work with you

Advantages of anthropology
1. Scoring subject 2. Interesting subject 3. Easy to grasp especially For science graduates

Getting started with Anthropology

Anthropology is divided into two papers

Paper 1
1. Physical anthropology 1. prehistory-evolution of man, 2. biological concepts of man, 3. genetics and diseases, 4. race 2. Social anthropology(sociology related) 1. f amily,marriage,religion,kinship etc 3. T heories 4. Misc demography,research methodology etc

Paper 2
1. Prehistory in india 2. Indian social system 3. Indian tribes and their problems

Mrunal Edit:

Entire syllabus of Anthropology can be seen on the Page 8 of UPSC 2012 Notification (Click me to download PDF). IGNOU also run M.A. in Anthropology but unfortunately it seems theyve not uploaded the PDF material on www.egyankosh.ac.in, as they did with History, Sociology and Public Administration.

Preparation of anthropology (mains)

Its advisable to start anthro preparation as early as possible af ter the upsc preliminary examination and with f ocussed, systematic study one can complete the subject by end of august.

Useful books
1. P.Nath(pref erred) /das f or physical anthropology.Nath is very usef ul f or misc topics also 2. Social anthropology by majumdar/madan 3. Makhan jhas book of anthropology theories 4. Indian anthropology by R.N. Sharma 5. Indian anthropology by Nadeem Hasnan

About these Books

1. is interesting but not commission exam oriented. Just keep glancing at it when u f eel bored with other stuf f thats more than enough. Do not waste time trying to cram it line by line. 2. R.n.sharma is good f or tribal topics, also get hold muniratnam sirs notes plus do keep updating and make notes f rom min. Of tribal af f airs websites wrt tribal legislations,schemes 3. P.nath is good f or the genetics /biology part 4. Makhan Jha is an essential book as there are no good books available exclusively f or theories) also make use of internet and prepare notes f or theories given in union public service commission syllabus that are not in makhan jha. 5. Das/nath havesimple diagrams f or physical part but parts are not marked in both. T here is a physical anthro book by r.n.sharma which has well marked parts but instead of buying that book just f or diagrams,i suggest you see the topic in das/nath and then google the topic (eg. Neanderthal skull) youl get beautif ul diagrams.f or diagrams on pre historic tools, an outline of indian prehistory by d.k.bhattacharya is good but again instead of getting the book you can get it f rom the internet. Most of my f low charts are result of my own thoughts- i just make a pictographic representation of the whole broad concept,didnt ref er anywhere f or it.

Tips for anthropology preparation

Try to start preparation as soon as upsc preliminary examination are over(thats the reason f or me posting now) instead of choosing it late and f eeling sorry better start your preparation asap. I f inished the whole thing in 4 months. Try attempting physical anthro based and theory based questions as much as possible.f rom what i know, socio based questions f etch lesser marks comparitively( i avoided questions like those on origin of language in the exam even though i knew it)

When you come across a case study, note it down as use it at appropriate topics where you are expected to explain the concept Practice diagrams f or physical part, diagrams will ultimately f etch us more marks Do not ignore theories part ,selective study is always dangerous Try to make good notes f or theories and misc part as good material is not available in market. Keep updating the latest trends and developments in anthropology f rom newspaper/magazines and internet

Importance of diagrams in anthropology answer writing

Its more catchy and provides more inf ormation,saves examiners time also- if he f inds your diagram to be very good, hel be more inclined to like your description too.. So as f ar as physical anthro is concerned, neat diagrams will def initely give us an edge over others.. So practice diagrams By diagrams i meant anatomical -skull,vertebra,bones,teeth diagrams when we are asked to write about prehistoric man,also a good comparative diagram with modern man also can be given(depending on question).f or questions on prehistoric stages you can give good diagrams of the tools used then, a rough picture of the habitat, some pictures of artef acts f ound etc.. Its easier to draw diagrams and then explain. Just read the theory part then spend 5 mins f or looking at the diagram, then try and do a rough sketch.. 15 mins /day f or the diagrams should be more than enough.. T hat too its only when you read the physical part.. diagrams are important ( f or physical anthro part only) because you can draw a picture and explain things easily than writing paras and paras( saves time too). It also shows that you know the concept better. Nobody will reduce your marks f or not drawing, but you are bound to get more if u give neat sketches. So if you want really high scores then you have to pay attention to it. For non physical anthro part give some pictorial additions like a cycle(eg. Bonded labour question in 2010)/ f low chart- that way we have an edge over others Question : Is it required to draw skeletons and dentition f or questions on neanderthals, australopithecines etc?? Answer. Yes.. Diagrams will def initely f etch you more marks.. f ocussed preparation with good strategy and guidance will def initely succeed

From vishal singh

My drawing skills are quite poor and i had little prior exposure to biology (apart f rom ncert and the general stuf f ). I decided to take anthropology just bef ore upsc preliminary examination results were out in august 2010. Somebody suggested me to read ember & ember to have an idea about anthropology, i f ound it very interesting, intuitive and structured. It was already too late, i had two months time to prepare, that too without coaching. Although my mains total of 278 (150+128) is not very impressive, it is more than what one expects to manage in two months time. I regret that i started it so late. T he bottom-line is that if you f ind the subject interesting and have right aptitude, you can prepare it f rom scratch even if youve a non lif e-science background. Drawing is not a matter of concern as there are only a f ew drawings to be prepared which can be practiced over time. More important is to understand the changes in f eatures(in human anatomy as well as in tools etc.) And its ef f ect on physical and cultural evolution. All that can be managed, provided you have suf f icient time and willing to put ef f orts.

Nishi Sharma update (November-06-2012)

Syllabus should done in this sequence to understand the topics in better manner and in lesser time.

1 Intro 2 Biology 3 Research 4 Caste 5 Tribals Previous Posts

[Strategy] Indian Diaspora f or General Studies Mains Paper 2 Free Study material, Previous Questions f or UPSC Civil Service IAS IPS exam [Strategy] RAS 2013 Prelims: booklist, study material, approach, cutof f s, previous papers, syllabus of Rajasthan State & Subordinate Services Combined Competitive Exam [Strategy] Jammu Kashmir Administrative Service (JKPSC): Prelims, Mains, Cut of f by Shoaib Noor [Strategy] Mathematics : Strategy, Topicwise Booklist, Sample Answers f or UPSC (Mains) Exam [Strategy] Electrical Engineering: Topicwise Booklist f or UPSC (Mains) Exam [Strategy] Gujarati Literature f or UPSC Mains Exam: Previous Papers, Topicwise Booklist [Strategy] How to spend 9 Months? To those f ailed in CSAT 2012 and want to reappear in 2013 [Strategy & Studyplan] Sociology Mains Paper 1 & 2 f or UPSC IAS Exam Recommend Booklist [Strategy] How to prepare India Yearbook f or UPSC Civil Service Exam [Strategy] How to prepare Current Af f airs f rom Newspapers in Less than one hour f or UPSC IAS IPS CSAT Exam Subscribe (f ree!) Print || PDF (Need Chrome)!