Cultural & Social Geography

Concept of Culture: Traits, Complexes & Regions

  • Concept of culture: definitions, dimensions (material, non-material), cultural traits & complexes
  • Cultural complex: combination of traits; cultural area; culture region (formal & functional)

Cultural Heritage: Tangible & Intangible; UNESCO WHS

  • Cultural heritage: tangible (monuments, artefacts) & intangible (language, music, rituals); UNESCO WHS

Cultural Ecology: Sauer’s Landscape Approach

  • Cultural ecology: concept; Sauer’s landscape approach; adaptation vs modification

Cultural Convergence & Globalization of Culture

  • Cultural convergence: globalization of culture; McDonaldization; cultural homogenization vs heterogenization

Social Structure: Status, Roles, Groups & Stratification

  • Social structure: components (status, roles, groups, institutions); social stratification

Social Processes: Assimilation, Acculturation & Conflict

  • Social processes: assimilation, acculturation, accommodation, conflict, competition

Social Well-Being: Concept, Indicators & Spatial Variations

  • Social well-being: concept, indicators (health, education, income, housing, safety)

Quality of Life: HDI, HPI, MPI

  • Quality of life: measurement, indices (HDI, HPI, MPI); spatial variations

Spatial Distribution of Tribes in India

  • Spatial distribution of social groups in India — Tribes: major tribal groups, scheduled areas, forest rights

Spatial Distribution of Caste in India

  • Caste: caste geography in India; distribution of SC population; spatial segregation

Religion Distribution in India

  • Religion: distribution of major religions in India; communal geography; places of pilgrimage

Language Distribution & Linguistic Families in India

  • Language: linguistic families in India; scheduled languages; language-region relationship

Environment & Human Health: Physical Factors

  • Environment & human health: physical environment factors (climate, altitude, water quality, air quality)

Disease Ecology & Medical Geography

  • Disease ecology: concept; disease diffusion (contagious, hierarchical, network); medical geography

Nutritional Status: Types, Classification & Spatial Distribution in India

  • Nutritional status: malnutrition types (under-nutrition, over-nutrition, micro-nutrient deficiency)
  • Etiological conditions; nutritional classification; spatial distribution of malnutrition in India

Seasonal Distribution of Malnutrition in India

  • Seasonal distribution patterns of malnutrition: hunger seasons, agricultural calendar linkage

Health Care Planning in India: Three-Tier System

  • Health care planning in India: primary health care; three-tier health system (PHC, CHC, district hospital)

Health Policies in India: NHM, Ayushman Bharat

  • Health policies in India: National Health Mission (NHM), Ayushman Bharat, Janani Suraksha Yojana

Health Inequalities in India & Odisha Context

  • Health inequalities in India: urban-rural gap; inter-state disparities; gender gaps; Odisha context

Medical Tourism in India

  • Medical tourism in India: destinations (Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi), specializations, economic value