Syllabus

Title
1039 Economic Sociology
Instructors
Dr. Georg Kanitsar
Contact details
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
09/23/20 to 10/12/20
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Thursday 10/15/20 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM TC.4.15
Thursday 10/22/20 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM TC.4.15
Thursday 10/29/20 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM TC.4.15
Thursday 11/05/20 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM TC.4.15
Thursday 11/19/20 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Thursday 11/26/20 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Procedure for the course when limited activity on campus

Update 03.11.2020: All our in-class meetings have been moved to MS Teams. Updated requirements for attendance will be announced in the first MS Teams session.

 

The course will adopt a rotation mode style. The class will be split in two groups and attendance is expected every second week (details are announced in the first constitutive session of each 'sub-group'). 

Students are required to read preparatory literature each week and write essays on selected topics. With regard to teaching methods, the course will adopt a mixture of in-class teaching, students presentations, (in-class) discussions, and self-study tasks.

There will be no final exam. Instead assessment will be based on the following components: 
-) oral presentation (40 %)
-) portfolios and essays (40 %)
-) active participation (20 %)

Contents

The course offers an introduction into economic sociology. The objective of the course is to familiarize students with a sociological perspective on economic phenomena. More specifically, we examine differences and commonalities between sociological and economic approaches to understanding economic actions, institutions, and systems. This includes, but is not restricted, to a comparison of the prevailing models of man, the historical development, and the theoretical core concepts of both disciplines. The course is structured in two thematic blocks.

The first block focuses on micro-sociological questions. Among other things, we will discuss the meaning of concepts, like social behavior, social norms, and social capital, and explore explanations of cooperation, trust and social order. The second block deals with macro-sociological questions. As part of this block, we will analyse the institutions of modern capitalist societies, identify their cultural foundations, and elaborate on their association with different moral principles.

Learning outcomes

Participants will develop a basic understanding of the main sociological concepts and learn to apply them to societal and economic problems. After finish this course, students will be able to assess economic relationship from a critical sociological point of view (‘thinking sociologically’). Moreover, students are offered an opportunity to engage with specific sociological topics in more detail. With an emphasis of this course being on written work, they will develop and improve their academic writing skills.

Attendance requirements

Students are allowed to miss at most two out of nine sessions. More details on attendance will be discussed in the first constitutive session.

Teaching/learning method(s)

The course consists of introductory lectures, individual and group work, preparatory readings, written assignments, oral presentations, and seminar discussions.

Assessment

assessment will be based on the following components: 
-) oral presentation (40 %)
-) portfolios and essays (40 %)
-) active participation (20 %)

Last edited: 2020-11-03



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