AØKB08030U Economic Sociology

Volume 2015/2016
Education

Elective at BSc in Economics from 2. year
Elective at MSc in Economics

Content

Economic sociology gives you a new perspective on economic behavior and knowledge of the sociological theories most relevant for the understanding of economic behavior. This goes for individual economic behavior, behavior of individuals as part of a group with common interests as well as firm behavior.

 Economic sociology increases your ability to reflect critically on the core mechanisms and institutions influencing economic behavior and your ability to challenge conventional thoughts in economic theory.

Economic sociology increases your perspective on social theory and on the society and interlinks theoretical reasoning with real life economic phenomenons.

The field can be broadly divided into a classical period and a contemporary one.

The classical period was concerned particularly with modernity and its constituent aspects which are rationalisation, secularisation, urbanisation, social stratification, and so on. The specific term "economic sociology" was first coined by William Stanley Jevons in 1879, later to be used in the works of Émile Durkheim, Max Weber and Georg Simmel between 1890 and 1920. Weber's work regarding the relationship between economics and religion and the cultural "disenchantment" of the modern West is perhaps most iconic of the approach set forth in the classic period of economic sociology.

Contemporary economic sociology includes studies of all modern social aspects of economic phenomena; economic sociology is thus a field in the intersection of economics and sociology. Frequent areas of inquiry in contemporary economic sociology include the social consequences of economic exchanges, the social meanings they involve and the social interactions they facilitate or obstruct.

The economic sociological studies of markets are crucial in the study of exchange.

The Course gives the student thorough knowledge of the classical economic sociological analysis on the development of the modern society.

It gives an introduction to classical economic sociology with an emphasis on Weber, Marx, Durkheim and Simmel in order for the student to be familiar with classical theories in order better to understand contemporary economic sociological theories by Bourdieu, Giddens and Habermas.

The main part of the course is on contemporary economic sociology. The student gets knowledge of the contents and developments of economic sociology since Granovetters reintroduction of the concept of embeddedness in the mid 1980s and the development of economic sociology with contributions from among others Gary Becker and Bourdieu.

The course contains texts that contribute to the understanding of markets, the role of the state and the impact of social structures in relation to how modern society works and how it should be studied. Knowledge on economic sociology, sociological theory and economic sociology analysis on societal developments gives the student a comprehensive knowledge of the manifold and creative economic sociological analysis of modern society and the societal frames and background for individual action.

This gives the student knowledge in ways of analysing modern society and individual actions that in many ways challenges economic theory.

Learning Outcome

The student will get knowledge on the contribution to economic sociology from sociological classics, the development of contemporary economic sociology since the mid 1980s and how this challenges the view on society and its development put forward by economic theory.

The outstanding performance in the course contains:

  • A precise explanation of one or more economic sociological approaches on a given subject or societal problem
  • A critical discussion of the economic sociological theories relevance in relation to this
  • In cases where more theories are included a statement on whether and how these are complementary or in competition
  • In the explanations it is important to use the concepts that are developed in and used in economic sociological analysis.

Curriculum:

Patrik Aspers (2011): Markets, Polity Press, Chapters 1-8

Gary S. Becker and Kevin Murphy (2000): Social Economics; Market Behaviour in a Social Environment, Harvard University press, Part I pp 3-28.

Mark Granovetter and Richard Swedberg (2011)(ed): The Sociology of Economic Life, Westview Press, Third Edition, 2011

Georg Ritzer (2011) : Sociological Theory, eighth edition, part I pp 1-188, part III pp 499-546 and part IV (chapters 15 and 16) pp 547-604.

A basic knowledge of economic theory is a major advantages.
3 hours of lectures per week for 14 weeks – presenting and discussing the texts.

Time and room:
For time and classroom please press the link under "Se skema"(See schedule) at the right side of this page (15E means Autumn 2015, 16F means Spring 2016).
Normally the exercise classes begin in the second week of the semester.

You can find the similar side partly in English at
https:/​/​skema.ku.dk/​ku1516/​uk/​module.htm
-Select Department: “2200-Økonomisk Institut” (and wait for respond)
-Select Module:: “2200-F16;Economic Sociology ”
-Select Period: “Forår/Spring – Weeks 4-29”
-Press: “ View Timetable”
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 24
  • Lectures
  • 42
  • Preparation
  • 140
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment, 24 hours
The exam is a 24-hours take-home assignment.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
20 % censurship
Exam period

The exam takes place June 25 at 10am to June 26 at 10 am 2016  

For enrolled students more information about examination, exam/re-sit, rules etc. is available at the student intranet for Examination (English) and student intranet for Examination (BA-Danish).

Re-exam

The re-exam takes place August 28 at 10am to August 29 at 10 am 2016  

If only a few students have registered for the re-exam, the exam might change to an oral exam including the date for the exam, which will be informed  by the Examination Office.

Criteria for exam assesment

The Student must in a satisfactory way demonstrate that he/she has mastered the learning outcome of the course.