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2013/2014  BA-1FST  Fundamentals of Social Theory

English Title
Fundamentals of Social Theory

Course information
Language English
Exam ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
Course coordinator
  • Maja Lotz - Department of Business and Politics (DBP)
Main academic disciplines
  • Philosophy and philosophy of science
  • Economic and organizational sociology
Last updated on 20-09-2013
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, the student should have acquired: 1) knowledge about central arguments in classical social theory; 2) skills to identify the historical, political, economical and social contexts that the theories refer to, and the student should be able to:
  • account for the main theoretical positions covered in the curriculum and reflect about their respective strengths and weaknesses,
  • identify essential similarities and differences between these theoretical positions,
  • place these theoretical positions and concepts in a historical and societal context, and
  • reflect about the relevance of these theoretical positions with regard to analysing and understanding the social reality.
Course prerequisites
The courses 1FST, 1IES, 1ME, and 1BA have one intergrated exam. The exam is 30 ECTS. You can only participate in 1FST if you also register for the other courses: 1IES, 1ME, and 1BA .
Examination
Integrated examination in social theory, economic sociology, managerial economics and accounting:
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Individual or group exam Individual
Size of written product Max. 5 pages
Assignment type Report
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
30 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Preparation time No preparation
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period December/January
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Both make-up examination and re-examination takes places according to the same regulations as the regular examination. However, the following supplementary rules apply: 1) The make-up examination for a student who has submitted a complete exam portfolio but not participated in the oral examination – due to illness – will be based on the exam portfolio already submitted. 2) A student who fails the regular examination due to the quality of the exam portfolio should submit a revised exam portfolio.
Description of the exam procedure

The primary purpose of the 1st semester exam, which is an oral exam based on a portfolio, is to make the student adopt an interdisciplinary approach to the four 1st semester courses, instead of only perceiving the individual courses from their own point of view. Consequently, the main focus at the oral exam is the integration of several academic disciplines and sets of learning objectives.

The secondary purpose of the exam is to make the student reflect about his/her own learning process, the result of the knowledge and skills acquired from participating in class and working on assignments throughout the 1st semester.

Prior to the oral exam the student must submit an exam portfolio, which consists of an individual 5-page interdisciplinary exam assignment together with three of the approved semester assignments. The examiner decides which three semester assignments to resubmit and informs the student in advance.

  1. The oral examination is based on the four papers of the exam portfolio.
  2. The oral examination is an individual examination of 30 minutes, including the examiners’ discussion and awarding of the grade. The grade awarded must reflect an overall assessment of the papers in the exam portfolio and the performance at the oral examination.
  3. The examination is internal, and assessment is carried out by two internal examiners: teachers from two of the four first semester courses.
Learning objectives for the exam
At the oral examination, the student should, on the basis of the papers in the 1st semester exam portfolio, demonstrate ability to relate to each other the four courses in the first semester and their learning objectives. Specifically, the student should demonstrate that (s)he:
  • has achieved the learning objectives for the four first semester courses (see below)
  • is able to think across the four subjects and reflect about similarities and differences between the academic disciplines that the courses build upon, and
  • is reflective about his/her learning process in the four 1st semester courses, as reflected in the exam portfolio.
Course content and structure
Aim: To introduce the student to fundamental questions and key concepts in social theory, from the classics onwards. There will be two assignments during the semester: one individual max 3 pages, and one in groups max. 10 pages.
Teaching methods
Lectures, exercise classes, case-based teaching. The first semester is focused around the students' creation of their work portfolios, consisting of individual assignments.
Further Information
Social Theory
Last updated on 20-09-2013