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2018/2019  BA-BSOCO1810U  Introduction to Economic Sociology

English Title
Introduction to Economic Sociology

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
Course coordinator
  • Alfred Reckendrees - Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy (MPP)
Main academic disciplines
  • Organization
  • Sociology
  • Economics
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 28-06-2018

Relevant links
Learning objectives
On completion of the two courses Fundamentals of Social Theory and Introduction to Economic Sociology, the student should be able
  • to describe central problems and questions of classical social theory
  • to present key concepts of Economic Sociology and its approach to economic life
  • to identify essential similarities and differences between theoretical positions
  • to situate theories within their particular historical, political, economic, and social contexts
  • to identify and discuss competing theoretical explanations
  • to use theories for an analysis of corporate, social, economic, and political problems
  • to reflect upon the relevance of theoretical positions with regard to understanding the social world
  • to write an argumentative paper with a clear structure that meets academic writing standards
  • to correctly cite and reference literature
Course prerequisites
The courses Introduction to Economic Sociology and Fundamentals of Social Theory have one integrated project exam. You can only participate in Introduction to Economic Sociology if you also register for the other courses just mentioned.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved: 1
Compulsory home assignments
Mid-term assignment: Five page discussion paper (as preparation for the exam paper).
Examination
The course shares exams with
BA-BSOCO1811U
Course content and structure

The objective of this course is to introduce the students to key concepts of Economic Sociology. We study markets and social structure, how markets work, what firms are doing and how companies are organized because markets are constructed by firms and other actors like the state. We also want to understand why there are varieties of capitalism even within an increasingly globalized world economy. These relationships as well as interactions within firms are of interest to Economic Sociology and are at the centre of the course.

Apart from this, the course also introduces to different types of academic texts.
Description of the teaching methods
The course is based on a combination of lectures, student group work and open classroom discussion, brief assignments and perhaps presentations.

Bi-weekly brief assignments aim at supporting the learning process and preparing for the final exam.
Two joined workshops of the course Introduction to Economic Sociology together with the course Fundamentals of Social Theory will prepare the students for the final exam.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback will be given to the bi-weekly brief assignments; this may include peer-review from other students.
Feedback will be given during classes and workshops as well as during the office hours.
Student workload
preparing for classes 48 hours
lectures 24 hours
exercises 6 hours
mid-term assignment 24 hours
writing the exam project 70 hours
diverse 34 hours
Further Information

The joint exam of the courses Fundamentals of Social Theory (FST) and Introduction to Economic Sociology (IES) takes the form of a discussion paper using concepts and theories from both courses. This paper shall meet academic writing standards, including a clear structure and correct referencing. The courses with their mandatory readings, a mid-term assignment and two joint workshops of FST and IES will prepare for this task.
Expected literature

Textbook

Carruthers, Bruce G. and & Babb, Sarah L. (2013) Economy/Society. Markets, Meanings, and Social Structure (2nd. ed.), Thousand Oaks, Calif. London: SAGE.
(chapters 1-5, rest recommended readings)

 

Articles (Economic Sociology)

Block, F. (2002) 'Rethinking Capitalism' In Readings in Economic Sociology, ed. by N. Woolsey Biggert, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 219-230.

Campbell, J. L. and Pedersen, O. K. (2007) 'The Varieties of Capitalism and Hybrid Success: Denmark in the Global Economy', Comparative Political Studies 40 (3) 307-332.

Fligstein, N. (2002) 'Markets as Politics: A Political-Cultural Approach to Market Institutions' In Readings in Economic Sociology, ed. by N. Woolsey Biggert, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 197-218.

Granovetter, M. (2002) 'Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness', In Readings in Economic Sociology, ed. by N. Woolsey Biggert, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 69-93.

Hall, P. and Soskice, D. (2001) 'An Introduction to Varieties of Capitalism', Varieties of Capitalism. The Institutional Foundations of Competitive Advantage, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-68.

North. D. C. (2005): ‘Institutions and the Performance of Economies over time’ In Handbook of New Institutional Economics, ed. C. Menard and M.M. Shirley, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 21-30.

Schumpeter, J. (1942/1994) 'The Process of Creative Destruction' In Capitalism, Socialism & Democracy. With a New Introduction by R. Swedberg, London & New York, pp. 81-86.

Schumpeter, J. (1947) 'Creative Response in Economic History', Journal of Economic History VII (2), pp. 149-159.

Smelser, N. and Swedberg, R. (2005) 'Introducing Economic Sociology' In Handbook of Economic Sociology ed. by N. Smelser and R. Swedberg, Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp. 3-25.

Williamson, O.E. (1981) ‘The Economics of Organization: The Transaction Cost Approach’ American Journal of Sociology 87 (3), pp. 548-577.

 

Articles (Empirical Material)

Fear, J. 'August Thyssen and German Steel', in T. K. McCraw ed., Creating Modern Capitalism, (Cambridge/Mass. & London, 1997), pp. 185-210.

Garcia-Parpet, M.-F. 'The Social Construction of a Perfect Market: The Strawberry Auction at Fontaines-En-Sologne', in D. MacKenzie, F. Muniesa and L. Siu eds., Do Economists Make Markets? On the Performativity of Economics, (Princeton & Oxford, 2007), pp. 20-53.

Koehn, N. F. 'Josiah Wedgwood and the First Industrial Revolution', in T. K. McCraw ed., Creating Modern Capitalism, (Cambridge/Mass. & London, 1997), pp. 17-48.
Last updated on 28-06-2018