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2023/2024  BA-BSOCO1811U  Fundamentals of Social Theory

English Title
Fundamentals of Social Theory

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
  • Mathias Hein Jessen - Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)
  • Poul Fritz Kjær - Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)
Main academic disciplines
  • Philosophy and ethics
  • Sociology
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 29-06-2023

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 present different concepts from classical social theory and economic sociology
  • to identify and understand essential similarities and differences between theoretical positions from social theory and economic sociology
  • to analyse corporate, social, environmental and political problems by employing and combining concepts from social theory and economic sociology with the aim of specifying a problem and developing ideas for solutions
  • to reflect upon the relevance of theoretical positions for understanding present and future challenges
  • to write an argumentative paper with a clear structure that corresponds to academic writing standards, particularly correct citation and referencing of literature
Course prerequisites
The courses Fundamentals of Social Theory and Introduction to Economic Sociology have one intergrated exam. You can only participate in Fundamentals of Social Theory if you also register for the other course.
Examination
The course shares exams with
BA-BSOCO1810U
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Aim

The course is the first in a series of three courses on Social Theory. It will introduce to key concepts and ideas of social theory. It will primarily do so by outlining the processes that have shaped modern societies and how they were analyzed by the first generation of sociologists. At the center are fundamental dichotomies, problems, and key concepts developed by classical social theorists that continue to inform contemporary social science. The course will explore in more detail social phenomena such as civilization, urbanization, capitalism, industrialization, new technology and democratization with a view to deepening the understanding of ‘modernity’ in a Western context.
 

Objectives

Students who complete this course will have a broad grasp of main ideas and concepts of social theory and an overall historical perspective on the landmarks and mechanisms of social transformations. They will have developed and practiced the skills of learning, analyzing and evaluating evidence and arguments by way of reading, discussing and writing. The course should provide them with a firm background and framework for the study of more specific areas of sociology taught in the subsequent parts of the Degree.

 

 
Description of the teaching methods
Lectures, reading, workshops with problem solving group discussions.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback in FST is given with the purpose of continued improvement.
General Feedback is given at the beginning and/or end of the lectures through sum ups of findings and conclusions of previous and ongoing lectures combined with Q & A.
Peer to peer feedback guided by the teacher to groups of 5 – 6 students is given during the two Workshops.
Group-based and individual feedback is also given on the mid-term assignment and the final exam. After the mid-term assignment, there is a general feedback session where overall impressions and typical strengths and weaknesses are presented and discussed. The groups give peer to peer feedback on the assignments in the presence of the lecturer, and the teacher gives individual feedback to each group. Both for the midterm assignment and for the individually written exams, feedback is given on the basis of a structured format addressing all aspects of the assignment/exam. This is combined with a more general conversation about the course, the exam, how the students see themselves in the course and how it related to their studies in general.
There is office hours open at any time for all students and they are also provided with a specific time slot.
Student workload
Lectures 35 hours
4h Preparation per lecture of 2h 68 hours
Exam workshops 8 hours
Mid-term assignment preparation (50% IES) 20 hours
Mid-term Assigment (50% IES) 11 hours
Exam preparation (50% IES) 40 hours
Writing the exam (50% IES) 20 hours
Various 4 hours
Further Information

Social Theory

 

This course shares a compulsory mid-term assignment with the course Introduction to Economic Sociology (IES). The mid-term assignment has the form of a 10p. home written project. It is to be written in groups of four students. (preparation for the exam paper)
Last updated on 29-06-2023