Organisation and Society

Uitgebreide vaknaam	Organisation and Society
Leerdoelen	After completion of the course, students are able to (1) describe the different ways how organizations influence four main outcomes in society: inequality, persistence, change, and connectedness; (2) distinguish different theories of organizations as sites and drivers of social action, identifying their mechanisms, and main hypotheses; (3) understand, analyze and dissect theoretical argumentation based on the ‘close reading’ of (original) literature in contemporary sociological scholarship.
Omschrijving	Since the beginning of the 20th century, the number of organizations has grown exponentially. This holds for all types of organizations, ranging from for-profit enterprises, non-profit associations, public agencies, to non-governmental entities. These corporate actors meanwhile are key agents in any modern society. For example, the top 200 corporations control more than a quarter of the world´s economic activity. Of the 100 largest ´economies´ in the world, more than 50 are multinational firms. Wal-Mart´s corporate revenues exceed the GDP of Sweden or Austria, and those of General Motors equal the GDP of Turkey. Individuals continuously have to deal with organizations: citizens interact with state authorities, consumers with enterprises, employees with employers. Organizations not only affect all areas of social, political, and economic life, but also have a huge impact on the desires, beliefs, and opportunities of individuals, including their health and their social relations. Consequently, any analysis of modern societies – the origin and solution of its social problems ranging from the obesity epidemic to failed states, as well as its successes in creating welfare through innovation – will remain incomplete unless it considers the role that corporate actors play. The main objective of the course Organization and Society is to provide a insight into the role that corporate actors play in society. Theories of organizations as sites and drivers of social action will form the analytical tool to achieve this objective. The course will focus on the role of organizations as I) Equalizers and stratifiers, discussing how organizations as corporate actors reproduce or challenge social inequality; II) Standardizers and monuments, discussing which role organizations play in the persistence of traditions, habits, values and norms in society; III) Movers and shakers, discussing ways with which organizations contribute to social and political change in society, as well as how they socialize and mobilize individuals; IV) Networks and wirings, discussing how organizations contribute to the spread of innovation, transmission of new ideas, and how they connect or separate different groups in society.
Uren per week	4
Onderwijsvorm	hoorcollege, responsiecollege, werkcollege (The course consists of eight lectures and four seminar meetings. During seminars example essay questions will be discussed in preparation for the exam.)
Toetsvorm	schriftelijk tentamen (essay) DIGITAL (The exam is an open-book essay exam based on the lectures and readings)
Vaksoort	bachelor
Coördinator	Z. Lippényi, PhD.
Docent(en)	Z. Lippényi, PhD.
Verplichte literatuur	Titel Auteur ISBN Prijs Articles available electronically via the University Library
Entreevoorwaarden
Opmerkingen
Opgenomen in	Opleiding Jaar Periode Type Ba sociologie  (Ba2 sociologie) 2 semester I b verplicht Ba sociologie Internationale (keuzevakken) 1 semester I b keuze Course package 'Challenging Society' for exchange students BSc level - Autumn - semester I b keuze Course units for exchange students BSc level - Autumn semester (Sep-Jan) - semester I b keuze SO Minor Maatschappelijke orde en sociaal welzijn 3 semester I b verplicht