Economic Sociology
Course 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.
MSc programme in Economics – elective course
Bacheloruddannelsen i økonomi – valgfag fra 2. år
The Danish BSc programme in Economics - elective from the 2nd year
The course is open to:
- Exchange and Guest students from abroad
- Credit students from Danish Universities
- Open University students
Full-degree students enrolled at the Faculty of Social Science, UCPH
- Master Programmes in Political Science and Social Science
- Bachelor and Master Programmes in Anthropology
- Master Programme in Psychology
Enrolled students register the course through the Selfservice. Please contact the study administration at each programme for questions regarding registration.
After completing the course the student is expected to be able to:
Knowledge:
- 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.
Skills:
- The student get’s skills that will enable him/her to asses societal developments in general and specific political interventions in relation to their potential outcome taking the core argument of embeddedness from economic sociology into consideration.
Competences:
- The student get competencies that makes it possible for him/her to have a critical view on conventional economic theory and and question in an organised way recommendations that are based on neoclasic economic theory.
Teaching will be lectures based on active participation from students based on lectures notes and discussion themes distributed to the students in advance.
- George Ritzer & Jeffrey Stepnisky: Sociological Theory, 9th edition, McGrawHill, 2014 ISBN 978-0-07-802701-7
- Mark Granovetter & Richard Swedberg (ed): The Sociology of Economic Life, 3rd edition, Westview Press, 2011 ISBN 978-0-8133-4455-3
- Patrik Aspers: Markets, Polity Press, 2011 ISBN 978-0-7456-4577-3
- Alejandro Portes: Economic Sociology, Princeton University Press, 2010.
Students must have a basic knowledge of economic theory including knowledge of the basic assumptions on human behaviour in neoclassic economics. A good knowledge of economic history and the major developments of the capitalist economy from the industrial revolution and forward is an advantage.
Schedule:
2 hours lectures 1 to 2 times a week from week 6 to
20.
for enrolled students: Rules etc at Master(UK), Master(DK) and Bachelor(DK)
When registered you will be signed up for exam.
- Full-degree students – sign up at Selfservice on KUnet
- Exchange and guest students from abroad – sign up through Mobility Online and Selfservice- read more through this website.
- Credit students from Danish universities - sign up through this website.
- Open University students - sign up through this website.
The dates for the exams are found here Exams – Faculty of Social Sciences - University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Please note that it is your own responsibility to check for overlapping exam dates.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Home assignment, 12 hours
- Type of assessment details
- Individual. Max 10 standard pages.
- Examination prerequisites
-
There are no requirements that the student has to fulfill during the course to be able to sit the exam.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
Use of AI tools is permitted. You must explain how you have used the tools. When text is solely or mainly generated by an AI tool, the tool used must be quoted as a source.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
for the written exam.
An oral re-examination may be with external assessment. - Exam period
-
Exam information:
The examination date can be found in the exam schedule here
More information is available in Digital Exam from the middle of the semester.
More information about examination, rules, aids etc. at Master(UK), Master(DK) and Bachelor(DK).
- Re-exam
-
Reexam is a 20. min oral exam without preparation.
No aids allowed during the examination.
Reexam information:
The reexamination date/period can be found in the reexam schedule here
More information in Digital Exam in August.
More info: Master(UK), Master(DK) and Bachelor.
Criteria for exam assessment
Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the course.
In order to obtain the top grade “12”, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.
In order to obtain the passing grade “02”, the student must in a satisfactory way be able to demonstrate a minimal acceptable level of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.
Single subject courses (day)
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 42
- Preparation
- 140
- Exam
- 24
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- AØKB08030U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
Bachelor
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Price
-
Information about admission and tuition fee: Master and Exchange Programme, credit students and guest students (Open University)
- Studyboard
- Department of Economics, Study Council
Contracting department
- Department of Economics
- Department of Anthropology
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Political Science
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Course Coordinator
- Niels Ploug (18-77726e757c37737e75726a77377975787e70496e6c787737747e376d74)
Teacher
See ‘Course Coordinators’
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