In­tro­duc­tion to Eco­nom­ic So­ci­ology

Course content

The objective of this course is to introduce to key concepts of Economic Sociology. We study markets and firms in changing environments and societies: How do markets work? What do firms do and how are they organised? How do firms and markets interact with each other?
We ask these questions because markets are constructed by firms and other actors such as the state. They are embedded within social and political structures. Such relations as well as interactions within and between firms are of interest to Economic Sociology and are at the centre of the course.
We deepen the understanding of concepts and theories by applying them to contemporary and historical cases and challenges in order to better understand complex phenomena and the effects of business decisions, and to discuss posisble solutions to such challenges. During the workshops and in the exam (together with FST) we focus on „big“ social, economic, human, and environmental challenges and analyse the role that companies play.

We work together in groups in class and at home to take advantage of different educational backgrounds and previous experience.

This course also introduces students to different types of academic texts, and how to read and understand them, and includes academic writing exercises (finding literature and referencing, structuring an argumentation).