Sociology (2235.YR.009230.2)

General information

Type:	BAS	Curs:	1	Period:	S semester
ECTS Credits:	6 ECTS

Teaching Staff:

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Year 1	Rita Carreira Agostinho Mota	Sociedad, Política y Sostenibilidad	ENG

There are no prerequisites for this course.

No previous knowledge is required.

Lectures: 25 hours
Participatory sessions: 25 hours
Tutorials: 0.5 hours (minimum of 1 tutorial per student required)
Independent study (readings, videos and studying): 80 hours

Companies operate in markets, and the markets, in turn, are part of increasingly interrelated societies. Understanding what a society is, how it stays united and how it changes is an essential part of the training future business management and administration professionals require.

This subject examines the relationship between individuals, social groups and society as a whole and helps future executives to look critically at the social conditioning factors which influence their own lives. The aim is to instil awareness in students about how the actions they take as citizens and professionals can change society on the basis of the values they freely choose to live by.

The course thus examines ways of analysing social reality, it encourages critical thought and tries to put events into a historical and global/local vision of society.

A. Become aware of the ways in which society conditions individuals
B. Become familiar with the fundamental characteristics of the techno-economic, social, political and cultural environment in business organisations.
C. Understand and know how to apply an analytical method to real situations.
D. Analyse and understand people's and organisations' capacity to transform social reality.
E. Develop students' reflection and critical evaluation skills.
F. Use intellectual tools to associate, compare and analyse theories, world views, ideologies, etc.
G. Acquire a greater level of sensibility and responsibility, with a special emphasis on students' future careers.
H. Assimilate a global/local vision of reality that is capable of generating civic commitment.

1. Introduction to Sociology Explanation of the course structure: Introduction to Sociology, its origin, content and aims. Models to interpret social reality.

2. Culture and society Anthropological origins of culture. Definition and elements of culture. Cultures, subcultures and counter-cultures. Cultural change. Culture "shock": ethnocentrism, relativism, inter-cultural dialogue.

3. Socialisation Socialisation processes. Identity and roles. Theory of the "self". Institutions and the institutionalisation process. Deviation and social control.

4. Social stratification Stratification concept. Primary stratification systems. Class theories: Marx, Weber, later authors. Principal areas of inequality.

5. Stratification by ethnicity, race, and gender

6. Liberalism and Capitalism The rise of the capitalist mode of production. Economic foundations of Liberalism. Political foundations of Liberalism. Cultural foundations of Liberalism. Historical application of the liberal project: Classical Liberalism and Democratic Liberalism.

7. Socialism and other alternatives to capitalism The rise of the social question and criticisms of Liberal Capitalism. Utopian and Marxist Socialism. Economic foundations of Socialism. Political foundations of Socialism. Cultural foundations of Socialism. Historical application of the socialist project: Real socialism. Other alternatives: cooperativism. The role of trade unions.

8. The Welfare State, its challenges and other models The great crisis of Liberal Capitalism. The rise of Welfare States. Economic foundations of the Welfare State. Political foundations of the Welfare State. Cultural foundations of the Welfare State. Historical application: from the "glorious thirty years" to the model's crisis. 3 types of Welfare State (liberal, social-democratic and christian-democratic).

9. The Global South and Sustainable Development Origins of the North-South definition. Effects of colonisation on sSouthern countries. Decolonisation and the primary specialisation model. Under-development and its causes. The end of the Cold War and its consequences. The meaning of Sustainable Development for the Global South

10. Post-Modernity and the Digital Age Historical evolution of Modernity. Crisis factors of Modernity. Characteristics of Post-Modernity. The impact of the Digital Revolution on the culture of Modernity

ASSESSMENT BREAKDOWN

Short bibliography:

- BERGER, P. L. Invitación a la sociología. México, Limusa, 2006 (traducción catalana: Invitació a la sociologia, Barcelona, Herder, 2006).
- GIDDENS, A. Sociología. Madrid, Alianza Editorial, 2004.
- MACIONIS, J. J. PLUMMER, K. Sociología. Madrid, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
- NISBET, R. La formación del pensamiento sociológico. Buenos Aires, Amorrortu, 1990.
- ROCHER, G. Introducción a la sociología general. Barcelona, Herder, 1983.

Group	Teacher	Department
Year 1	Rita Carreira Agostinho Mota	Sociedad, Política y Sostenibilidad