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2022/2023

General Sociology

Code: 102303 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2501572 Business Administration and Management OT 4 1
2501573 Economics OT 3 2
2501573 Economics OT 4 1

Contact

Name:
María Esther Fernández Mostaza
Email:
mariaesther.fernandez@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Other comments on languages

Algunas lecturas serán en inglés

Teachers

María Esther Fernández Mostaza

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course introduces Economics and Business Administration students to the sociological perspective, its main features and its basic conceptual and theoretical tools, with the objective of facilitating their ability to reflect on the human social condition and to understand the dynamics of social continuity and change.

 

Competences

    Business Administration and Management
  • Capacity for independent learning in the future, gaining more profound knowledge of previous areas or learning new topics.
  • Capacity for oral and written communication in Catalan, Spanish and English, which enables synthesis and oral and written presentation of the work carried out.
  • Demonstrate initiative and work individually when the situation requires it.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the structure of institutions and the state, their evolution and the consequences of possible changes, to be able to make a positive contribution to the debate about the role they play in current society.
  • Identify improvements in the internal management process to stimulate company productivity.
  • Identify the economic agents that make up an economy, understanding how they have been interrelated to date, how they are currently interrelated and forecast futures according to new circumstances and their influence on a specific company.
  • Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
  • Work well in a team, being able to argue proposals and validate or reject the arguments of others in a reasoned manner.
    Economics
  • Capacity for independent learning in the future, gaining more profound knowledge of previous areas or learning new topics.
  • Demonstrate initiative and work individually when the situation requires it.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the structure of institutions and the state, their evolution and the consequences of possible changes, to be able to make a positive contribution to the debate about the role they play in current society.
  • Identify improvements in the internal management process to stimulate company productivity.
  • Identify the economic agents that make up an economy, understanding how they have been interrelated to date, how they are currently interrelated and forecast futures according to new circumstances and their influence on a specific company.
  • Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
  • Show motivation for carrying out quality work and sensitivity to the consequences for the environment and society.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Value ethical commitment in professional practice.
  • Work well in a team, being able to argue proposals and validate or reject the arguments of others in a reasoned manner.

Learning Outcomes

  1. A capacity of oral and written communication in Catalan, Spanish and English, which allows them to summarise and present the work conducted both orally and in writing.
  2. Analyse the role of regulation in the workplace in Spain.
  3. Apply sociological analysis to current social structures.
  4. Assess ethical commitment in professional activity.
  5. Assess the interrelationships between companies and activity.
  6. Capacity to continue future learning independently, acquiring further knowledge and exploring new areas of knowledge.
  7. Demonstrate initiative and work independently when required.
  8. Demonstrate motivation regarding the quality of the work performed and sensitivity regarding the consequences on the environment and society.
  9. Identify ways of improving labour relations.
  10. Interpret the basic principles of sociology.
  11. Select and generate the information needed for each problem, analyse it and make decisions based on this information.
  12. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  13. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  14. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  15. Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  16. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  17. Work as part of a team and be able to argue own proposals and validate or refuse the arguments of others in a reasonable manner.

Content

Part 1. The classics of the discipline

The great European classics: Marx, Durkheim, Weber. Main themes include social class and alienation; power and authority; work and the division of labour; religion and culture; rationality and bureaucratic organizations;

urban life and modernity.

Part 2. Social relations and cultural practice

Main themes include the presentation of self in everyday life; cultural and social capital; and social trust amid globalization and transformation.

Part 3. Identity, inequality and discrimination

Main themes include identity and diversity in the context of globalization; gender performance and inequality; religious diversity; and new educational and health inequalities in times of pandemic.

Part 4. Citizenship, migration, and national belonging

Main themes include migration and integration; models of minority incorporation; memory and socialization.

 

Methodology

Teaching will be offered on campus.

 

Lectures

Classroom practical activities and Seminars

Individual and small group tutorials online

Reading of texts and work with audiovisual materials

Student presentations and work with audiovisual materials

Essays on a set of readings and seminar presentations

 

The proposed teaching methodology may undergo some modifications according to the restrictions imposed by the health authorities on on-campus courses.

 

Teachers must allocate approximately 15 minutes of a class to allow their students to respond to teacher evaluation and evaluation surveys of the subject or module.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Class activities 17 0.68 3, 1, 10, 17
Course lectures 32.5 1.3 3, 1, 10, 17
Study, reading of texts 75.5 3.02 3, 1, 7, 10, 16, 15, 14, 12, 13, 11
Type: Supervised      
Individual or small group meetings to resolve concerns and to supervise oral and written work 10 0.4 3, 1, 6, 7, 10, 11
Visual thinking and theory 12 0.48 2, 3, 5, 1, 6, 7, 9, 10, 8, 16, 15, 14, 12, 13, 11, 17, 4

Assessment

The course will be assessed as follows: 

1. General participation and oral presentation by students (in small groups) of a text or audiovisual material.

The criteria for evaluation will be explained in class and posted on the virtual campus. Individual / group work. 20% of the final mark.

2. Original essay based on a list of topics which will be provided in due course.

The organization, working and assessment criteria will be explained in the lectures and disseminated through the virtual campus. Individual. 40% of the final mark.

3. Written examination. Individual. 40% of the final mark.

 

Calendar of evaluation activities

The dates of the evaluation activities (midterm exams, exercises in the classroom, assignments, ...) will be announced well in advance during the semester.

The date of the final exam is scheduled in the assessment calendar of the Faculty.

"The dates of evaluation activities cannot be modified, unless there is an exceptional and duly justified reason "The dates of evaluation activities cannot be modified, unless there is an exceptional and duly justified reason why an evaluation activity cannot be carried out. In this case, the degree coordinator will contact both the teaching staff and the affected student, and a new date will be scheduled within the same academic period to make up for the missed evaluation activity." Section 1 of Article 115. Calendar of evaluation activities (Academic Regulations UAB). 

Students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, who in accordance with the previous paragraph need to change an evaluation activity date must process the request by filling out an Application for exams' reschedule https://eformularis.uab.cat/group/deganat_feie/application-for-exams-reschedule

Grade revision process

After all grading activities have ended, students will be informed of the date and way in whichthe course grades will be published. Students will be also be informed of the procedure, place, date and time of grade revision following University regulations.

Retake Process

"To be eligible to participate in the retake process, it is required for students to have been previously been evaluated for at least two thirds of the total evaluation activities of the subject." Section 3 of Article 112 ter. The recovery (UAB Academic Regulations). Additionally, it is required that the student to have achieved an average grade of the subject between 3.5 and 4.9.

The date of the retake exam will be posted in the calendar of evaluation activities of the Faculty. Students who take this exam and pass, will get a grade of 5 for the subject. If the student does not pass the retake, the grade will remain unchanged, and hence, student will fail the course.

Irregularities in evaluation activities

In spite of other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "in the case that the student makes any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation activity, it will be graded with a 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed. In case of various irregularities occur in the evaluation of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0". Section 10 of Article 116. Results of the evaluation. (UAB Academic Regulations).

The proposed evaluation activities may undergo some changes according to the restrictions imposed by the health authorities on on-campus courses

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is to use the work of others as if it were your own. When using books, articles, websites or any other material, it is mandatory to reference the original work, clearly indicating within the text which references correspond to which phrases or sentences. When quoting a text word by word, it is essential to put the fragment quoted in quotation marks. Plagiarism is a serious infraction, equivalent to copying on an exam. It will result in a grade of zero. For more information on plagiarism, you can look at the guide on "How to quote and how to elaborate the references”: https://www.uab.cat/web/estudia-i-investiga/citacions-i-bibliografia-1345708785665.html

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Conceptual map 15% 0 0 2, 3, 5, 1, 6, 7, 9, 10, 8, 16, 15, 14, 12, 13, 11, 17, 4
Essay 40% 0 0 3, 1, 6, 7, 10, 11
Participation and group presentation of a text or audiovisual material 5% 1 0.04 3, 1, 7, 10, 17
Written examination 40% 2 0.08 2, 3, 5, 1, 9, 10

Bibliography

BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bauman, Z. (2006). Modernidad y Holocausto (3ª. Ed.). Madrid. Sequitur. (seleccions). 

Berger, P. (1986). Invitació a la sociologia: una perspectiva humanística. Barcelona. Herder.

Bourdieu, P i Wacquant L. J. (1994). Per a una sociologia reflexiva. (seleccions)

Cardús, S. (1999) . La mirada del sociòleg: què és, què fa, què diu la sociologia. Barcelona. Proa.

Dennis, Kingsley L. (2022), Asalto a la realidad, Barcelona, Blume.

Gracia, Carla (2022), Amb ulls de dona, Barcelona, Univers.

Marx, K i Engels, F. (1997) Manifiesto comunista. Madrid. Akal. (seleccions)

Porte A et al. (2006). La asimilación segmentada sobre el terreno: la nueva segunda generación al inicio de la vida adulta.  Migraciones. (19):7-58 (selecció)

Putnam R. (1995).  Bowling Alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy. 65-78 (seleccions)

Putnam, R. (2003). El declive del capital social: un estudio internacional sobre las sociedades y el sentido comunitario. Barcelona. Galaxia Gutenberg.(seleccions)

Ritzer, G. (1996). La 'McDonalización' de la Sociedad: un anàlisis de la racionalización en la vida cotidiana. Barcelona. Ariel. (seleccions)

Roy, O. (2010). La santa ignorancia: el tiempo de la religión sin cultura. Barcelona. Ediciones Península. (seleccions)

Bajo Santos, N. (2007). Conceptos y teorías sobre la inmigración. Anuario jurídico y económico (40) 817-840.

Stolcke, V. i Wolfson, L. (2000). La 'naturaleza' de la nacionalidad. Desarrollo Económico, 40 (157), 23-24.

Weber, M. (1994). L’ética protestant i l’espirit del capitalisme. Barcelona. Edicions 62. (seleccions).

  

RECOMMENDED READERS FOR CONSULTATION 

Calhoun, C., Light D, Keller S (2000). Sociología. Madrid. McGraw Hill.

Giddens, A. (1993). Sociología. Madrid. Alianza Editorial.

Heller, A. (2006). Què és la “postmodernitat”? un quart de segle més tard. CCCB

Macionis JJ, Plummer, K. (2011). Sociología. Madrid. Pearson.

Rithchart, R. (2020). The power of making thinking visible.US: Jossey-Bass Inc.

Rocher, G. (1973). Introducción a la sociología general. Barcleona. Herder.

Sennet, R. (2000). La corrosión del caràcter: las consecuencias personales del Trabajo en el nuevo capitalismo. Barcelona. Anagrama.

Todorov, T. (2000). Los abusos de la Memoria. Barcelona. Paidós.

Vivas, R. (2021). Visual thinking works. Barcelona. Lunwerg.  

Software

The Programme will be given in class