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2022/2023

Contemporary Social Structures

Code: 106179 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics FB 1 1

Contact

Name:
Julián Arturo Porras Bulla
Email:
julianarturo.porras@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

- Most of the subjects are taught in English. A B2 level of English of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is required, although no specific test of English proficiency level is held to access the degree. 

Objectives and Contextualisation

The objective of the course is to familiarize the students with the main contributions of sociology on the processes of structuring contemporary social inequality. The different theoretical approaches to the structuring axes of inequality (especially  class, gender, ethnicity and age) and their empirical application will be worked on. The theoretical approaches and the historical framework are basically limited to the formation of Western patriarchal capitalist societies.

Competences

  • Contrast the main contemporary political theories.
  • Explain and summarise knowledge acquired in English language at an advanced level.
  • Manage and apply data to solve problems.
  • 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 to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the different ideological readings of inequality from a comparative perspective.
  2. Collect, process and analyse information in a critical manner.
  3. Compare the different theoretical focuses on social structure.
  4. Define the implications of the main sociological debates on social structure.
  5. Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  6. Describing and critically commenting the new approaches of demo-liberal thought.
  7. Relate definitions and explanations of inequality with general theoretical and methodological debates.
  8. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  9. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  10. Write a review of a publication, documentary video or event (conference or seminar) in English adapted to the content of one or more subjects on this course.

Content

Introduction: The sociological perspective
 
I. The social bond: the individual / collective relationship
1. The concept of institutionalization
2. The concept of socialization
3. The concept of social structure
 
II. The social structure: elements of analysis and current processes
1. Social structure and social inequality
2. The division of labor
3. Social class inequality
4. Sex and gender inequality
5. Race and ethnicity inequality
6. Age and social age inequality
7. Social structures, social change and new forms of social inequality
8. Social structures and globalization

Methodology

Masterclasses
Comments of texts in the classroom
Reading texts
Teamwork to achieve empirical analysis of social inequalities.

The teaching methodology and the evaluation proposed in the guide may undergo some modification subject to the onsite teaching restrictions imposed by health authorities.

 

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      
Training classes and seminars 53 2.12 1, 3, 4, 8, 7
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 4 0.16 1, 9, 2
Type: Autonomous      
Reading texts, teamwork and report writing process 91 3.64 1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 9, 8, 2, 7

Assessment

The evaluation consists of 3 evidences: 2 individuals (each one 30%) and 1 teamwork (40%).

At the beginning of the course, a detailed guide of the activities to be carried out will be delivered.

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Definition of Unsubmitted: A student will have the grade of "Unsubmitted", if he or she has delivered less than 30% of the necessary exercises to be eligible for grade. 

Remedial:  If the student has been previously evaluated in at least two-thirds of the total course, and if his/her average score is at least 3.5, he or she can take a remedial exam at the end of the semester that contains questions from all the course. The remedial exam doesn’t substitute the activities or the exercises done during the continuous evaluation, students only can make-up individual proofs or final tests. A student may retake up to 30% of the evaluation examinations. The Faculty will indicate through its calendar the dates of remedial exams.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Individual written evidence: two evidence and the compensatory exams (if necessary) 30%, 30% 2 0.08 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 2, 7
Teamwork 40% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 8, 2, 7

Bibliography

Compulsory readings and supplementary texts will be indicated at the beginning of the course.

Manuals and introductory texts

AAVV (2016). La situación social en España 2015. Madrid: Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas.

ANSART, P. 1993 (1990). Las sociologías contemporáneas. Buenos Aires: Amorrortu.

BERGER, P.L. 1989 (1963). Invitació a la sociologia. Barcelona: Herder.

BERGER, P.L., LUCKMANN, T. 1988 (1966). La construcció social de la realitat. Barcelona: Herder.

CARABAÑA, J. (2017). Ricos y pobres. Madrid: La Catarata.

CASTELLS, M. (2015). Redes de indignación y esperanza: los movimientos sociales en la era de internet. Madrid: Alianza.

CORCUFF, Ph. 1998 (1995). Las nuevas sociologías. Construcciones de la realidad social, Madrid: Alianza. Ciencias Sociales.

CROMPTON, C. 1994 (1993). Clase y estratificación. Madrid: Tecnos.

DURAN, M.A. (2012) El trabajo no remunerado en la economía global. Bilbao: Fundación BBVA. https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/76517/3/Duran_Trabajo_No_Remunerado.pdf

ELIAS, N. 2000 (1987). La sociedad de los individuos. Barcelona: Península. Historia, Ciencia y Sociedad, 293.

ESTIVILL, J. (coord.), (2010). L’Observatori Català de la Pobresa, la Vulnerabilitat i la InclusióSocial. Fonaments i precedents europeus. Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya, Institut Català d’Assistència i Serveis Socials.

FEDERICI, S. (2004). Caliban and the Witch. Autonomedia.

FEITO, R. 1995. Estructura social contemporánea. Madrid: Siglo XXI.

FINKEL, L. 1994. La organización social del trabajo. Madrid: Pirámide

FITOUSI, JP i ROSANVALLON, P. 1997. La nueva era de las desigualdes sociales. Buenos Aires. Manantial

FUNDACIÓN FOESSA (2012). La pobreza y la exclusión en la crisis, un reto estructural. Madrid: Funfación Foessa.

FUNES, Mª J. Y ADELL, R. 2003. Movimientos sociales: cambio social y participación. Madrid. UNED.

GIDDENS, A. 1989 (1980). La estructura de clases en la sociedades avanzadas. Madrid: Alianza. Alianza Universidad 236.

GRIFFITHS, H.; KEIRNS, N. (2015) Introduction to Sociology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-sociology-2e?Book%20details   

KERBO, H. R (1998) Estratificación social y desigualdad Madrid: McGraw Hill

LENSKI, G. E. 1993 (1969). Poder y privilegio. Barcelona: Paidós. Paidós básica, 68.

LUCAS, A. (coord.) (2007). Estructura social de las sociedades avanzadas. Madrid: Pearson Educación.

MARQUÉS, J.V. 1990 (1980). No és natural. València: Tres i quatre. El grill, 9.

MILLS, C. W. (2000). The sociological imagination. Oxford University Press.

MORIN, E. (1995). Sociología, Madrid: Tecnos.

RAMBLA, X. (cood.) 2008. Les fractures de l’estructura social. Bellaterra. UAB Servei de publicacions.

REQUENA, M.; SALAZAR, L. i RADL, J. (2013). Estratificación social. Madrid: McGraw Hill.

RITZER. G. (1992). Contemporary sociological theory / George Ritzer (3rd. ed.). McGraw-Hill.

ROCHER, G. 1990 (1973). Introducción a la sociología general. Barcelona: Herder.

SASSEN, S. 2007. Una sociología de la globalización. Buenos Aires, Katz.

SCOTT, J. (2010) ‘Gender: Still a Useful Category of Analysis?’, Diogenes, 57(1), pp. 7–14. doi: 10.1177/0392192110369316.

SUBIRATS, J. (dir.) 2005. Perfils d’exclusió social urbana a Catalunya. Barcelona, UAB – IGOP.

WALLERSTEIN, I. (1996) Abrir las Ciencias Sociales. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica

WRIGHT, E. O. (2018). Comprender las clases sociales. Madrid: Akal.

Software

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