Logo UAB

Information Society

Code: 107572 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Business and Information Technology OP 4

Contact

Name:
Julio Martinez Cava Aguilar
Email:
julio.martinezcava@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

The course will be held according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) perspective.


Objectives and Contextualisation

This course offers a sociological analysis of some of the most important trends in contemporary societies: technological innovation, globalization, the evolution of labor markets, and social inequalities. Special emphasis is placed on these phenomena in relation to the development of digital economies.


Learning Outcomes

  1. CM26 (Competence) Comply with ethical, legal and intellectual property principles in relation to the processing of private information in the business field.

Content

Topic 1. Conditions of Technological Innovation and Its Social Impacts

Topic 2. Globalization and Global Value Chains

Topic 3. The Evolution of Labor Markets

Topic 4. The Persistence of Inequalities


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Practical sessions 20 0.8 CM26, CM26
Theoretical Sessions 33 1.32 CM26, CM26
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 10.5 0.42 CM26, CM26
Type: Autonomous      
Individual work. Analysis and learning readings 55 2.2 CM26, CM26
Preparation for the seminars 31.5 1.26 CM26, CM26

The teaching methodology combines theoretical sessions with class debates, on the one hand, and practical seminars, on the other. The course consists of theoretical topics that will be covered in lecture classes on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as practical seminar sessions that will take place only on Wednesdays.

Important: each topic in the theoretical part requires the mandatory reading of a text, which will be available as a reading dossier on the virtual campus, and will be subject to evaluation.

The practical seminars will be a space for dialogue on the course material based on various resources available on the virtual campus: texts, case analyses, and film forums. Additionally, they will serve as a space to work on, share, and receive supervision for the group project of the course.

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.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Individual essay 20% 0 0 CM26
Online exams 30% 0 0 CM26
Poster 50% 0 0 CM26

Continuous Assessment
Continuous assessment consists of three elements: a group project in poster format, online exams on the theoretical sessions, and a final essay.
Collective poster on an innovation (50% of the final grade). Submitting the project is mandatory in order to pass the course. Each group must give an oral presentation of their work, which will account for 20% of the final grade, while the remaining 30% will correspond to the final version of the poster document.
Online exams on the required readings (30% of the final grade). These will be available on the Virtual Campus and will be completed in class at the end of each topic.
Essay (20% of the final grade). Guidelines for this assignment will be posted on the Virtual Campus.

Students will be eligible for assessment as long as they have completed activities that account for at least two-thirds of the total grade for the course. If the value of the completed activities does not reach this threshold, the instructor may consider the student as "not assessable."

Any student who cheats or attempts to cheat during an exam will receive a grade of 0 for the entire course and lose the right to resit. A student who submits an assignment with evidence of plagiarism, or who cannot justify the content of their work, will receive a grade of 0 and a formal warning. In the event of repeated misconduct, the student will fail the course (grade 0) and lose the right to recovery.

Use of AI
Restricted use: "For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively for support tasks,such as bibliographic or information searches or text correction. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. A lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in this evaluable activity will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in partial or total penalties in the activity's grade or more severe sanctions in cases of greater seriousness.

Reassessment
Reassessment consists of two elements:
— A new online exam on the required readings (30% of the final grade).
— Essay (70% of the final grade). The ability to incorporate content and concepts from the theoretical sessions will be assessed. Guidelines will be provided to interested students.

Single Assessment
This course/module does not include the single assessment system. Students undertaking internships that conflict with the course schedulemust provide proper documentation and speak with the degree coordinator and the course instructor to find a solution.


Bibliography

Preliminary note: The bibliography of required readings, and therefore evaluable content, will be compiled in a reading dossier accessible through the virtual campus.

For a better understanding of the concepts presented in class, the following bibliography can be consulted:
• Elster, J. (2003), Nuts and Bolts: An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Social Sciences. Gedisa.
• Giddens, A. (2014). Sociology. Alianza Editorial.
• Mazzucato, M. (2022). The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths. Taurus.
• Morozov, E. (2015). To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism. Katz.
• Rendueles, C. (2013). Sociofobia. Political Change in the Age of Digital Utopia. Capitán Swing.
• Sassen, S. (2007). A Sociology of Globalization. Katz.
• Savage, M. (2015). Social Class in the 21st Century. Penguin Books


Software

No specific computer program is used.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester afternoon