SOCI3053 Economic Life

2018

4.5

1 x 50-minute lecture weekly
1 x 2-hour seminar weekly

1 1 first year topic in American Studies
1a 1 first year topic in Development Studies
1b 1 first year topic in Asian Studies
1c 1 first year topic in History
1d 1 first year topic in International Relations
1e 1 first year topic in Political Studies
1f 1 first year topic in Sociology
1g 1 first year topic in Social Admin & Social Work
1h 1 first year topic in Women's Studies
2 EDUC1120 - Teaching and Educational Contexts
2a DRAM1002 - Drama 1B: Bodies of Work
2b SCME1001 - Media and Society
2c SCME1002 - Convergence Cultures
2d ENGL1101 - Approaches to Literature
2e JUSS1000 - An Introduction to Justice and Society
2f LEGL1101 - Australian Justice System
2g LEGL1102 - Contentious Justice Issues
2h CRIM1101 - Crime and Criminology
2i CRIM1102 - Criminal Justice System
2j PSYC1101 - Psychology 1A
2k PSYC1102 - Psychology 1B
2l DSRS1201 - Perspectives on Disability and Rehabilitation
2m DSRS1209 - Human Diversity
2n HLTH1003 - Legal and Ethical Aspects of Health Care
2o ENVH1702 - Our Environment, Our Health
2p HLPE1541 - Social Determinants of Health
2q NURS1003 - Psychosocial Perspectives of Health Care
2r LEGL1201 - Law in Australian Society
Must Satisfy: (((1 or 1a or 1b or 1c or 1d or 1e or 1f or 1g or 1h)) or ((2 or 2a or 2b or 2c or 2d or 2e or 2f or 2g or 2h or 2i or 2j or 2k or 2l or 2m or 2n or 2o or 2p or 2q or 2r)))

Basic sociological concepts and theories.

Elective.

The relationship between the economy and society is one of the central themes in sociology. This topic is an introduction to the diverse subfield of economic sociology. The topic will analyse how economic processes, institutions, and organizations interact with and influence social structure and its development. Individual economic behaviour will be examined using sociological perspectives and by applying sociological theories. The topic will focus on the five core concepts: class (what is class and how it is relevant today), markets (from commodity to financial, how they work, and what role they play), networks (what they are, how we define them, and how they shape economic processes), development (how development differs between countries and why it is different), and globalization (what is globalization, who the winners and losers are in the global economic system). The first part of the topic will provide an overview of the classic works in economic sociology including Marx, Polanyi, and Schumpeter. The second part of the course will explore modern sociological development in the field including the writings of Baran and Sweezy, Granovetter, Swedberg, Domhoff, and Mizruchi. The themes of inequality, conflict, and power will be central throughout the topic material.

The topic introduces students to classical concepts in economic sociology and modern developments in the subfield. The topic will analyse a series of issues that are contentious in sociology, economics, as well as in politics and the society at large. Most of these issues deal with unequal economic development and rising economic inequality in Western countries including Australia. Therefore, knowledge gained from this topic will help students analyse the rapidly changing economic landscape in the region, the nation, and on a global scale. The students will examine the classical writings, as well as modern developments in the literature. The topic will be of great value for those wishing to pursue advanced academic studies in the social sciences. However, analytical skills developed in this topic will also help students make sound professional and economic choices in their future careers outside the academia.

On successful completion of this topic students should be able to:

• Describe how economic processes influence social organization;
• Explain how economic actions of an individual are shaped by larger socio-economic forces;
• Interpret the economic development on the micro and mezzo levels from a perspective of economic globalization;
• Analyse current global economic organization and its impacts on the social development in the nation.