sow940 - Theoretical Approaches

sow940 - Theoretical Approaches

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Module label Theoretical Approaches
Module code sow940
Credit points 9.0 KP
Workload 270 h
Institute directory Department of Social Sciences
Applicability of the module
  • Master's programme Social Sciences (Master) > Pflichtmodule
Responsible persons
  • Mattes, Jannika (module responsibility)
  • Sauermann, Jan (module responsibility)
  • Lehrenden, Die im Modul (authorised to take exams)
Prerequisites
Skills to be acquired in this module
After completing this module, students will know central theoretical approaches of the study of organisations in the social sciences. They have an overview of central characteristics of organisations and will be able to assess current trends in organisational practice and research. They will be able to understand organisations as collective systems in which actors interact with each other and their environment. Students analyse collective action and collective decision making within and between organisations. They apply organisation theory to current events and learn to integrate it in their own research projects.  
Module contents

The module consists of the seminar "Approaches to Organisations" (Mattes) and the seminar "Collective Action" (Sauermann).

The seminar "Approaches to Organisations" provides an overview on conceptual approaches to organisations, among them conceptualisations of organisations as rational and natural systems in a closed and in an open perspective (i.a. Weber, Taylor, Luhmann, Scott). The seminar also introduces students to crucial organisational processes such as specialisation and coordination, micro politics and decision-making processes and the interaction between the organisation and its environment. The seminar grants insights in varieties of organisations and enables students to analyse their core characteristics and the inherent processes.
Recommended reading
  • Olson, Mancur. 1965. The Logic of Collective Action. Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  • Ostrom Elinor. 1990. Governing the Commons. The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Tsoukas, Haridimos and Knudsen, Christian. 2005. The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Links
Language of instruction English
Duration (semesters) 2 Semester
Module frequency Wintersemester (1. FS) und Sommersemester (2. FS)
Module capacity 25
Type of course Comment SWS Frequency Workload of compulsory attendance
Lecture -- 0
Seminar 4 SuSe and WiSe 58
Total module attendance time 58 h
Examination Prüfungszeiten Type of examination
Final exam of module

1 Portfolio comprising
2 short oral presentations of 10-20 minutes
2 written reports with a length of 1.700 – 2.500 words each

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