Sociology of Work

6 ECTS credits
153 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1018231BER for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Studenten die dit opleidingsonderdeel opnemen, moeten geslaagd zijn voor 'Sociologie I' en geslaagd zijn voor minstens 30 ECTS-credits op bachelorniveau. Studenten in een schakel-, voorbereidingsprogramma of master kunnen dit opleidingsonderdeel opnemen.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool

Department

Sociology

Educational team

Christophe Vanroelen (course titular)
Karen Van Aerden

Activities and contact hours

47 contact hours Lecture
106 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course offers a broad introduction to the field of work and employment, while adopting a sociological perspective. We describe the field of work and employment using the metaphor of “three arena’s”: the labour process, labour market and industrial relations.

In the first part (CH1 to CH5) the study field of work and employment is situated in its social and historical context: central concepts are described using a sociological perspective; subsequently the development of work and employment as we know it today are situated in relation to the development and evolution of capitalism.

In the second part, focus is on the arena of the “labour process” (CH6 to CH8). The labour process refers to the way all the work tasks in an organisation are distributed over functions and workers. After discussing the main concepts, different models of work organisation are discussed. This is presented as a critical debate with the principles of scientific management.

In the third part of the course, central attention is paid to the arena of the “labour market” (CH9 to CH10). On the labour market, workers and employers relate to each others as suppliers of labour power and suppliers of jobs. It is argued that the labour market constitutes a particularly uncommon market, since it is mainly shaped by collective actors, relations of power and institutions.

The fourth and final part of this course is dedicated to the arena of “industrial relations” (CH11 to CH12). (Collective) industrial relations are studied as relations between the interest groups of workers and employers, intermediated by the state. The nature and consequences of this meeting between collective actors are discussed.

The classes will consist of a number of lectures and potentially one or more guest lectures about a contemporary issue in the field of work and employment.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : De Arena's van het Arbeidsbestel, Inleiding tot de Sociologie van Arbeid en Arbeidsverhoudingen, Vanroelen, C., Henderickx, E. & Pulignano, V., ACCO, Leuven, 9789462922471, 2017

Additional info

The mandatory handbook contains all learning content.

Slides with the main information from the handbook and relevant additional information for each class are available on Canvas.

A reader with relevant chapters and articles will be made available in pdf on Canvas.

The slides and notes can be amended with background information from the reader.

Learning Outcomes

General Competences

The general objective of this course is that students gain a broad introductory overview of basic concepts, the different sub-domains and historical and contemporary discussions in the fields of sociology of work and industrial relations. This is translated into the following learning goals.

Cognitive skills – The students are acquainted with the sociological study of work as a social activity;
Cognitive skills – The students know the most important actors, institutions and sub-domains of the world of work;
Cognitive skills – The students know the most important theoretical approaches to the sociological study of work, the labour market and industrial relations, including the recent evolutions and contemporary debates;
Cognitive skills – The students understand the most important individual and social consequences of the organisation of work and employment in pre-industrial, industrial and late-industrial societies;
Cognitive skills – The students understand the most important evolutions and conflicts around the organisation of work within employing organisations (meso-level) and within society at large (macro-level);
Cognitive skills – The students understand the underlying causes and explanations or current debates and conflicts in the domain of work and industrial relations;
Cognitive skills – The students can critically apply the theoretical and conceptual framework that has been offered in this course to contemporary issues in the field of work and employment;

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Schriftelijk Examen with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Further details on the evaluation procedure will be explained in the course outline. This course outline is posted on the learning platform, Canvas.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context