Sociology of markets and organizations

Teacher(s)

Duterme Tom;

Language

English

Main themes

Topics include networks, categories, labor markets, product markets, inequality, and others.

Content

This teaching unit presents and discusses the contributions of the sociology of markets and organizations. These contributions are first outlined by tracing three “waves” of work: the foundation of this sociological current (Marx, Simmel, Weber - the “commodification of society”), the revival of the 1980s (Granovetter, Swedberg - the “re-embedding of the market”), and contemporary Social Studies of Markets (Callon, Zelizer - the “social construction of markets and organizations”). They are then mobilized by students through presentations on a topical issue, such as financial instability, wage inequality or the racial wealth gap. This course enables students to adopt a reflexive perspective on organizations and markets.

Teaching methods

This teaching unit is mainly based on lectures, during which the main theoretical references are presented. These sessions are organized face-to-face, and exceptionally via Teams. At the start of each session, students are reminded of the material covered in the previous lesson by means of a formative test (using Wooclap). To prepare for certain sessions, students are asked to read short reference texts posted on Moodle.
These lecture sessions are supplemented by students' own thematic presentations.

Evaluation methods

This teaching unit is assessed in two stages. During the first term, students are assessed on their thematic presentation (25% of the grade). During the examination session, students sit a 2-hour written exam comprising MCQs and open-ended questions. The use of artificial intelligence tools is forbidden.

Online resources

Various elements will be made available to students on Moodle:
- Slides presented during sessions (lectures + student presentations).
- Reference texts to be read before certain sessions.
- Course summary (posted at the end of the last session).

Bibliography

Blic, D. de, & Lazarus, J. (2007). Sociologie de l’argent. La Découverte.
Granovetter, M., & Swedberg, R. (2011). The Sociology of Economic Life. Routledge.
Vandenberghe, F., & Alexander, J. C. (1998). Une Histoire critique de la sociologie allemande. 2 Tomes. La Découverte.

Faculty or entity

> ESPB