Sociology of Organizations(SP416)
| Course Code | Course Name | Semester | Theory | Practice | Lab | Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP416 | Sociology of Organizations | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Prerequisites | |
| Admission Requirements |
| Language of Instruction | French |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Course Level | Bachelor Degree |
| Course Instructor(s) | Esra ATUK eatuk1@gsu.edu.tr (Email) |
| Assistant | |
| Objective | The course of the sociology of organizations aims, above all, to unerstand the logic of collective action within organizations. We will emphasize essentially the study of bureaucratic systems, their functioning and dysfunctions through the way people are able to play the game of conflict or cooperation. |
| Content |
We will approach the subject from a perspective of strategic analysis that focuses principally on the power relationships within organizations. Based on the idea that there is no social systems fully resolved or controlled, and that individual or collective actors who compose them can never be reduced to abstract and disembodied functions, strategic analysis rejects any notion of structural and social determinism. Following the idea that the analysis of organizations in this way can make a decisive contribution to the formation of a new way of thinking on human affairs, we will try to extend the theory to the study, not only of organizations, but more generally of "situations" characterized by relations of power within systemic constraints. For every organization is primarily a subset of society in which it is placed, we will finally attempt of release in a broader perspective, the correlative relationship between the social whole and the organization. |
| Course Learning Outcomes |
Students who have followed and successfully completed the course are able to : 1) understand the evolution of thinking about organizations from the late nineteenth century to today, 2) identify organizations with their multiple facets, 3) discern different theoretical approaches to the sociological study of organizations, 4) understand the relationship between organizations and their local, organizational and international environment, 5) analyze organizations as human constructs through negotiation processes between actors that underlie their construction, 6) apply the method of strategic analysis to different types of organizations (especially bureaucratic systems, encountered in various sectors and industries), 7) knowledge the recent developments of the organizational phenomenon and the sociological analysis of organizations. |
| Teaching and Learning Methods |
The course will include a large proportion of lectures and discussions on weekly readings. These two elements require regular attendance of students and a reading of the texts of the collection. The indications on texts to be read will be given each week in class. We will enrich the academic content of the course by studying examples from empirical research of various authors listed in the bibliography as well as interviews that will be made, to the possible extent, for students in some selected organizations (private companies, local authorities or public institutions). |
| References |
AMBLARD, H., BERNOUX, P., HERREROS, G., LIVIAN, Y.-F., Les nouvelles approches sociologiques des organisations, Paris, Seuil, 1996. ANSART, P., Les sociologies contemporaines, Paris, Seuil, 1992. BAGLA, Lusin, Sociologie des organisations, Paris, La Découverte (coll. Repères), 2003. BERNOUX, P., La Sociologie des organisations, Paris, Seuil, 1993. CROZIER, M., Le phénomène bureaucratique, Paris, Seuil, 1963. - La Société bloquée, Paris, Seuil, Coll. Points, 1971. - Etat modeste, Etat moderne, Paris, Fayard, 1987. CROZIER, M. et FRIEDBERG, E., L’Acteur et le Système, Paris, Seuil, 1977. DURAND, J.-P. et WEIL, R. (dir.), Sociologie contemporaine, Paris, Ed. Vigot, 1989. [Chapitre V : “L’analyse stratégique”, pp. 127-142; Chapitre XVIII : “La sociologie des organisations” par Philippe BERNOUX, pp. 375-394.] FRIEDBERG, E., Le Pouvoir et la Règle, Paris, Seuil, 1993. - L’analyse sociologique des organisations, POUR, No : 28, Paris, 1988. - “Les quatre dimensions de l’action organisée”, Revue française de Sociologie, No : 33, 1992, pp. 531-557. KATZ, D. et KAHN, R. L., The Social Psychology of Organizations, New York, Wiley Int., 1966. MARCH, J.G., Décision et Organisation, Paris, Ed. de l’Organisation, 1991. MARCH, J. G. et SIMON, H. S., Les Organisations, Paris, Dunod, 1965. REYNAUD, J.-D., Les règles du jeu. L’action collective et la régulation sociale, Paris, Armand Colin, 1989. SAINSAULIEU, R., Sociologie de l’organisation et de l’entreprise, Paris, Presses de la FNSP et Dalloz, 1987. - L’Identité au Travail. Les effets culturels de l’organisation, Paris, Presses de la FNSP, 1988. SEGUIN F. et CHANLAT J. F., L’Analyse des organisations, (Tome I et II), Montréal, Gaëtan Morin, 1983 et 1987. |
Theory Topics
| Week | Weekly Contents |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction: The main stages of organizational thought |
| 2 | Foundations. The first organizations and early theories (1) : Max Weber and rationality |
| 3 | Foundations. The first organizations and early theories (2) : FW Taylor and the rationalization of the company |
| 4 | The discovery of the human factor in organizations |
| 5 | Organizations as systems |
| 6 | Different models of sociological analysis of organizations (1) : The structural contingency theory |
| 7 | Different models of sociological analysis of organizations (2) : Basic assumptions of strategic analysis |
| 8 | Strategic analysis of concrete systems of action (1) |
| 9 | Strategic analysis of concrete systems of action (2) |
| 10 | Case studies |
| 11 | Identity, culture and organization (1) : Identity at work |
| 12 | Identity, culture and organizations (2) : Culture, organizations and actor as a chain of interaction |
| 13 | Case studies |
| 14 | Conclusion : Management of change in organizations |
Practice Topics
| Week | Weekly Contents |
|---|
Contribution to Overall Grade
| Number | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution of in-term studies to overall grade | 0 | 60 |
| Contribution of final exam to overall grade | 0 | 40 |
| Toplam | 0 | 100 |
In-Term Studies
| Number | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 0 | 0 |
| Presentation | 0 | 0 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 40 |
| Project | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory | 0 | 0 |
| Other Applications | 0 | 0 |
| Quiz | 0 | 0 |
| Term Paper/ Project | 1 | 60 |
| Portfolio Study | 0 | 0 |
| Reports | 0 | 0 |
| Learning Diary | 0 | 0 |
| Thesis/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Seminar | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 |
| Toplam | 3 | 100 |
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | Understanding the major theories, concepts, foundations, and methodologies used in the study of politics. | X | ||||
| 2 | Identifying the structure and operation of the political system in Turkey and other political systems in the world. | |||||
| 3 | Identifying and gathering information from credible primary and secondary sources; analyzing and synthesizing the acquired knowledge. | X | ||||
| 4 | Generating and testing empirically hypotheses about political processes, institutions, mechanisms and relationships. | X | ||||
| 5 | Designing, conducting and interpreting the results of original research in accordance with the scientific and ethical principles by using basic research methods. | X | ||||
| 6 | Showing awareness and sensivity towards issues related to democracy, human rights and social peace. | X | ||||
| 7 | Appraising the sources of societal conflict and how they can be resolved by political means. | X | ||||
| 8 | Examining critically the nature of change in the global political community, and the complex character of processes such as globalization. | X | ||||
| 9 | Taking a role in a teamwork in political science and general fields of other related disciplines. | X | ||||
| 10 | Following publications in foreign languages and communicating with the colleagues in the international environment by using French which is the language of education in Galatasaray University and English, the compulsory foreign language. | X | ||||
| 11 | Using required level of information and communication technologies. | X | ||||
| Activities | Number | Period | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Hours | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Working Hours out of Class | 10 | 4 | 40 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Final Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Term Paper/ Project | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Total Workload | 122 | ||
| Total Workload / 25 | 4.88 | ||
| Credits ECTS | 5 | ||