Analysis of Social Structure and Change Code Weight of the course Period Course Leader Lecturer Teaching Methods Exam Contact ISS-1101 3 ECTS TERM 1 Amrita Chhachhi Amrita Chhachhi, Erhard Berner Workshops Participatory Lecture Tutorial Written examination: 100% Sharmini Bisessar Learning objectives After the completion of the course, students will be familiar with fundamental concepts and approaches in social theory, including power and dominance, social differentiation, class, and gender, and have acquired competencies in the analysis of: (1) the interdependence of structure and agency; (2) different kinds of social action within that framework; (3) tendencies and causes of social change; (4) inequality and its explanations; and (5) the role of collective action and politics in social change. Course description This course introduces participants to fundamental conceptual tools in social theory. It presents key concepts developed by classical (K. Marx, M. Weber) and contemporary sociological theories on the structure of classes, gender, ethnicity and their intersections, processes of spatial, economic and social segregation, and consequences in terms of poverty and vulnerability. Emphasis is laid on structural change and the political process as well as on chances and constraints of collective action and social movements. Indicative reading Elliott, A. (2008) Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction. Routledge. (1st edition) Giddens, A. (2009) Sociology. Cambridge and Oxford: Polity (6th edition) Layder, D. (2005) Understanding Social Theory. London: Sage (2nd edition)