166-415 Organisations, Power and Society

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth-year honours in Sociology, Public Policy and Management or Political Science

In this subject, we will undertake a critical exploration and analysis of a phenomenon central to contemporary social life and to social policy processes: the organisation. The subject engages with theoretical debates and empirical research that focus on different organisational forms, their emergence and their dynamic interaction with their institutional context. We will explore organisations comparatively, both by looking at organisations in different countries and by analysing organizations from diverse sectors, including the private, state, third and household sectors. We will also explore relationships between organisations, everyday experiences within organisations, and emerging organisational forms such as alliances and networks. Through such analyses, we will come to see organisations as contested sites of power and authority. You should complete the subject with a social science understanding of theories and empirical research of organisations, and be able to assess critically the interactions between organisations and society.

• have developed research skills, through the competent use of library and other information sources, and the definition of areas of inquiry and methods of research;

• have developed an understanding of the social, ethical and cultural contexts of research;

• have developed critical thinking and analysis skills, through recommended reading, essay writing, and seminar discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument;

• have developed skills in written and oral communication, time management and planning, and group work, through completion of course requirements;

• have developed the capacity to think in theoretical terms, through class requirements and engagement with theories and methods of the social sciences;

• have developed the capacity to think creatively, through course work and course discussion, and by critical analysis of competing arguments.

A research essay of 5000 words 50% (due during the examination period).

A subject reader will be available.