This seminar will provide an advanced exploration into the social bases of economic behavior in society. Three substantive areas will be covered in depth. The course opens with a unit on organizations where students will read classical, contemporary, and critical analyses of formal organizations in modern society. The second unit of the semester is focused on the interactions between organizations, or firms in the economic sense, and the broader sociopolitical contexts in which they are found. This includes classical political economics readings from Europe as well as more contemporary perspectives from the United States. Special emphasis will be placed on the rise of large capitalist firms in American society during the 19th and 20th centuries. The final unit of the course deals with different forms of labor in advanced industrial societies. Course evaluation will be based on participation, a course term paper, a midterm, and final exam.
At least two credits of prior coursework in Sociology; or consent of instructor.