04CF6142 - Sociology of Organisation

This course is designed as an introduction to the sociology of organizations. The goal of this course is to sensitize students to sociological analyses of the organizational phenomena. The proliferation of organizations is not a 'natural' phenomenon, but a product of society. Modern society is characterized by the existence of a variety of organizations. The course will present the different theoretical currents of the analysis of organizations. It will look at the origins of the sociology of organizations in English-speaking countries (and especially at the contribution of functionalist sociologists in the United States), in European countries including the pioneering work of Max Weber on bureaucracy, and the French school of organizational sociology), and at contemporary developments.