300178 Underground Organizations (S) (SoSe 2012)
Contents, comment
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The course will be held in English.
Organizations operating in secrecy have to solve many problems to become “going concerns” in the sense of being collective enterprises that today’s members, supporters, or opponents expect to persist tomorrow as well. They need to find credible allies but cannot publish job advertisements. They need customers, followers and sponsors but must avoid detection. They have to train their personal in dosed recklessness but may not crush their trust to each other. “In the underworld, people have a higher rate of mobility (and mortality).” (D. Gambetta). So, how can we understand the relative steadiness of these social systems? How do they function?
Underground organizations occur in many forms, usually they are not governed by law, operate against governments or act on behalf of administrations towards supposed public enemies. Thus, we will discuss resistance groups, Mafia families, terrorist cells or intelligent services, and compare them from an organization sociological point of view. Topics are secrecy, membership, recruitment, rules, resources, hardship, trustworthiness and the question of leaving the underground arena.
Requirements for participation, required level
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Basics of organization sociological thinking, willingness to read the required texts, open-mindedness, sufficient command of English.
Bibliography
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Recommended readings for preparation:
Aubert, Vilhelm. 1982. „Secrecy. The Underground as a Social System“. 288-310 in The Hidden Society. New Brunswick/London: Transaction. Available at Bielefeld University Library: 12 HT515 A889.
Gambetta, Diego. 2006. „Trust’s Odd Ways“. 81-101 in Understanding Choice, Explaining Behaviour. Essays in Honour of Ole-Jørgen Skog, edited by Jon Elster, Olav Gjelsvik, Aanund Hylland, and Karl Moene. Oslo: Oslo Academic Press. Free download under http://people.su.se/~totto/downloadable_publications/Festskrift%20Skog.pdf#page=81.
Teaching staff
Dates ( Calendar view )
| Frequency | Weekday | Time | Format / Place | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| weekly | Mo | 14-16 | C01-136 | 02.04.-13.07.2012
not on: 4/9/12 / 5/28/12 |
Subject assignments
| Module | Course | Requirements | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-M23 Fachmodul Organisation I | Seminar 1 (z. B. Grundlagen der Organisationssoziologie) | Study requirement
|
Student information |
| Seminar 2 | Study requirement
|
Student information | |
| - | Graded examination | Student information | |
| 30-M32 Fachmodul Organisation II (erweitert) | Problemfeldanalyse oder Vertiefungsseminar | Study requirement
|
Student information |
| Vertiefungsseminar | Study requirement
|
Student information | |
| - | Graded examination | Student information |
The binding module descriptions contain further information, including specifications on the "types of assignments" students need to complete. In cases where a module description mentions more than one kind of assignment, the respective member of the teaching staff will decide which task(s) they assign the students.
| Degree programme/academic programme | Validity | Variant | Subdivision | Status | Semester | LP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frauenstudien | (Enrollment until SoSe 2015) | ||||||
| Politikwissenschaft / Bachelor | (Enrollment until SoSe 2011) | Kern- und Nebenfach | Fachmodul (FM) Org | Wahl | 4 | (bei Einzelleistung 2 LP zusätzlich) | |
| Sozialwissenschaften / Bachelor | (Enrollment until SoSe 2011) | Kern- und Nebenfach | Fachmodul (FM) Org | Wahl | 4 | (bei Einzelleistung 2 LP zusätzlich) | |
| Sozialwissenschaften GymGe als zweites Unterrichtsfach / Master of Education | (Enrollment until SoSe 2014) | Fachmodul (FM) Org | Wahl | 4 | (bei Einzelleistung 2 LP zusätzlich) | ||
| Sozialwissenschaften GymGe als zweites Unterrichtsfach / Master of Education | (Enrollment until SoSe 2008) | Fachmodul 19.3 | Wahl | 3 | (bei Einzelleistung 3 LP zusätzlich) | ||
| Sozialwissenschaften GymGe Fortsetzung BA-Nebenfach / Master of Education | (Enrollment until SoSe 2008) | Fachmodul 19.3 | Wahl | 3 | (bei Einzelleistung 3 LP zusätzlich) | ||
| Soziologie / Bachelor | (Enrollment until SoSe 2011) | Kern- und Nebenfach | Fachmodul (FM) Org | Wahl | 4 | (bei Einzelleistung 2 LP zusätzlich) | |
| Soziologie / Bachelor | (Enrollment until SoSe 2008) | vNF: Fachmodul 2 | Wahl | ||||
| Soziologie / Bachelor | (Enrollment until SoSe 2008) | NF: Fachmodul 2 | Wahl | ||||
| Soziologie / Bachelor | (Enrollment until SoSe 2008) | KF: Fachmodul 2 | Wahl |
Course Participation:
Regular attendance, preparation of the required texts, writing of at least six memos of the required texts.
Grading:
In addition to the requirements of course participation, please write a seminar paper concerning one of the topics we discuss during the seminar. Your paper should be problem-oriented, vivid and argumentative. Thus, you will have a hard time saying much of substance in less than 4.000 words, and beyond 8.000 words, even the most diligent reader gets bored. Choose your question carefully – a good question will inspire you, and raise expectations among potential readers.
Please contact me if I can help you to find your topic.
Key dates:
Until June 8
Turn in a one-paragraph statement of intent on (a) possible topic(s).
Until June 29
Turn in an outline of your paper – one or two pages will do. (Please use PDF and send it by e-mail.)
Until July 13
Discuss your outline with me during my office hours. Please note: it is obligatory!
Until September 30
Due date: turn in your final paper. (Please use PDF and send it by e-mail.)
Until November 30
We will discuss your paper during my office hours. After our talk I will tell you the grading.
- Registered number: 20
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- SS2012_300178@ekvv.uni-bielefeld.de
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- Coverage:
- 3 Students to be reached directly via email
- Notes:
- Additional notes on the electronic mailing lists
- Last update basic details/teaching staff:
- Friday, December 11, 2015
- Last update times:
- Monday, February 13, 2012
- Last update rooms:
- Monday, February 13, 2012
- Type(s) / SWS (hours per week per semester)
- seminar (S) / 2
- Department
- Faculty of Sociology
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