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BUSI5F015: Work and Society

It is possible that changes to modules or programmes might need to be made during the academic year, in response to the impact of Covid-19 and/or any further changes in public health advice.

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 15
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Management and Marketing

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To develop students knowledge and understanding of key issues relating to trends in work and society.

Content

  • The changing context of work
  • Meanings and orientations to work
  • Globalisation
  • Power and management control in organisations
  • Organisational culture
  • Emotional and aesthetic labour
  • Discrimination at work; equality and diversity
  • Flexibility
  • Organisational misbehaviour
  • Language, rhetoric, and organisational communication
  • Managing time at work
  • Service work

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Have an advanced knowledge and understanding of the context and nature of work and organisation in contemporary societies.
  • Have an advanced knowledge and understanding of how various workplace processes and practices respond to societal-level changes.
  • Have an advanced understanding of the implications for human resource professionals of changes to work and society.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Be able to critically analyse a number of different issues relating to the study of work and society;
  • Be able to critically evaluate competing theories of change in work and society.
  • Be able to understand and critically evaluate a variety of contemporary workplace processes and practices.

Key Skills:

  • Written communication
  • Planning, organising and time management
  • Problem solving and analysis
  • Using initiative
  • Computer literacy

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Through a combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading addressing key topics in the sociology of work, students will acquire the advanced skills and knowledge to enable them to develop a thorough understanding of this specialist field of study.
  • The assessment of the module, by written examination, is designed to test students' knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter and their ability to apply it to the analysis of specific issues relating to the study of work and society.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures101 per week2 hours20 
Seminars41 per fortnight1 hour4Yes
Preparation, Reading, Data Collection and Independent Study126 
Total150 

Summative Assessment

Component: Written ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Written examination2 hours100 

Formative Assessment

Practice speciman exam question with individual written feedback.

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our Help page. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the Help page, or a query about the on-line Postgraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.