Guide in PDF format

Sociology of Work and Labour Relations

Code: 100513
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Labour Relations	FB	1

Contact lecturer

Name :: Mireia Bolibar Planas
Email :: mireia.bolibar@uab.cat

Teaching staff

: Juan Miguel Garcia Nogueroles
: Irene María Gali Magallon

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

No prerequisite is required.

Teaching will take into account the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Objectives

This is a first-year, basic training course taught in the second semester.

This subject has to be contextualized within the development of sociological theories born around the process of industrialization and that have work and employment as main axis.

With this subject the student must acquire the basic knowledge (concepts and main interpretations) of the sociological analysis of the social relations in the labour market, the company and the work environment.

The course has some specific objectives:

• Know the meaning of work and employment, social relations and their actors in the company from the sociological perspective.

• Understand and interpret the major transformations and trends regarding the processes that affect work and employment, as well as social and employment relations at company level.

• Know how to identify, analyze and propose solutions to specific problems in the area of study.

• Know the interrelations between work, social structure and functioning of societies, between social processes and work dynamics.

• Know how to identify and use the main sources of information about work and employment relations.

Learning outcomes

Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
Identifying and analysing the groups, relations and social actors.
Solving the problems related to labour and employment inequalities.
Explaining the labour divisions and labour cultures from a global point of view.
Explaining the relation between social structure and labour.
Organising and managing the available time.
Drawing up and formalising reports and documents.
Applying the information and communication technologies to the different areas of action.
Working effectively in teams.
Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.

BLOCK I. INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIETY, WORK AND INEQUALITY

Topic 1. The object of study of sociology

The sociological perspective. Social relations and their foundations. Basic concepts of sociology for the study of work and labor relations: socialization, social norm, instrumental action; individual and group; social structure, inequality, status, power.

Topic 2. Main sociological interpretations of work in the capitalist system

Work and social relations from the perspectives of Marx, Durkheim and Weber.

Topic 3. The meaning of productive and reproductive work in a sociological perspective.

The social construction of the meaning of work. Productive work and reproductive work; work and employment. Gender inequalities in the labor market.

BLOCK II. SOCIO-HISTORICAL CONSTRUCTION OF EMPLOYMENT AND CURRENT LABOR RELATIONS

Topic 4. Productive work in the industrial capitalist society

Technical and social division of labor with the modern factory. The main dimensions of the social division of labor. Wage-earning and class structure in industrial society. Mass production and consumption. The construction of the welfare state: main models and functions. The decommodification of labor. Fordist social employment norm and social rights of citizenship. Labor market and labor relations.

Topic 5. Work and employment today

Transformations in work, employment and occupational structure: from stability to flexibility, risk and labor fragmentation. Current trends in labor markets and in the division of labor: the recommodification of labor and its effects on the welfare state. The experience of unemployment and the neoliberal subjectivity.

Topic 6. Meaning, origin, actors and processes of labor relations

Meaning of labor relations. Procedures for regulating employment conditions and historical evolution. Main theoretical interpretations in the study of labor relations. Unions, unitary representation of workers. Employers and business organizations. The state actor in labor relations. Collective bargaining and social agreement: meaning and relevant characteristics. Labor conflict: the institutionalization of the conflict and recent trends.

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Tutorials, preparation of tasks and oral presentation, readings	24	0.96	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
Studying, material organization, searching information, preparation of written tests	82	3.28	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
Masters classes, students oral presentations, discussions in class, tasks in group	44	1.76	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10

The main aspect in the learning process is the student's work, who learns whilst working, and the mission of the teaching staff is to help him / her in this task (1) by providing him with information and showing him the sources where he / she can get it (2) directing their steps so that the learning process can be carried out effectively. In accordance with these ideas, and in line with the objectives of the subject, the development of the course is based on the following activities:

a) Master classes: where the student reaches the conceptual bases of the subject attending the master classes and completing them with the personal study of the topics explained.

Lectures are the activities in which less student interaction is required: they are conceived as a fundamentally unidirectional method of transmitting knowledge from the teacher to the student.

b) Reading Seminars: where the students (by groups) present and comment on a reading of the syllabus.

In the seminars, the students (in groups of 5 or 6) will have to do an oral presentation in class about a topic or issue related with one of the proposed readings. The presentation, in which all the components of the group have to participate, will last between 10 and 12 minutes. With audiovisual support, 5 to 8 slides will be displayed, including a conceptual map, some conclusions and a final question to foster a debate.

The composition of groups and the chosen reading allocated must be communicated before February 20. As of that date, the teacher will redistribute the readings so that presentations of all the readings are made and there is the minimum of repetitions possible. All the groups will have to have a meeting with the teacher. It will probably be held in the classroom, on a date that the teacher will determine. In this meeting the members of the group must deliver and explain a written conceptual map of the presentation they have been assigned.

All the students must attend each one of the seminars. On seminar days, a classroom assignment based on the readings will be given to everyone.

c) Practical exercises that will be developed throughout the course.

Two types of practical work will be carried out: a group assignment involving the presentation of current news related to the course, and other individual activities or practical exercises in class related to the course materials. They will mostly take place in class but they might need previous preparation and autonomous work from the students.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title	Weight	Learning outcomes
Practical exercises	15%	1, 3, 5, 9, 10
Individual tests	60%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
Presentation of a text (in group)	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
Participation in seminars	5%	1, 2, 3, 10
Critical report of a text (in group)	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

ORDINARY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

Continuous assessment consists of two components: a group component and an individual component.

GROUP ASSESSMENT

This component evaluates the work carried out in groups and the achievement of the competencies [CE1.1, CT6, CT7, CT11].

The group assessment is based on:

- News presentation assignment: 10%

- Oral presentation in the reading seminar: 10%

- Other classroom assignments and activities: 20%

INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT

This component evaluates the student's conceptual and theoretical knowledge of the subject, as well as their analytical and critical reasoning skills.

Individual assessment is carried out through two individual written exams during the course. Together, these two exams account for 60% of the final course grade, with each exam worth 30%. However, students must obtain a minimum grade of 4 out of 10 in each of the two exams in order for the average grade to be calculated.

Students will be eligible for assessment provided they have completed activities whose combined weight represents at least two-thirds (2/3) of the total course grade. If the value of the completed activities does not reach this threshold, the lecturer may classify the student as not assessable.

The teaching staff reserve the right to conduct oral interviews or an alternative assessment in order to verify the effective acquisition of knowledge and competencies and, consequently, the validity of the assessment activities completed by students.

RECOVERY

Students will be entitled to sit the resit examination for the individual assessment in either of the following situations:

(a) Students who have failed one or more of the individual exams during the course may retake the corresponding parts in a final examination.

(b) Students who have obtained a grade between 4.0 and 4.9 in one or more individual exams and whose overall course average is below 5.0.

The grade obtained in the resit examination will replace the grade of the failed individual assessment component(s). However, the maximum grade that can be obtained through the resit assessment is 6 out of 10.

SINGLE ASSESSMENT

Single assessment may be requested within the timeframe, procedures, and conditions established by University and Faculty regulations.

Single assessment consists of a three-part examination:

- A comprehensive exam covering all course content, including all seminar readings. 60% of the final grade. A minimum grade of 4 out of 10 is required for this component in order to calculate the average with the other parts.

- A written exercise, completed on the day of the exam immediately after the exam has finished, concerning course content and the relationship between the seminar readings. 25% of the final grade.

- An oral presentation submitted in video format, corresponding to the news presentation assignment from a sociological perspective. 15% of the final grade.

The same resit system and the same criterion for being considered not assessable will apply as in continuous assessment.

USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

For this course, the restricted use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction or translation, and the search for images or examples.

Students must clearly identify which parts of their work were generated using AI technologies, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity.

Failure to disclose the use of AI in an assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic honesty and may result in a partial or total penalty in the grade for the activity, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.

Bibliography

The references are divided in compulsory readings, recommended readings and supplementary readings.

Compulsory readings:

Ritzer, George (1996). "Una introducción a la McDonalización" en La McDonalización de la sociedad.Un análisis de la racionalización de la vida cotidiana. Barcelona: Ariel, pp. 15-33.
Barranco, Oriol (2007). "Condiciones de trabajo de las proletarias y los proletarios de la gran distribución comercial" en Vivas, E. i Montagut, X. Supermercados no, gracias. Barcelona: Icaria, pp.71-83.
Cano, Ernest (2008). "La extensión de la precariedad laboral como norma social". Sociedad y Utopía. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, n.29, pp. 117-138
Moreno-Colom, Sara, Ajenjo, Marc & Borràs, Vicent (2018). "La masculinización del tiempo dedicado al trabajo doméstico rutinario". REIS: Revista española de investigaciones sociológicas, (163), 41-58.
Parella, Sonia (2004). La interacción entre clase social, género y etnia. Mientras Tanto, n. 93, pp.83-100
Fernández-García, Tomás i Andrés, Sergio (2015). Crisis y Estado de bienestar: las políticas sociales en la encrucijada. Tendencias y Retos, 20(1), pp. 119-132.
Hyman, Richard (1981). "¿Qué son las relaciones industriales?" en Relaciones industriales: una introducción marxista. Madrid: H.Blume, pp. 19-42.

Bloc I

Recommended readings:

Montoussé, M.; Renouard, G. (2001): Cien fichas para aprender sociología. Bellaterra: UAB [Part IV ‘La socialización’, pp. 78-97].
Köhler, H-D.; Martín Artiles, A. (2021, 3ª ed.): Manual de la sociología del trabajo y de las relaciones laborales. Madrid: Delta [cap. 6 ‘Los clásicos de la sociología de las relaciones laborales’, pp. 98-123].

Supplementary readings:

Santos Ortega, A.; Poveda Rosa, M. (2001): Trabajo empleo y cambio social. València: Tirant lo Blanch [‘La centralidad del trabajo en la sociología clásica’, pp. 40-49].
Watson, T. (1994): Trabajo y sociedad. Manual introductorio a la sociología del trabajo, industrial y de la empresa. Barcelona: Hacer [‘La sociología y el análisis sociológico’, pp. 1-27].
Carrasquer, P. (2003): ‘Juventud, trabajo y género. Viejos y nuevos retos para una ciudadanía en igualdad’. Revista de Estudios de Juventud, edición especial [pp. 193-215].
Beechey, V. (1994): ‘Género y trabajo. Replanteamiento de la definición de trabajo’, a Borderías, C., Carrasco, C. i Alemany, C. (eds.). Las mujeres y el trabajo. Rupturas conceptuales. Barcelona: Icaria.
Prieto, C. (2000): ‘Trabajo y orden social: de la nada a la sociedad de empleo (y su crisis)’. Política y sociedad, n: 34 [pp. 19-32].
Maruani, M.; Rogerat, Ch., Torns, T. (dirs.) (2000) Las nuevas fronteras de la desigualdad. Hombres y mujeres en el mercado de trabajo. Barcelona: Icaria.

BLOC II