SOAN 217 - Economic Sociology

FDR: SS4
This course focuses on theories about how economic actors are “embedded” in social structures. It is based on a vision of economics and sociology as complementary disciplines. From economics, it starts with the idea that individuals are purposive actors who try to bring about their preferred outcomes, based on what they know and what they think others are likely to do. From sociology and anthropology, it takes the idea that when individuals interact, they make structures that feed back onto their behavior, and that these are socially and economically consequential. We read and discuss classic and contemporary work about how this works and consider implications for contemporary issues of practical concern.