Seminar: Openness and Closure of Groups and Societies
Instructors: Dr. Tim SawertShortname: S Praxisfelder
Course No.: 02.149.163062
Course Type: Seminar
Contents
Approaches to social openness and closure can be traced back to Max Weber's concept of open and closed relationships. Weber distinguishes between traditional (e.g. family), affective (e.g. romantic love relationships), value-rational (e.g. religious community) and purpose-rational (e.g. markets) relationships. Each of these different forms refers to a different social field, each with its own social relationships and processes of openness and closure. Although Weber laid the foundation with this conceptual differentiation, a true theory of social closure did not emerge until the works of Frank Partin, Randall Collins and Raymond Murphy in the 1980s. Murphy defines the process of social closure as a process in which one group monopolizes the advantages it possesses in such a way that this allows members of other groups, who are considered inferior, to be excluded from social opportunities (cf. Murphy 1988: 88). In the seminar, we will first discuss the conceptual and theoretical foundations of social closure theory before moving on to more recent theoretical applications, including the phenomenon of intercultural and transcultural openness. This constitutes the first block of the seminar.
In the second block, we will focus on reading empirical studies that test the assumptions of the theoretical explanations. Here we turn to the four types of relationships distinguished by Weber as examples and consider to what extent and in what form social closure processes can be found in traditionally, affectively, value-rationally and purpose-rationally structured relationships. Finally, the third block deals with empirical studies that examine the extension of the concept of social closure to intercultural and transcultural relationships.
Additional information
The seminar will be held in English in order to train English language skills for the increasingly internationalized labor markets and to make it easier for international students to participate.Dates
| Date (Day of the week) | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 10/22/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 10/29/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 11/05/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 11/12/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 11/19/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 11/26/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 12/03/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 12/10/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 12/17/2024 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 01/07/2025 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 01/14/2025 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 01/21/2025 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 01/28/2025 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 02/04/2025 (Tuesday) | 12:15 - 13:45 | 01 721 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |