2020-2021 / SOCI9004-1

Project management: sociological approaches

Duration

24h Th

Number of credits

 Master in labour sciences (120 ECTS) (en alternance)5 crédits 
 Master in labour sciences (120 ECTS)5 crédits 
 Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...) (Faculté des Sciences sociales)5 crédits 

Lecturer

Aude Lejeune

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Project to organize a training for social workers, project to computerize archival data, project to market a new product... We talk more and more about project management. Some even talk about a "projectisation" of private companies, public administrations and non-profit organizations. What does it mean ?
On the one hand, this course aims at questionning the origins, causes and consequences of the introduction of project management in organizations: what do projects change in the organization of work? what are the advantages of the projects? what are the excesses and dangers of project logic?
On the other hand, this course proposes to analyze project management by using several sociological tools: the city by projects, the sociology of organizations, professional groups, gender, professional dispositions are all reading grids we will use to study different facets of project management and its consequences on organizations and workers.
During the different sessions, the students will collectively carry out a written work of definition and implementation of a project in an organization and will confront their project with several sociological approaches. 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

  • Acquire knowledge on the genesis of project management in public and private organizations and on methodologies, paradigms, and classical approaches of project management;
  • To be able to distinguish different sociological approaches to project management, i.e. different ways of sociologically analyzing the causes, practices, representations and effects of the implementation of project management systems in organizations (cités par projets, professional groups, social classes, gender, etc.);
  • To be able to conduct a semi-structured interview in an organization and to analyze it based on the sociological concepts and tools discussed in class.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face sessions and/or remote sessions depending on sanitary measures.
Project work by groups.

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

Recommended or required readings

Recommended readings are available under the section "Items online"

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

June session :

- In-person

written exam

- Remote

written work

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred remote

August-september session :

- In-person

oral exam

- Remote

oral exam

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred in-person


Additional information:

The evaluation is based on an individual written work which analyses a project with the 5 sociological approaches seen in class (instructions were given during the first course and are included in the "Course Materials" on My.ULiege). This work, done at home, must be submitted by Wednesday, April 21, 2021 5:00pm by email at aude.lejeune@uliege.be.
In case of failure, the second session consists of an oral examination (which will be organized taking into account the health measures in force) on the content of the course.

Work placement(s)

Not applicable

Organizational remarks

Contacts

Aude Lejeune
aude.lejeune@uliege.be