Embedded interaction: micro sociological perspectives on institution, organization & structure - Einzelansicht

The differentiation between micro, meso and macro levels is controversial: on the one hand it is a useful tool to delineate the focus; on the other hand it is easily confused with modelling separate social realities. Yet, we can also use the differentiation for disclosing our sociological perspectives or points of observation rather than taking it for the object of inquiry. Then, we take into account that social reality is a complex of interactions, organizations, and structures that all make up social life.

In this course, we will study different theories (Goffman, Strauss, Berger/Luckmann) that start from a micro sociological point of view and integrate structures, institutions, and organizations with different questions: Are structures generated by interaction? Are they intertwined? Are they independent? How do institutions emerge? Does social order determine interaction? Etc. In a second step, we will evaluate the chances and blind spots of their approaches through empirical studies that employed these concepts. Finally, student teams will apply the theories on a research subject.