Course syllabus for Society as system(s)

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-17 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameSamhället som system
  • CodeTEK915
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKGBS
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyGlobal systems
  • ThemeMTS 5 c
  • DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 74121
  • Open for exchange studentsNo

Credit distribution

0121 Examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH		 7.5 c
  • 02 Jun 2022 pm J
  • 08 Okt 2021 pm J
  • 24 Aug 2022 pm J

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

Information missing

Aim

The course aims at giving engineering students an introduction to, and basic knowledge of, society's building blocks and systems including: individuals and groups, symbols and languages, norms and knowledge, and economics and power relations, in order to enable and stimulate continued learning about how these structures affect and are affected by different technological and environmental systems.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • reason about what a society is and how a systems analysis approach can contribute to insights into the structure and development of society,
  • describe society's building blocks, subsystems and related academic disciplines,
  • give one or more explanations for the existence, development and global structure of subsystems,
  • use some simple models that describe dynamics within and between subsystems,
  • pursue curiosity-driven in-depth studies in various parts of the field.

Content

The course takes as starting point that society is a system consisting of people who interact to achieve goals. At the system level of society, unique structures emerge that are partly based on human biology but also formed by history. These structures enable, strengthen and limit the actions of the individual and the influence of humanity on the physical environment. In the course we discuss several such structures: groups and organizations, symbols and languages, experience and science, norms and laws, beauty and art, money and economics as well as artifacts and technology. In the course we explore the development of these subsystems, their global structure and mutual dependence. The course can be viewed as a broad introduction to different social sciences and the humanities, but also aims at contributing with a unique perspective on humanity and our prospects to shape the future.

Organisation

The course consists of lectures and seminars, reading of literature and continuous solving of minor tasks. It ends with an exam. The course is organized around Society's building blocks and subsystems.

Literature

One course book and some additional texts (to be decided).

Examination including compulsory elements

The course is examined through a written exam as well as assignments during the course. Passes also require participation in a few compulsory seminars.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to examination:
    • 2022-02-14: Examination date Examination date changed from 2022-08-16 to 2022-08-24 by UBS
      [2022-08-16 7,5 hec, 0121]
    • 2021-09-21: Grade raising Changed to grade raising by GRULG