- Comparative Labour Relations and Social Dialogue
This course will help the students to answer questions like: what are labour relations, what is the role of institutions and interest groups in labour relations, which are the main models in analysing the labour relations. We will analyse several paradigmatic cases like Germany, UK, Nordic countries, East Central European countries, USA and China. We will discuss how the politics of labour relations, the practices of labour market regulations are influenced by economic development policies and political institutions. Throughout the classes we will build, discuss and analyse several case studies developed by the students enrolled in this course. At the end of this course the students will have acquired theoretical and empirical skills like: better knowledge of the main paradigms for analysis of labour relations, critical analysis of theories of labour relations, ability to explain the evolution of labour relations and to connect them with the economic, social, and political issues worldwide, capacity to explain the role of collect bargaining and collective interest aggregation in the labour relations, development of skills for comparative empirical research, and how to make use of key concepts for producing scientific analysis of labour relations. There is no formal difference between lecture and seminar meetings, concerning the organization, discussions and activities pursued for this course.
- Varieties of Capitalism and Economic Development
The main objective of this course is to provide students with a deeper understanding of issues of economic and social institutions in advanced capitalist economies. The course will help student answer questions like: What are the differences between liberal market and coordinated market economies? Can we talk of within-model differences? If so, what are their characteristics? Do these models and their variants explain other economies, like transition ones (like the ones from Eastern Europe)? What are the influences of economic integration and globalization on the cross-national differences? In order to answer these questions we will explore institutional and policy differences in the following areas: (a) training and skill formation; (b) financial institutions and corporate governance, (c) the welfare state, (d) systems of industrial relations. These institutions affect a variety of economic and political outcomes among advanced industrialized societies, including levels of economic inequality, levels of employment. There is no formal separation (date, time, organization) between lecture and seminar meetings, concerning the organization, discussions and activities pursued for this course. Thus, it is important for the students to actively get involve in the discussions and activities based on preliminary weekly readings. The students are encouraged to initiate discussions on the issues identified each week, based on the readings.
The course is based on a continuous interaction between the professor and the students, both during and outside class meetings (via email). Each course starts with a brief recapitulation (10-15 minutes) of the fundamental issues from the previous course, all the students will be involved in the discussions. The courses will generally be based on lectures. However, the professor will involve students, introducing the lessons learned at previous meetings in student presentations. Every student will be considered an active participant in the discussions and will be asked to take active part, whether or not he or she has the intention to answer a question / express an opinion. Students may choose to make short presentations of up to 15 minutes on topics / texts from the compulsory or supplementary bibliography, following a prior discussion with the teacher. For most topics, a mandatory bibliography list (used as a basis for lectures and discussions) will be presented to students and a supplementary bibliography list, prepared for those who want to deepen a theme, depending on their specific interests. Seminars are based on the idea of applying the knowledge acquired in the courses to situations relevant to students. For some topics, students will be asked to access databases or information available on the Internet. During the seminars students will prepare two topics to test their skills from seminar on the issue of use / presentation and interpretation of migration data.
- Anthropology and sociology of labour
The course aims at familiarizing with the social and cultural significance of the work from the anthropological perspective, but also exploring the theories and the constitutive themes of the discipline. Starting from the dynamics specific to the various historical stages of the industrial revolution, passing through Fordism, post-Fordism, flexible accumulation (Harvey 1990), deindustrialisation and ending with the neoliberal regime of flexibility, the themes of the course will examine and interrogate political and institutional factors which had an impact on the work and workers (in agriculture, crafts, industry and the tertiary sector) globally and locally. Starting with ethnographic and theoretical texts, we will address the relationship between class, gender, ethnicity and work with an emphasis on post-socialist transformations in Eastern European countries (e.g. the recent emergence of « atypical work » forms). For the in-depth understanding of the significance of the themes approached, we will benefit from the expertise of expert guests (professionals and researchers) who will participate in some of the debates we will organize during the course. Topics we will cover: From agriculture to factory: time and routines in the process of industrial revolution; Fordism: the scientific organization of labour; Industrialization and mobilization of the labour force during the socialist period; Domestication of the industry and the appearance of the peasant-worker; Communities and professional cultures: prerequisites for solidarity; Postmodernity and flexible accumulation: relocation of production and emergence of caravan capitalism; Privatization, joys and failures of post socialism: labour ethics and the political economy of deindustrialisation and guarding and protection services; Small capitalists, family work and self-exploitation; Installers, bone and work away from home; Post-industrial landscapes and service economy; Time management and organizational cultures: teambuilding, downshifting and personal development
- Management of human resources
The course aims to address key aspects of human resources management. This course will provide a conceptual and operational understanding of all the key aspects of human resources functions, such as work analysis, training needs analysis, career planning and development, performance management. Furthermore, it aims to understand the human capital tendencies, strategies and politics of the labor market by measuring the impact of human resources initiatives. The course consists of lectures / presentations and has an interactive character. The seminars will integrate an interactive approach, including case studies, small group activities and plenary lectures and presentations, role play, quizzes.
MA program in Labour Studies website : http://politice.ro/en/labourstudies
Course programme in Bucharest (indicative)
| Semester | Title | Teacher | Language | Credit |
| 2nd | Comparative labour relations and social dialogue | Assoc. Prof. Aurelian Muntean | English | 6 Credits |
| 2nd | Varieties of capitalism and economic development | Assoc. Prof. Aurelian Muntean | English | 7 Credits |
| 2nd | Anthropology and sociology of labour | Assoc. Prof. Bogdan Iancu / PhD. Elena Trifan | English | 6 Credits |
| 2nd | Management of human resources | Assoc. Prof. Bogdan Oprea | English | 6 Credits |