Yhteiskuntatieteet - Social Sciences

Kurssilla käsitellään työyhteisöjä, viestintätyötä ja viestinnän johtamista muuttuvassa ympäristössä. Opiskelijat tutustuvat työyhteisöviestinnän osa-alueisiin, viestinnän johtamiseen ja suunnitteluun sekä viestinnän keinoihin ja työkaluihin. Kurssin aikana opiskelijat tutustuvat myös viestintäosaamisen käsitteisiin ja ymmärtävät viestintäosaamisen merkityksen asiantuntijuuden rakentumisessa. Osana kurssia opiskelijat perehtyvät tarkemmin jonkin työyhteisön viestintään.

Massive amount of data is generated every day by public and private organizations around the world. Digital footprints are collected as part of people’s everyday lives and their everyday activities, for example when shopping online, browsing the internet, or using social media. Big data collected has attracted increasing attention over the recent years, and increasing amount of survey, register, and other traditional type of data are openly available. Much of this data remains unutilized, even though powerful analyses for solving societal challenges become possible. This course explores the opportunities and challenges of open data and the benefits of multidisciplinary approach to problem solving.

Technological change has uneven economic consequences for different social groups and communities. If unmanaged, these economic divides may have undesired implications for democracy such as widening gaps in political discontent and distrust. Such economic divides may even create political pushback against further technological change, some of which are conducive to improving environmental sustainability. This course examines the linkages between politics and technological change, and considers its impact on democracy during the Green Transition.

The course covers current theories of corporate responsibility and sustainability communication, including greenwashing. In addition, it introduces theoretical approaches to organizations as political actors in the context of such communication. The course discusses also sustainability reporting, stakeholder analysis and engagement from the perspective of different organizations and actors.

This course focuses on how various emerging forms of influence, soft power and disinformation are challenging journalistic practices and democratic ideals. These themes are discussed in the context of issues related to for example to climate change, sustainability and green transition.

In this course, we explore how global communication and questions of soft power and geopolitics are related to climate change and other environmental issues. During the course, we discuss various empirical cases that illustrate different aspects of these phenomena and analyse how global communications and soft power shape the narratives with which we communicate about climate change related issues in a complex media environment.

Governing natural resources in rural/urban and in local, national and global contexts Major political, economic, and social institutions and organizations social, economic and cultural questions related to natural resource policies and governance Key theories and research methods

Introduction to sociotechnical systems in food, energy and water sectors and infrastructures Sustainability and sustainable change in food, energy, and water sectors The interdependence of food, energy and water systems Governance of security, risks, demands, and future development of food, energy, and water systems Theories and key concepts regarding food, energy, water systems

Kaupungistuminen ilmiönä: historia ja keskeiset käsitteet Kaupungistuminen globaalisti ja Suomessa Kestävät kaupungit: ihmisen, yhteisön ja rakennetun ympäristön suhde Sosiaalisen kestävyyden haasteet kaupungeissa: eriarvoisuus ja alueellinen/sosioekonominen eriytyminen Yhteisöllisyys ja vaikuttamisen keinot Kaupunkisuunnittelu ja kriittiset järjestelmät kaupungeissa

Globaalien keskinäisriippuvuuksien kehitys ja merkitys yhteiskuntien kehityksessä ja kansainvälisessä toiminnassa Keskinäisriippuvuus ja taloudellinen kehitys Instituutiot ja valta keskinäisriippuvuuksissa Protektionismi

Yhteiskehittämisen (co-creation, co-development) sekä palvelumuotoilun lähtökohdat ja perusmenetelmät yhteiskuntatieteissä Kokeilukulttuuri osana politiikkaa sekä yhteisöjen ja organisaatioiden kehittämisessä Toteutetaan ryhmätyö yhteiskehittämisen periaatteita noudattaen

Definitions on the contemporary capitalism: economy of knowledge; cognitive capitalism; surveillance capitalism; neo-feudalism. Perspectives of different advanced technologies (e.g., robots, artificial intelligence, and virtual agents). Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) within the workspace: enhancing, replacing, controlling. Current social scientific research on the relationships between people and robots or AI.  The social factors and impact of robots and AI on people’s behaviour, thinking and everyday life, and how to examine them from the perspectives of social sciences and social sustainability.

The intertwined relations between macro-social and macro-economic processes in the digital economy: digitalization, datafication, platformization, and financialization Data and digital platforms: the role of Big Tech companies Labor, automation, and AI Digitalization of money and finance States and the geopolitics of digital economy Disputes around the definition and regulation of the new digital economic activities and sectors Reficonguration of social classes and economic production Vigilance, social control, and old/new asymmetries and inequalities of power in digital society

Chatbots replace humans? Telecommuting makes it easier to strike a work-life balance? Health care apps can help older workers to retire later? These and similar questions have been publicly discussed since computer use at work increased. However, the answers are not always that simple, and they keep on changing as digital technologies continue to evolve. This course explores how digital technologies alter our working lives and our retirement transitions, looking into differences across technologies and countries.

From environment to pensions, policies are a central instrument for steering societies. To better understand these policies, a range of analyses instruments can be utilized. This course explains what policy analyses are and discusses when and why such analyses are conducted. Moreover, it explains what methods can be used for analyzing policies. Finally, it highlights what findings policy analyses can render.

The social character of the economy: core topics in economic sociology, political economy and heterodox economics The origin and peculiarities of the capitalist economic system The importance of innovation and technology Capitalism and democracy: the role of politics in a liberal economic order Welfare states and markets: the limits of state regulation and social control of the capitalist economy The relationship between the capitalist market economy and modern culture: behaviors, values, ideas and institutions

The course provides an introductory exploration of sustainability transitions and innovation policy, equipping students with an understanding of the core principles, key concepts, and analytical frameworks in transition studies. Introduction to transition studies, key concepts and theoretical frameworks Historical examples of technological transitions and their drivers The role of innovation and technology in sustainability transitions Policy instruments for fostering sustainability transitions The role of different actors in sustainability transitions Governance and stakeholder engagement in sustainability transitions Case studies of sustainability transitions in various sectors and geographies Justice and equity considerations in sustainability transitions

Planning, conducting, reporting, and evaluating social scientific research of technology topics. Various qualitative and quantitative methodological tools for data collection and analysis. Choosing appropriate methods and research designs for research questions within technology research topics.

Planning, conducting, reporting, and evaluating social scientific research on sustainability. Various qualitative and quantitative methodological tools for data collection and analysis. Choosing appropriate methods and research designs for research questions within sustainability theme.

Introduction course for students who have Bachelor’s degree from other university than LUT University. The Orientation Days activities. Practical study-related information. LUT library collections, databases, reference practices, copyrights, information security, career planning and cultural difference related issues. Degree requirements and planning of Master's studies, preparation of the individual study plan. Study and exam culture in LUT. Research areas of Social Sciences and School of Engineering Science.