This course serves as an introduction to the field of labor, economic, and organizational sociology. The basic overview of the subject areas and explanatory approaches is supplemented in the course by current questions and issues in the scientific discussion of labor, economics, and organization. In addition to clarifying concepts related to the role and structure of labor in modern societies, the course also addresses processes of change in the economy: What problems and opportunities are associated with processes of change such as digitalization, socio-ecological transformation, and the global networking of economies? What future developments are foreseeable, and what does this mean for economic and political actors?
Contact person: Fabian Hoose
Duration: WS 2025/26
Social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch are omnipresent in everyday life—not only as spaces for entertainment, information, and communication, but increasingly also as places of digital gainful employment. Those who produce content on these platforms and achieve sufficient reach can earn income—whether through advertising, donations, or platform remuneration. This is creating new labor markets, with content creation becoming a form of (digital) self-employment.
The seminar focuses on this gainful employment: the structures and mechanisms of this new form of gainful employment are analyzed from a labor, economic, and organizational sociological perspective. Discussions will cover how platform companies curate markets, what economic dependencies arise for content creators, and what earning strategies they develop. Current theoretical and empirical approaches to platform economics, digital work, and self-employment will be discussed. The aim of the seminar is to understand new forms of digital work such as content creation as a genuine field of contemporary gainful employment and to make them analytically comprehensible.
Contact person: Fabian Hoose
Duration: WS 2025/26
The emergence of the platform economy is changing not only consumption and communication habits, but also gainful employment and its institutional embedding. Platform-mediated work—whether as crowdwork, gig work, or content creation—challenges existing structures in the world of work and creates new challenges for regulation, interest representation, and social security.
The seminar examines how work is structured in the platform economy and what scope and restrictions this creates for working people. The focus is on issues of regulation, participation, and institutional embedding. The analysis is based on current research findings on different segments of platform work – from highly skilled cloud work to local gig work.
The seminar is aimed at students interested in issues of labor and economic sociology, co-determination, and regulation. The goal is to understand the challenges that the platform economy poses to established labor policy regulations and to develop your own analytical perspectives on participation and regulation in this dynamic field.
Contact person: Fabian Hoose
Duration: WS 2025/26
After successfully completing the module, students will have an in-depth understanding of the engineering and social science fundamentals in the field of management and organization of work. Students will have learned to identify information needs and locate scientific sources of information. Furthermore, students will be familiar with the state of engineering and social science research in the areas of gainful employment, the adaptability of production systems, change management, personnel management, and lean management, and will be able to apply this knowledge to operational situations. Students will also be familiar with aspects of co-determination in the workplace and will be able to evaluate compliance and application within the company. In addition, after completing the module, students are able to network with other departments and discuss critical content objectively with each other. They can reflect on interdisciplinary content from non-technical areas and apply it responsibly in project work in collaboration with companies. Through the project work, they have also learned to communicate and discuss effectively and efficiently in teams and to present their work afterwards.
Further information on the content of the research module can be found in the course catalog.
Implementation in cooperation with: LPS / Chair of Production Systems (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering)
Contact person: Fabian Hoose
Duration: recurring, currently block seminar in WS 2025/26
Advancing digitalization and the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) will trigger profound changes in work structures and job profiles, which will challenge the labor policies of interest groups in the future. How can co-determination and participation actively shape this transformation of work? What new theoretical, labor policy, and practical approaches are available to influence the use of new technologies in the interests of employees?
The collaborative seminar is aimed at master's students in the Faculty of Social Sciences and graduates of the “Strategic Works Council Management” training series offered by Arbeit und Leben NRW. In an interactive exchange between scientific research and business practice, current developments will be analyzed and concrete options for action will be developed. The seminar is based on the concept of transfer research with a mixture of theoretical impulses, practical insights through company visits, and in-depth discussions in working groups. The aim is to provide all participants with sound knowledge and tried-and-tested approaches to actively shaping the diverse transformation.
Implementation in cooperation with: Arbeit und Leben NRW
Contact person: Manfred Wannöffel
Duration: block seminar in WS 2025/26
The classic 8-hour day is considered one of the central achievements of the working world in the 20th century. The length and scheduling of working hours are among the most controversial and contentious issues in the world of work. One need only recall the strikes for the 35-hour week in the metal industry, the dispute over Saturdays off, etc.
Issues relating to working hours are closely linked to occupational health and safety, which is why the Working Hours Act is primarily an occupational health and safety law. With increasing digitalization and changing employee preferences for more flexible working hours, new challenges are emerging. In his government statement, Friedrich Merz rejected the 4-day week, and the federal government is seeking to introduce working time regulations that abandon the 8-hour day as the norm. Trade unions warn of the risks of such a model.
The seminar will analyze historical developments and discuss current legal frameworks and trends in working time regulation. We will examine different perspectives: from trade unions and employers' associations to political actors, employees, and researchers. We will look at lines of conflict, design approaches, and examples of flexible working time models from practice. There will also be a joint session with works council members from various companies.
Contact person: Manfred Wannöffel
Duration: WS 2025/26
This seminar deals with the debate surrounding the relationship between work, remuneration, and performance. The first part of the seminar covers and discusses the fundamentals of job evaluation and basic remuneration in organizations. The second part provides an insight into two collective agreements: company remuneration in accordance with the remuneration framework agreement for the metal and electrical industry and the classification principles in the public sector in accordance with the TV-L. Finally, the role of works councils and staff councils in this context is discussed.
Contact person: Claudia Niewerth
Duration: WS 2025/26
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Last update: Nov 03, 2025