This course serves as an introduction to the field of the sociology of work, economics and organisation. The basic overview of the subject areas and explanatory approaches is supplemented in the course by current issues and problems arising from academic debate on work, the economy and organisation. In addition to clarifying concepts relating to the role and structure of work 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 digitalisation, socio-ecological transformation or the global interconnection of economies? What future developments can be anticipated, and what do these mean for economic and political actors?
Contact person: Fabian Hoose
Duration: Winter semester 2026/27
EU Directive on Platform Work: Control, Protection, Interests (Master’s seminar)
The platform economy is transforming not only consumption and communication habits, but also paid work and its institutional framework. With EU Directive 2024/2831 on improving working conditions in platform work, the European Union is responding to key areas of conflict, including bogus self-employment and the algorithmic management of work. The seminar takes this directive as its starting point and examines how control, protection and the representation of interests are being rebalanced in platform-mediated work.
The seminar focuses on the regulatory mechanisms of the directive. These include the rebuttable presumption of an employment relationship, transparency and participation rights in algorithmic management, limits on data use and automated decision-making, collective and representation rights, and enforcement. Drawing on current research, the seminar examines the scope for action, restrictions and adaptation strategies that arise for workers, platforms and intermediary actors. Particular emphasis is placed on the implementation of the Directive in the Member States, scheduled for December 2026 (with a focus on Germany), and its interaction with existing labour, social and co-determination law provisions.
Contact person: Fabian Hoose
Duration: Winter semester 2026/27
How can the concepts of democracy in the workplace, within organisations and in companies be characterised in relation to the development of market democracies? What significance have these models held in the socio-historical and labour and industrial sociological discourse in Western market democracies over the past few decades? After addressing these more conceptual considerations, we will examine the practice of works councils, which play a key role in shaping democracy within the workplace. This will also include joint meetings with works councils. Furthermore, we will discuss long-term developments in the relationship between work and democracy and conclude with an outlook on current societal challenges in the context of the increasing, global assertion of ‘libertarian-capitalist forms of rule’ (Habermas 2025).
Contact person: Manfred Wannöffel
Duration: Winter semester 2026/27
Economic crises, decarbonisation, global supply chains, corporate mergers, new forms of organisation, skills shortages and the increasing use of artificial intelligence are fundamentally transforming organisations. For employee representative bodies, this means that tried-and-tested structures are coming under pressure, whilst at the same time new opportunities for participation, areas of conflict and scope for action are emerging. The seminar is run in cooperation with ‘Arbeit und Leben NRW’. Students and works council and staff council members develop the seminar topics together. Through discussions and company visits, students engage in dialogue with works council members. Theoretical approaches are linked to specific workplace experiences and reflected upon collectively. This results in a practical transfer of knowledge that combines academic insights with practical workplace experience.
Implementation in cooperation with: Arbeit und Leben NRW
Contact person: Manfred Wannöffel
Duration: Winter semester 2026/27
Remuneration Systems in ‘New Work’ (Bachelor’s seminar)
This seminar examines the debate surrounding the relationship between work, pay and performance in new forms of work organisation. From the perspective of ‘new work’, the first part of the seminar discusses the fundamentals of structuring performance and pay within organisations. The second part focuses on the practical application of performance-related pay systems: this includes, in particular, the design of collectively agreed performance systems, such as target-setting schemes, as well as the determination of variable pay components through performance appraisals. Furthermore, practical examples of new forms of performance-related pay design and remuneration models will be discussed, which are being trialled in companies in accordance with the principles of ‘new work’.
Key topics include:
• The value of performance in agile organisations
• Job evaluation and grading
• Remuneration models from ‘new work’ – flexible pay structures beyond collective agreements and sector-wide standards
• The role of co-determination in the design of company-based performance-related pay
Contact person: Claudia Niewerth
Duration: Winter semester 2026/2027
This interdisciplinary research module brings together students from the fields of engineering and social sciences. During the first semester (Winter Semester 26/27), students will acquire knowledge of fundamental aspects of the organisation, management and regulation of paid work through a combination of seminar sessions and practical exercises. The seminar sessions are led by experts from various disciplines, such as social sciences, mechanical engineering and ergonomics. The practical exercises take place in the Learning and Research Factory of the Chair of Production Systems and have, in some cases, been developed specifically for this seminar programme. Students apply the theoretical knowledge they have acquired in operational research and practical projects, using qualitative and/or quantitative methods in locally based companies. Working in groups, students independently develop employee-focused research questions in collaboration with works council members. The results of the research and practical projects are presented in a presentation and a written report.
Organised in cooperation with: Chair of Production Systems (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering)
Implementation in cooperation with: LPS / Chair of Production Systems (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering)
Contact person: Fabian Hoose
Duration: Winter semester 2026/2027 and summer semester 2027
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Last update: Aug 31, 2026