78005 - History of Psychology (1)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to prepare students to critically read and contextualize both texts and sources belonging to different scientific domains. Students will also learn how to use the acquired historical knowledge in order to theoretically analyze several recurring problems and themes. At the end of the course, they will have the skill to express a well-founded opinion, both thinking about all of the notions acquired and discussing them with other students.

Course contents

Nature, Psyche and Culture. From the case of the “wild boy” to Ethnopsychoanalysis

The encounter with the “other” (the savage, the primitive, the colonized, the insane, the woman) stimulated Human Sciences since their birth and fuels the contemporary scientific debate on the topic of the relation between mental distress and socio-cultural environment.

The course will face the history of studies on the relationship between psyche and culture, focusing on the more relevant steps and representative personalities, from the case of the “wild boy of Aveyron” (1798) to the birth of Ethnopsychiatry. The problematic issues that, during the 19th and 20th centuries, have characterized the debate among Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Anthropology (such as the dialectic relationship between nature and culture and the complexity of human being) will be then analysed.

A big part of the course will be dedicated to the freudian theory of culture.

Readings/Bibliography

The study of this texts is required:

1) Writings will be read and commented during the lessons and will be part of the learning materials. 

2) S. Freud, Il disagio nella civiltà (1929), ed. Stefano Mistura, Torino, Einaudi, 2010.

3) Critical Studies (availables at the Copisteria Burchiellaro, Via Zamboni 66/A): S. Moravia, La scienza dell’uomo nel Settecento, Bari, Laterza, 1970, 3rd ed. 2000, pp. 107-140; S. Moravia, Filosofia e scienze umane nell’età dei lumi, Milano, Sansoni, 1982, 2nd ed. 2000, pp. 3-30; V. Babini, "La psichiatria", in Storia delle scienze, vol. IV, Natura e vita. L'età moderna, Torino, Einaudi, 1994, pp. 402-37; A. Civita e D. Cosenza (ed.), La cura della malattia mentale. 1. Storia ed epistemologia, Milano, Mondadori, 2001, pp. 89-132; R. Beneduce, Etnopsichiatria. Sofferenza mentale e alterità tra storia, dominio e cultura. Roma, Carocci, 2007, pp. 47-56; R. Beneduce, Breve dizionario di etnopsichiatria, Roma, Carrocci, 2008, pp. 5-19.

4) One of the following texts: H. Marcuse, Eros e civiltà (1955), Torino, Einaudi, 2001; A. Pagnini (a cura di), Antropologia e psicanalisi, Palermo, Sellerio, 1977; P.L. Assoun, Freud e le scienze sociali. Psicoanalisi e teoria della cultura (1993), Roma, Borla, 1999; R. Contardi ed E. Gaburri (a cura di), Enigmi della cultura e disagio nella civiltà, Torino, Boringhieri, 1999; AA.VV., Civiltà e disagio. Forme contemporanee della psicopatologia, Milano, Mondadori, 2006; R. Beneduce, Etnopsichiatria. Sofferenza mentale e alterità tra storia, dominio e cultura, Roma, Carocci, 2007.

* In addition to the above bibliography (part 2 and 3), not attending students should read P.L. Assoun, Freud e le scienze sociali. Psicoanalisi e teoria della cultura (1993), Roma, Borla, 1999 and one of the books of the part 4 instead of the texts of part 1.

Teaching methods

The course will be based on lectures and critical reading of the texts. Students will be encouraged to participate actively to the discussion. Movies and documentaries will be used to encourage students' considerations and discussions.

Assessment methods

The assessment of learning will be conducted through an oral discussion in which the acquired knowledge, both argumentative and expositive qualities and the critical skills developed by the student will be evaluated. More specifically, the student's ability to orientate himself within topics, selecting significant theoretical steps, will be taken into account. Furthermore the acquired historicisation of the issues and problems faced will also be examined.

Assessment criteria and thresholds of evaluation:

30 cum laude: Excellent as to knowledge, terminology and critical expression.

30: Excellent, knowledge is complete, well articulated and correctly expressed, with some slight faults.

27-29: Good, knowledge comprehensive and satisfactory, essentially correct expression.

24-26: Fairly good, knowledge present in significant points, but not complete and not always expressed with correctness.

21-23: Sufficient, knowledge is sometimes superficial, but the guiding general thread is included. Expression and articulation incomplete.

18-21: Almost sufficient, but knowledge present only on the surface. The guiding principle is not included with continuity. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.

Not sufficient: knowledge absent or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient.

 

Office hours

See the website of Alessandra Cerea