72514 - Sociology of Culture (1)

Course contents

This course includes three key sections. The first section offers an overview of the major concepts and approaches that set apart the sociology of culture, while the second section introduces students to theories and examples regarding contemporary cultural production. The third section will deepen students’ understanding of the body of knowledge acquired in the first part of the course by focusing on readings, examples and case studies related to sociological research on photography.

 

1. Culture and society: Theoretical definitions and approaches

The first section includes five frontal lectures covering different sociological approaches to the concept of culture and its relationship with a range of social processes, structures and identities. Through a selection of classic and contemporary readings, this section introduces students to a range of contrasting frameworks, with a particular emphasis on the production and consumption of cultural objects. Students will acquire the interpretive instruments that they will need to understand and examine specific cultural phenomena in relation to practices and meanings.

2. Cultural production: Processes, institutions, meanings

The second section includes four frontal lectures covering major issues and themes regarding cultural production, specifically in the context of globalization processes tied to digital media and popular culture flows. Students will gain knowledge on the role of cultural and creative industries in contemporary society. Furthermore, they will be able to apply sociological concepts to an analysis of the relationship between institutions and meanings in cultural production.

3. Photography: A sociological outlook

The third section covers six seminar-style lectures on photography and is centred on a discussion of classic and contemporary sociological readings on photography as a cultural object and as a cultural practice. In addition, this section covers the relationship between the professions, institutions and meanings that set apart digital photography in the context of different industries and platforms, with systematic references to photojournalism, commercial photography, and social media. Students will be able to participate in active discussion of the assigned reading, and in this way they will also be able to apply the conceptual resources and critical instruments from the first part of the course to a specific area of sociological research.

Readings/Bibliography

1) Griswold Wendy, Sociologia della cultura, il Mulino, 2005.

2) Schudson Michael, "Come funziona la cultura: prospettive dallo studio dei media", In M. Santoro e R. Sassatelli (a cura di), Studiare la cultura, il Mulino, 2009.

3) Giglioli Pier Paolo, "Da Parsons a Ricœur passando per Bali: note sul concetto di cultura in Geertz", AUT AUT, 335, 2007.

4) Hesmondhalgh, David, Le industrie culturali (Introduzione), EGEA, 2015.

5) Bourdieu, Pierre, Un'arte media: Saggio sugli usi sociali della fotografia (Parte prima), Meltemi, 1965/2018.

6) Boltanski, Luc, "La retorica della figura", In P. Bourdieu, Un'arte media: Saggio sugli usi sociali della fotografia, Meltemi, 1965/2018.

7) Boltanski, Luc e Chamboredon, Jean-Claude, "Uomini di mestiere e uomini di qualità", In P. Bourdieu, Un'arte media: Saggio sugli usi sociali della fotografia, Meltemi, 1965/2018.

8) Gunthert, André, L’immagine condivisa. La fotografia digitale, Contrasto, 2016.

9) Additional materials available on virtuale.unibo.it (lecture slides and other relevant readings).

The course plan may be amended up until the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures; Seminar-style discussions; Individual and group activities on the themes, examples and case studies presented during lectures.

Assessment methods

A written exam with a combination of open-ended and multiple choice questions.

The exam questions will evaluate: 1) students' understanding of the course readings' key themes and arguments; 2) students' ability to critically engage with the theoretical concepts and approaches introduced during lectures, also by applying them to the examples and case studies included in course materials; 3) students' ability to use sociological language appropriately.

Teaching tools

Lecture slides will be made available to students through the virtuale.unibo.it plaftorm. Lectures will be used to explain the readings that will be included in the exam in depth. There will also be an opportunity to apply key concepts to practical examples and additional materials will be made available in the context of individual and group activities.

 

Office hours

See the website of Giorgia Aiello