27280 - Seminars (1) (G.A)

Learning outcomes

The philosophy Seminars propose general objectives, which are those specific teaching seminar: (1) to train the students to philosophical discussion urging participation in conferences and presentations of Italian and foreign scholars; (2) deepen the topics of the courses through participation in philosophical lectures by specialists also of other universities; (3) broaden their thematic and methodological horizons to complete offered teaching.

Course contents

The seminar Society, Power, Knowledge. The Science of and in Society is conceived as a guided exploration of sociological concepts and questions: a space for discussion where students learn to think sociologically through text analysis, collective discussion, and critical problematization of concepts. The course begins with the origins of sociology as an autonomous discipline, examining its developments, fractures, and connections with science and power.

Sociology does not begin with predetermined themes, but it stems from critical questions about social phenomena. Its object of study, social reality, is never fixed: it transforms, changes, and redefines itself over time. Sociology as a discipline develops while remaining immersed in its object of study. This Seminar aims to offer students the tools to practice posing critical questions about social facts, forms of action, dynamics of power and authority, and their intersection with the scientific production of knowledge.

The 15 lessons of the Seminar are organized according to three macro-themes:

• The first part is dedicated to the origins of sociology, formalized in the 19th century as a discipline distinct from philosophy, as a science of order, linked to the positivist tradition, oriented toward analysis, classification, and the achievement of social order and equilibrium

• The second part is still dedicated to classical questions of sociology, but according to approaches that have questioned modernization processes, the role of technology, practices, and social change through critical and historicizing methods. 

• The third part of the Seminar will be dedicated to reflecting on science as an object of sociological analysis, on the role it plays in contemporary society, and on how scientific knowledge is historically and socially constructed, negotiated, and legitimized. Based on previous discussions and lessons, the relationships between knowledge and power will be discussed in more detail: a sociological analysis of science as a form of historically situated knowledge, forms of epistemic authority, and the mechanisms through which specific definitions of reality — such as normality, deviance, and rationality — assume the character of objectivity and universality.

Through the Seminar, students will understand how sociology emerges as a science and how it itself is a field of living and contested knowledge production, traversed by theoretical, methodological, and political tensions, in constant interaction with the social and political context.

Throughout the Seminar, attention will be paid to who produces knowledge, for whom, and with what effects, emphasizing a critical approach to the construction of social reality and the definition of knowledge.

At the end of the third and fifth weeks, lessons will be dedicated to classroom discussions around specific questions, such as: How is the transition from community to mass society analyzed? What does social order mean? Which subjects are excluded from visions of society? Which phenomena are analyzed to study social change, and which are excluded? How has sociology confronted crisis/crises, and how does science become an object of sociological analysis? In what ways do objects of study and research methodologies evolve in response to changing power regimes?

The Seminar requires that each student actively participate in reading the short texts provided, viewing video material, and participating in classroom discussions.

The classroom discussions will be preparatory to deepening tools and methodologies helpful in conducting research activities and writing a thesis (with particular attention to the methods of the sociological question).

The complete list of texts to be discussed in class will be made available before the start of lessons and will be uploaded to the Virtuale.

 

Information regarding attendance and enrollment:

The Seminar activity presupposes constant presence at meetings; consequently, to obtain eligibility, one must attend at least 12 out of 15 lessons. Exemption from the attendance requirement is granted only in certain particular cases (see the section on Assessment and Learning Evaluation Methods).

Access to the Seminar is not limited in number, and therefore, there is no need to enroll through Studenti Online or to contact the professor regarding enrollment.

Students must register for the Seminar on Virtuale to access educational materials.

Readings/Bibliography

A list of texts to be discussed during the seminar (excerpts from books and scholarly articles) will be provided before the start of the course. All materials, both the texts for discussion and the teaching materials specifically prepared by the professor, will be made available online via the Virtuale.

Teaching methods

The seminar promotes interactive dynamics, in which, under the coordination of the professor, selected articles and passages from sociological studies, film excerpts and videos on contemporary issues are read and discussed in class. The activities include guided collective discussions and presentations by external scholars. The professor will provide reading materials and coordinate the meetings.

Assessment methods

Attendance requirements

Students are required to attend classes in person and follow at least 12 out of 15 total sessions.

Attendance at the Seminar is verified through signature in the classroom. Falsifying a signature results in exclusion from eligibility for the current academic year. Students will therefore have to wait until the following academic year to attend the Seminar again.

Only the following are exempt from the attendance requirement:

• Students who are abroad on Erasmus or Overseas programs (certification required);
• Working students who document, with a declaration from their employer, that their work schedule makes attendance impossible;
• Students who have disability certification (see 'People with disabilities and SLD');
• Students who have medical certification

 

Students who find themselves in at least one of these conditions must contact the professor. For them, proof of eligibility will be achieved by passing an oral examination after the conclusion of the Seminar. The oral examination will focus on an oral presentation using slides on a sociological issue of their choice. The discussion topic must be agreed upon with the professor.

 

Exam sessions/oral presentations
During the 2025/2026 academic year, those students entitled to exclusion from mandatory attendance are required to agree with the professor on an oral presentation for the month of May 2026.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

 
Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the professor but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adjustments. For more information, visit the page: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students . It is recommended that students contact the University office in advance. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days in advance for the professor's approval, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

During the lessons, supplementary documents, slides, and videos will be used. The material will be made available to students via the Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Loschi