- Docente: Federico Pilati
- Credits: 6
- SSD: SPS/08
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: In-person learning (entirely or partially)
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Italian Studies and European Literary Cultures (cod. 6051)
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from Apr 08, 2026 to May 20, 2026
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will have a general knowledge of the processes of production and consumption of popular culture in Italy. They will have studied major theoretical issues and empirical cases from different sectors (e.g. music, movies, newspapers, books). They will be able to analyze the cultural meanings and social effects of popular culture in Italy, focusing also on the role of cultural institutions, the media system, and the political field. They will be able to interpret the relevance of popular culture for the social construction of national identities in Italy. In particular, they will be able to recognize and analyze a variety of Italian cultural objects from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Course contents
The program of the course is articulated in two major sections.
The first section reconstructs and defines core concepts from the fields of cultural and media studies as well as sociology. The aim is building a tool-kit to analyze the socially constructed and historically rooted – yet contested and changeable – meanings of the notions of “Italian”, “Popular”, and, especially, “Culture(s)”.
The second section explores the "Maranza" youth as a focal point of contemporary Italian pop cultures. We will examine the symbiotic relationship between youth subcultures and digital platforms. Furthermore, we will map the geographies of race and ethnicity within the globalized landscape of trap music. Finally, we will explore how mainstream media portrays the "Maranza" to understand how emerging cultural trends are colliding with the traditional Italian national identity.
Readings/Bibliography
Grazian, D. (2023) Mix It Up: Popular Culture, Mass Media, and Society. 3rd edn. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Poell, T., Nieborg, D. B. and Duffy, B. E. (2021) Platforms and Cultural Production. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Teaching methods
The teaching method will follow a flipped classroom approach: readings and exercises will be carried out independently while in class, we will discuss the emerging issues and collaboratively work on specific case studies.
Assessment methods
Students are required to write a final essay. The length should be 25.000-35.000 characters, spaces and bibliography included. Both the content and the structure must be discussed in advance and approved. The essay must be submitted through the specific box on Virtuale no later than one day before the exam date. In order for the grade to be officially registered, students must sign up for the exam through AlmaEsami.
In accordance with the University of Bologna’s official policy on the use of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning, students are reminded that the evaluation material must be the result of original and autonomous work. For further details, please consult the University’s guidelines on AI usage.
Teaching tools
Online resources, free software, and documents not included in the textbooks but relevant to the topics covered in class.
Office hours
See the website of Federico Pilati