C8773 - ANTROPOLOGIA CULTURALE E SOCIALE

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student:

• knows the general lines of development of the discipline;
• is familiar with the theoretical and methodological issues that the discipline addresses in its current practice, with particular reference to the socio-cultural processes and educational contexts;
• possesses solid skills in the cultural analysis of processes of differentiation, marginalization, and exclusion in territorial and socio-educational settings, whether formal, non-formal, or informal;
• understands the evolution of concepts related to socio-cultural diversity (culture, tradition, ethnicity, race, etc.) and is able to analyze their implications for the representation, design, implementation, and evaluation of socio-educational interventions, intercultural mediation activities, and cultural heritage initiatives;
• is able to identify the key principles for the appropriate use of anthropological knowledge in future professional practice;
• can apply theoretical and methodological tools for a critical and reflective approach in professional contexts;
• is able to interpret information emerging from professional practice as data to be analyzed according to an ethnographic model;
• is capable of communicating their interpretations of the socio-cultural contexts and educational settings in which they work as members of a professional team;
• understands the possibilities and limitations of the ethnographic approach in the co-construction of participatory models with the groups and communities they engage with;
• can draw on the ethnographic approach to improve the listening to and interpretation of communication processes;
• is capable of integrating their knowledge and navigating anthropological scholarship in ways that enable them to independently expand their analytical tools.

Course contents

The course consists aims in the first place to develop a vocabulary of the concepts debated in anthropology (culture, ethnicity, race, etc.), as well as the foundations of ethnographic methodology and ethics (relativism, fieldwork, participant observation, etc.). This vocabulary will be illustrated through an extended ethnographic case study along with other minor ones drawn from different societies around the world.

A global and comparative perspective on society and culture will help cultivate a critical and reflective approach, including toward more familiar contexts. The course will introduce ethnographic research in several professional fields of particular relevance to future graduates, including representations of diversity, discrimination and care relations within institutions and social work and educational services. 

Readings/Bibliography

Both attending and non-attending students are required to prepare the following texts:

- Tassan, Manuela (2020): Antropologia per insegnare. Bologna: Zanichelli (only Part I, except chapter 6, and Part II, chapters 1-5)

- Bourgois, Philippe e Jeff Schonberg (2019) Reietti e fuorilegge : antropologia della violenza nella metropoli americana (tradotto da Stefania De Petri). Roma: DeriveApprodi. (available also in the original English as ebook on SBN)

- Additional resources on the platform Virtuale

Teaching methods

Teaching will be based on frontal lectures as well as on active learning activities, such as plenary discussions, work in pairs or groups, short exercises, and seminar events. Teaching and learning materials will also be available on Virtuale.

Assessment methods

The written assessment consists of two parts: 1) multiple-choice and short-answer questions; 2) open-ended questions.

Part 1 is designed to assess fundamental knowledge of the concepts, themes, and approaches of anthropology. It consists of 10 questions. The maximum score for each question is +1 or +2, depending on its complexity, if answered correctly; 0 points are awarded for incorrect or missing answers. Part 1 is considered passed with a minimum score of 9 out of 15 points.

Part 2 assesses the ability to: a) use conceptual terminology accurately; b) reflect on the analytical and ethical issues of the anthropological approach; c) analyze the socio-cultural dynamics of socio-educational contexts. The two open-ended questions carry a maximum score of +5 and +10 points respectively if answered completely and correctly, decreasing by one-point increments down to 0 for completely incorrect or missing answers. Part 2 is considered passed with a minimum score of 9 out of 15 points.

The examination is considered passed if both parts are passed. The overall score is obtained by adding the scores from the two parts. The minimum passing grade is therefore 18/30, while the highest possible grade, obtained by providing all correct and complete answers, is 30 cum laude.

Students have approximately 75 minutes to complete the examination. During the examination, the use of aids such as textbooks, notes, electronic devices, etc. is not permitted. With regard to assessment, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

Presentation slides, mind maps, video and audio-visuals, forms and analytical tools, e-learning activities, available on the Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Paolo Gaibazzi