- Docente: Giulia Selmi
- Credits: 6
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Communication Sciences (cod. 8885)
Learning outcomes
The student will learn the basic tools of the sociological discipline, with special reference to theoretical models, concepts and research methods. At the end of the course the student should be able to make use of his/her sociological imagination applying it to major issues in our contemporary social life.
Course contents
The student is introduced to the sociological imagination or the peculiar perspective through which sociologists look at and try to make sense of the world.
At the end or the course students will
- get to know the origin of the discipline, the sociological paradigms and the main social theories;
- get to know the basic sociological concepts like action, practice, interaction, social structure, culture, power, capital, social networks, group and organization;
- analyse some of the crucial sociological themes that have traditionally challenged the discipline and are still important issues for contemporary societies as social inequalities, families and kinship systems, gender and sexual orientation differences, migration and racism, deviance and culture.
- Get to know the different methodological approaches and the main tools to gather and analyse empirical data.
Readings/Bibliography
- The power point presentations of each lesson that will be available on the course web platform
- J. Manza et al., Progetto Sociologia. Guida all'immaginazione sociologica, Milano, Pearson Italia 2018.
[keep attention: you should refer to the 2018 edition and not to the former ones]
This selection of readings is a mandatory part of the course program. You can find them on the web platform of Progetto Sociologia:
- W. Mills, L’immaginazione sociologica
- P. L. Berger, Invito alla sociologia
- E.C. Hughes, Il posto della ricerca sul campo nella scienza sociale
- Swidler, La cultura in azione
- M. Weber, Tipi di potere legittimo
- P.Bourdieu, Habitus di classe e opinioni politiche
- H. Garfinkel, Agnese
- R. Siebert, Il lascito del colonialismo e la relazione con l’altro
- Saraceno, Di che cosa parliamo quando parliamo di famiglia
- J. C. Kaufmann, Le nuove coppie
- H.S. Becker, Outsiders ed etichettamento
Teaching methods
Throughout the course lectures will be combined with active learning activities, discussions and analysis of audio-visual materials.
Assessment methods
Written examination
Office hours
See the website of Giulia Selmi