09660 - Sociology of Culture (A-E)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide an analytical and comparative definition of cultural sociology, proposing to the student the learning and use of a specific model of interpretation, applied (and applicable) to the analysis of cultural objects. At the end of the course the student will be able to: - to clearly distinguish between sociologies of culture and cultural sociology; - to analyse and understand social phenomena such as "cultural objects"; - to apply a model of cultural analysis to different social processes and structures.

Course contents

The aim of the course is to provide students with the main theoretical and methodological tools for research and critical analysis in the field of Sociology of Culture.

The course is organized in lectures and seminars, as detailed in the following program.

The first section consists of 16 lectures (32 hours) aim to introduce students to the core tenets of the discipline. This first part of the course will propose a general framework on the main theories on sociology of culture. More specifically, in order to explore the concept of culture and the nature of its links with the social world in a global perspective, it will be considered the relationship between things, norms, values, beliefs and symbols.

The second section consists of 7 seminars (14 hours) aimed to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of class materials and exercises. In this second part of the course the students will be divided into three groups and they are required to carefully read the assigned material before each seminar and active participation will also be expected.

This second module of the course will apply the cultural analysis model:

- to the social construction of migrant and migration with particular reference to the media representations of it, and while influencing our sense of responsibility towards them;

- to the social construction of the climate change with paticular reference to the media representantions of it.

For each student, therefore, there are a total of 46 hours of frontal lectures, to which are added the hours of individual study in preparation of the 7 seminar lectures.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Griswold Wendy. (2005), Sociologia della cultura, il Mulino (for students attending only the first 5 chapters integrated by some insights uploaded to the virtual learning space of the course - https://virtuale.unibo.it/ ).
2. Musarò Pierluigi, Parmiggiani Paola (2022), L’ospitalità mediatica. Le migrazioni nel discorso pubblico, Franco Angeli, Milano, open access volume available for download at this link: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/791 (for attending students only the chapters covered by the seminar meetings in Module II);
   
3. Bauman Zigmunt (2016), Stranieri alle porte, Laterza, Bari (for attending students only the chapters covered by the seminar meetings in Module II);
4. Solo per studenti frequentanti: Cappi Valentina, L’altrove è già qui: comunicare il cambiamento climatico al tempo presente, 5^ capitolo del volume Cappi, Immaginare l’altrove nell’epoca dell’Antropocene, FrancoAngeli, 2023, pp. 101-126, volume open access scaricabile a questo link: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/933.
   

Teaching methods

The course is organized in 16 lectures and 7 seminars. Lectures aim to introduce students to the core tenets of the discipline. Seminars aim to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of class materials. Students are required to carefully read the assigned material before the seminar sessions.

Assessment methods

For students who attend classes the exam is divided into two parts:

• a midterm examination, at the end of October, on the program carried out in the first part of the lessons;
• a final examination based on the program carried out in the second part of the lessons.

The final grade will be a weighted average of the two partial grades.

For students who do not attend the lessons, the final exam consists of an oral exam on the texts indicated in the exam bibliography.

Assessment scale

It will produce excellent valuations: the ability to deepen and put into connection with each other the main issues addressed in the course; the use of appropriate language with the specific nature of the discipline.

It will produce discrete valuations: mnemonic knowledge of contents and partial ability to link the themes covered; the use of appropriate language.

It will produce sufficient valuations: a minimal body of knowledge on the topics covered; the use of inappropriate language.

It will produce negative valuations: lack of guidance within the themes addressed in the exam readings and training gaps; the use of inappropriate language.

Teaching tools

Slides projected in class and made available to students through the platform Virtuale – Learning Environment.
This course includes a teaching tutor, la dr.ssa Lucia Marciante (https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/lucia.marciante2/), who students can contact by e-mail or by going to office hour. The teaching tutor gives information on the program, on specific content of the training activities of the course and on the exam.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Parmiggiani

See the website of