93329 - Mass Society, Communication and Popular Cultures (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have a critical knowledge of the main kinds of source for analysing mass society. They will have a basic ability to apply methodology to studying communication phenomena, familiar with the historiographic debate as well as with the ways of analysing cultural processes. They will make critical use of the main information search tools, weighing their impact on society and culture. They will have mastered the basic tools for appraising popular culture. Working independently and in an orderly fashion, they will have acquired self-criticism and an ability to learn from mingling with others; they will also know how to choose the learning tools best suited to their own skills and purposes.

Course contents

The course intends to address the theme of the birth and growth of society and mass culture in the Western world during the contemporary age, with a focus on the period from the Belle Époque to the years of the so-called "economic miracles". We will focus in particular on the spaces that allowed the modernisation process to start: in particular the modern cities, witnesses of the rise of the bourgeois class but also showcases of the development of social and economic inequalities. We will then proceed to analyse the main media that contributed to the development of a mass culture: press, cinema, radio, television... The transition to the 20th century will be analysed with particular attention to the use of mass culture for the purposes of political consensus in totalitarian regimes, and then proceed to outline the season of democratic reconstruction, strongly impregnated by a new consumer culture dictated by the American model. Finally, an attempt will be made to understand what the foundations were for the launch of a new globalisation model.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending Students

In addition to the slides and lecture notes, Students must prepare

1) Asa Briggs, Peter Burke, Storia sociale dei media. Da Gutenberg a Internet, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009 (in particolare da pag. 133 alla fine).

2) Eric J. Hobsbawm, L’età degli Imperi, 1875-1914, Roma, Bari, Laterza, 2005.

3) A text to be chosen from the following:

Jean Baudrillard, La società dei consumi. I suoi miti e le sue strutture, Bologna, il Mulino, 2010.

Patrizia Dogliani, Storia dei giovani, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2003.

David Forgacs, Stephen Gundle, Cultura di massa e società italiana 1936-1954, Bologna, il Mulino, 2007.

Peter Burke, Dall’Encyclopédie a Wikimedia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013.

Non-attending Students

Students must prepare:

1) Asa Briggs, Peter Burke, Storia sociale dei media. Da Gutenberg a Internet, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009 (in particolare da pag. 133 alla fine).

2) Eric J. Hobsbawm, L’età degli Imperi, 1875-1914, Roma, Bari, Laterza, 2005.

3) George L. Mosse, La nazionalizzazione delle masse. Simbolismo politico e movimenti di massa in Germania (1815-1933), Bologna, il Mulino, 2009.

4) A text to be chosen from the following: 

Jean Baudrillard, La società dei consumi. I suoi miti e le sue strutture, Bologna, il Mulino, 2010.

Patrizia Dogliani, Storia dei giovani, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2003.

David Forgacs, Stephen Gundle, Cultura di massa e società italiana 1936-1954, Bologna, il Mulino, 2007.

Peter Burke, Dall’Encyclopédie a Wikimedia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

Assessment methods

The examination is oral and consists of discussing the texts and ascertaining the knowledge required for the course syllabus.
To achieve top marks in the assessment, the student must demonstrate an organic view of the topics addressed in the lectures and in the texts in the examination programme and show a good command of expression and specific language.

A student who attends at least 75% of the lectures is considered to be “attending".

Teaching tools

Ppt presentations and documents.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Musiani