17270 - Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes

Learning outcomes

The course focuses on the main sociological dimensions of the concept of culture and communication, especially with reference to the process of technological convergence that redefines the boundaries between different media in global society. At the end of the course, the student will be able to apply the main theoretical and methodological tools of the sociology of culture and communication to the issue of global identity and power conflicts in the network society.

Course contents

The course Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes aims to provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary to interpret and analyze the relationships between the so-called structural dimensions of social life (such as interpersonal relations, economic dynamics, social classes, etc.) and the more distinctly expressive aspects of human existence (such as values, beliefs, worldviews, etc.). All of this is examined in light of the crucial role played by communication—both face-to-face and, above all, as mediated by the most recent technological tools.

In this regard, the course is divided into two key and deeply interrelated parts: the first introduces students to the sociology of culture, while the second is dedicated to the sociology of communication and the media. The objective is to offer, through a critical approach, the theoretical and methodological tools necessary for sociocultural research into the major social issues of our time, with particular attention given to the theme of the so-called twin transition — ecological and digital — which arguably represents the greatest challenge of our era.

More specifically, the first part will present an overview of the major classical and contemporary theoretical paradigms in the sociology of culture, including, for instance, the distinction between high culture and popular culture, the relationship between materialism and idealism, the collective dimension of culture, social imaginaries, social constructivism, cultural pluralism, the relationship between culture and nature, etc.

In the second part, these same themes will be reexamined through an analysis of the principal theoretical paradigms of media sociology, tracing their development from traditional analog forms to the most recent digital evolutions. Particular attention will be paid to the cultural dimension associated with the network society and the so-called social web, ranging from forms of convergent culture to the more critical aspects of today’s digital public sphere, such as platformization and surveillance, and extending to the latest developments in artificial intelligence.

Readings/Bibliography

The course includes the adoption of two main textbooks, which constitute the primary study material for all students (both attending and non-attending):

- Griswold, W. (2005). Sociology of Culture. il Mulino, Bologna (only chapters 1 to 5).

- Riva, C., Ciofalo, G., Degli Esposti, P., Stella, R. (2022). Sociology of Media. Utet, Turin (only the chapters specified at the beginning of the course by the teacher).

- Codeluppi V. (2024). La morte della cultura di massa. Carocci, Roma.

In addition to these volumes, further chapters and/or in-depth readings from other sources will be provided directly by the teacher and made available on Virtuale at the beginning of the lessons.

N.B. Non-attending students are required to read and study the entire content of the books mentioned above, and must choose at least two of the following additional contributions:

- Spillare, S., Bonazzi, M., Degli Esposti, P. (2024). AI Imaginaries and Narratives in the Italian Public Discourse: The Impact of Chat-GPT. Im@go (forthcoming).
- Spillare, S. (2020). Development of the Organic Sector and the Evolution of Its Consumer Culture: A Sociocultural Approach to Consumer Engagement. In: Kodilja, R., Qualizza, G. (eds.), Il ritorno dei luoghi. Place of origin and consumer engagement: new maps for creating value. ETS, Pisa.
- Spillare, S. (2022). Culture and Sustainable Development. In: Paltrinieri, R. (ed.), Il valore sociale della cultura. Franco Angeli, Milan (pp. 17–36).
- Pellizzoni, L. (2007). Climate Change as a Cultural Object: Science, Politics and Uncertainty. COSMOPOLIS.
- de Moor et al. (2021). New Kids on the Block: Taking Stock of the Recent Cycle of Climate Activism. Social Movement Studies, 20(5): 619–625, DOI: 10.1080/14742837.2020.1836617.

 

In addition, students who do not have a solid background in sociology are encouraged to read, as preparatory or complementary material during the course, the following texts:

- Jedlowski, P. (2009). Il mondo in questione. Carocci, Rome (chapters 1–7, 10–14).
- Giddens, A., Sutton, P.W. (2014). Fundamentals of Sociology. il Mulino, Bologna (chapters 1–8, 10 and 13).

Teaching methods

The course is based on active and participatory teaching. Technological tools will support the lessons and be supplemented by in-depth seminars, analysis of multimedia documents relating to the course topics, testimonials and/or discussion meetings on empirical cases. Students will be required to play an active role through class discussions, case study analysis and/or small group work that will be presented in class in a scientific format at the end of the course.

Assessment methods

Generally, for all students enrolled in the course, the evaluation method consists of an oral interview on the contents of the reference texts. The exam will be held in the scheduled sessions. It will be aimed at testing the knowledge, understanding and ability to critically re-elaborate the course's concepts, theories and topics.

However, in order to facilitate the study, ATTENDING STUDENTS can take the exam by dividing it into two (2) tests to be held approximately in the middle (midterm test) and at the end of the course (final test). These tests will have the same value as the exam and will relieve the student from the obligation of the oral examination. The tests are expected to be in written form (usually in mixed mode, partly multiple-choice questions and partly open-ended questions). In addiction, a small group work will also requested to attending students to verifying the capacity to apply concepts and to discriminate between attending and non-attending students.

Attending students who have passed the midterm and the final tests can register the result by registering themselves to the first available official session, without the necessary physical presence during the verbalization (the registration procedure will be valid as acceptance).

Passing the midterm test is the necessary condition to access the final one. This means those who do not pass the midterm exam will NOT be admitted to the final test and will have to retake the entire program exclusively as an oral exam during official sessions.

Suppose the student refuses the vote (avoiding register themselves to the first available session and communicating it to the teacher), he or she can always retake the complete exam in an oral way during the official sessions.

It is not possible to reject only part of the vote.

We kindly remind that NON ATTENDING students have to take an oral interview during the regular sessions and they will be evaluated on the additional selected texts as indicated in the previous section, "Readings/Bibliography").

The criteria adopted for the assessment of learning are knowledge of the exam programme; ability to independently develop arguments; ability to describe and illustrate phenomena, institutional processes, micro and macro dynamics studied by the sociology of cultural and communicative processes; capacity for empirical collocation of theoretical generalizations; ability to face a sociological reflection on aspects and processes of transformation of contemporary society; adequacy of the language used.

The exam is considered passed only when all the requirements have been met.

Teaching tools

Teaching involves the use of electronic devices, such as video projectors or other. Some of the materials indicated in the exam program and other in-depth materials may be suggested and/or made available by the teacher in electronic format.

Students will also have the support of a didactic tutor.

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Spillare