04491 - Sociology of Cultural Processes

Learning outcomes

The course intends to provide a sociological approach to cultural processes through key theoretical and methodological operators for learning about the different dynamics involved in the production, organisation, flow, communication, appropriation, circulation, transfer, devices, registers, regimes, and uses of culture in contexts involving European and Mediterranean basin countries. At the end of the course, the student will gain a better understanding of cultural processes constructed from the social need for knowledge and related demands, which constitute cultural profiles in different contexts. Furthermore, it is expected to broaden the understanding of the relationships between theories, techniques and professional practices through the exposition of communication experiences as mediation and cultural appropriation.

Course contents

Contents

PART I: Cultural processes (Lectures, snowballing)

1. The object of the course: Cultural Processes

2. Ideas of Culture: Raymond Williams / Pierre Bourdieau

3. Ideas of Culture: Cultural Studies

4. Socio-technological Changes and Consequences in Cultural Practices

5. Culture, technologies, citizens.

PART II: Practices

6. The social imaginary and social representations

7. Images and memory: circulation and appropriation of information at the time of the meme

8. Social imaginaries

9. Urban imaginaries

10. Climatic imaginaries

11. Technological imaginaries

12. Science and knowledge: utopias, dystopias and reality

13. Coping with the end of the world

Readings/Bibliography

Mandatory Bibliography:

1. 1. SANTORO, Marco & GRÜNING, Barbara. Cultura e società – Concetti, modelli, questioni. Roma, Carocci, 2024.

   2. NATALI, Giacomo: Geopolitica Pop – Conflitti, simboli e identità dal K-pop a Masha e l’orso. Roma, Treccani, 2023.
   3. ARVIDSSON, Adam & LUISE, Vincenzo. Antropocene digitale – Rischiare insieme sulle soglie del futuro. Milano, UTET, 2025.
   4. COLAMEDICI, Andrea & ARCAGNI, Simone. L’algoritmo di Babele – Storie e miti dell’intelligenza artificiale. Milano, Solferino, 2025.
   5. KLINENBERG, Eric: “Cultura, Media e Comunicazione”. IN: Manza, Jeff; Arum, Richard e Haney, Lynne: Progetto Sociologia – Guida all’immaginazione sociologica. Milano, Pearson Italia, 2018. Capitolo 6– pp. 158/189.

   NON ATTENDING STUDENTS :

   In addition to the compulsory bibliography, students are required to read ONE of the following texts for the exam:

   1. COULDRY, Nick & MEIJAS, Ulises A. Il prezzo della connessione. Come i dati colonizzano la nostra vita e se ne appropriano per far soldi. Bologna: Il Mulino, 2022
   2. PESCATORE, Guglielmo (ed.) Ecosistemi narrativi – Dal fumetto alla serie TV. Roma, Carocci, 2018.
   3. LOLLI, Alessandro. La guerra dei meme - Fenomenologia di uno scherzo infinito. Firenze, Effequ, 2017.

OTHER COMPLEMENTARY READINGS MAY BE INDICATED DURING THE LESSONS

Teaching methods

The course emphasises participative teaching. Teaching is carried out through lectures and the use of technological aids. It is also conducted through in-depth seminars with students, discussion of empirical cases, practical exercises, viewing and analysis of film clips, documentaries and videos on the course topics. Students will be required to play a very active role, through discussions, analysis of case studies, and work to be processed outside class time and presented in classroom.

Assessment methods

For attending students - the learning assessment consists of:
1 Continuous assessment (active participation in the proposed activities);
2 Presentation of the seminar work (in the second half of the course), with a written examination of the work presented (at the end of the course), All of which will form part of the assessment and will serve as a means of checking individual learning against the course completed in the classroom. The examination programme is roughly similar to that of non-attenders.

ttendees who have achieved and passed the pass mark at the end of the course may register their grade (by registering and attending the roll call); or they may decide to take the oral examination on the whole syllabus, with the compulsory readings.

The seminar work, to be developed in groups and presented during the second part of the course, is assessed overall (written part) and individually (during the presentation). Particularly assessed at all stages will be the student's ability to move within the sources and bibliographic material in order to be able to identify useful information in them that will enable him/her to illustrate the aspects covered in the course.
Specifically, the following will be assessed:
- Elaboration and explanation of the concept map 60%.
- Active participation in class, exercises: 10%
- Seminar group work: 30%

For NON-attending students:
In addition to the compulsory bibliography, students must read ONE of the texts chosen from the COMPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY:
For those who take the roll call, the oral interview focuses on the texts indicated in the compulsory bibliography (and complementary, for non-attending students) and is aimed at testing the student's abilities regarding analysis, criticism and overall control of the discipline.

The criteria adopted for the evaluation of learning are: knowledge of the bibliography of the programme; ability to develop arguments independently; ability to describe and illustrate phenomena, processes, practices studied by the sociology of cultural and communicative processes; ability to empirically situate theoretical generalisations; ability to deal with sociological reflection on aspects and processes of transformation of contemporary society.

Teaching tools

Lectures. Network resources. Coordinated discussions. Orientation and tutoring to seminar groups outside class time (on a telematics platform).

FOR NON-FREQUENCING STUDENTS: If there are any doubts about the course explanations and study materials, I would ask you to email me with the times when you are available online to arrange a short meeting to resolve any doubts or needs.

Please consult the VIRTUALE website (http://virtuale.unibo.it) to retrieve the schedule of lessons and activities, as well as the various materials.

Students who, for reasons dependent on disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA), require compensatory tools may inform the teacher of their needs so that they can be referred to the contact persons and the most appropriate arrangements can be made.

Please, refer to the page
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti

Office hours

See the website of Giulia Crippa