93545 - Communication Laboratory (Lm) (G.B)

Learning outcomes

The workshop aims to provide students with skills in the field of journalistic and media content production (television, radio and Internet). At the end of the course the student: - masters the main techniques of producing news and media content - is able to independently produce news content in written, oral or multimedia form.

Course contents

Exploring the Contemporary Imaginary: A Sociological Reading of Television Series, Cinema, and Other “Monsters” of Mass Culture

This course aims to analyze, from a sociological perspective, representations of power and domination, class and gender inequalities, racism, and discrimination through television series, cinema, advertising, and other expressions of mass culture. The central goal is to highlight how these cultural forms contribute to constructing and reflecting the contemporary collective imaginary. The course addresses a broad and complex field—the imaginary—with an agile and concise approach designed to stimulate critical and interdisciplinary analysis.

The seminar is structured into two main parts: a historical-theoretical section and an applied sociology section focused on the imaginary. Participants will be guided in investigating the history and sociology of the modern and postmodern imaginary, engaging with key theoretical contributions from authors such as Slavoj Žižek (ideology), Joseph Campbell (hero mythology), and Theodor W. Adorno (cultural industry). Through a critical examination of these concepts, emblematic audiovisual materials of the contemporary imaginary will be analyzed.

The course is organized around the concepts of image, imaginary, and imagination, which will serve as a guiding thread throughout all activities. The following fundamental questions will be addressed:

• What role does the imaginary and imagination play in the multiple realities constructed through images?

• How is the collective imaginary constructed and deconstructed?

• What social relevance does the imaginary hold in contemporary society?

Regular attendance is required; students must attend at least 12 of the 15 sessions (equivalent to 24 of 30 contact hours) to present the final project and pass the course.

Program of Main Topics

Topic 1: What is the Imaginary?
An analysis of the concept of the “imaginary,” its relationship with contemporary society, and how mass culture, through its plurality of products, shapes its form and content.

Topic 2: Vampires versus Zombies — The Function of Terror in Society
Based on Slavoj Žižek’s Trouble in Paradise: From the End of History to the End of Capitalism, this seminar will propose a Marxist analysis of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat through the symbolic opposition between the vampire and the zombie—figures that have become central to the collective imaginary since the mid-20th century. The discussion will extend to other monstrous archetypes such as werewolves, witches, and ghosts, exploring their sociocultural evolution.

Topic 3: The Hero, the Myth, and the History
Through the analysis of visual materials (comics, graphic novels, films, television series, documentaries) and examples of contemporary heroes such as Ernesto “Che” Guevara and Diego Maradona, we will explore why society needs heroes and how communities construct and select their heroic figures. Key texts under discussion will include Žižek’s The Politics of Batman and Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Topic 4: Imaginary Love
This session examines new socio-affective configurations generated by the convergence of love and technology. We will explore phenomena such as long-distance relationships, dating apps, artificial intelligence, and social networks, evaluating their impact on cultural representations of love via cinema, television, music, and reality shows. Reference works include Thomas Scheff’s What’s Love Got to Do with It?: Emotions and Relationships in Pop Songs and Ann Swidler’s Talk of Love: How Culture Matters.

Topic 5: The Figure of the Antihero — Violence, Representation, and the “Culture of Evil”
The entertainment industry’s increasing focus on seductive criminal figures has spurred debates about possible glamorization of violence. As an archetype of the collective imaginary, the criminal embodies ambivalent drives—money, power, sexuality—that dominant culture simultaneously promotes and represses. The seminar includes a comparative intercultural analysis of series such as The Sopranos (1999–2007), Gomorra (2014–2019), and Narcos: Mexico (2018–present), focusing on crime, patriarchy, and masculinity.

Topic 6: The Feminization of Culture?
This topic investigates the representation of women in cinema and television, situating it historically within political and social transformation. The evolving imaginary surrounding archetypes like “the witch” and “the stepmother” will be examined from mythological to more nuanced and complex portrayals. The session will consider whether there is a feminization of contemporary culture.

Additional themes relevant to the sociology of the imaginary—such as migration, social movements, State and identity—will be incorporated. As an interactive workshop, active student participation will be encouraged. Students may propose additional topics of interest, fostering critical sociological exploration of cultural products.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Readings/Bibliography

• Abruzzese, A. (2001). L’utopia dell’immagine, in Forme estetiche e società di massa. Arte e pubblico nell'età del capitalismo. Venezia: Marsilio.

• Abruzzese, A. (2008). La grande scimmia. Mostri, vampiri, automi, mutanti. L'immaginario collettivo dalla letteratura al cinema e all'informazione. Roma: Luca Sossella Editore.

• Anderson, B. (2018). Comunità immaginate: origini e fortuna dei nazionalismi. Gius. Laterza & Figli SpA.

• Beck, U. (2012). Amore a distanza. Il caos globale degli affetti. Roma-Bari: Laterza.

• Campbell, J. (1958). L'eroe dai mille volti. Milano: Feltrinelli.

• Castoriadis, C. (2021). L'elemento immaginario. Pisa: ETS.

• Grassi, V. (2006). Introduzione alla sociologia dell'immaginario. Per una comprensione della vita quotidiana. Milano: Guerini.

• Horkheimer, M., & Adorno, T. W. (1947). Dialettica dell’illuminismo. Frammenti filosofici. Torino: Giulio Einaudi Editore. (In particolare: “L’industria culturale. Quando l’illuminismo diventa mistificazione di massa”)

• Petrolio, A. (2023). Medusa. Torino: Einaudi.

• Scheff, T. J. (2015). What's Love Got to Do with It?: Emotions and Relationships in Pop Songs. London: Routledge.

• Swidler, A. (2001). Talk of love: How culture matters. Chicago: University of Chicago press.

• Tirino, M., & Tramontana, A. (2018). I riflessi di «Black Mirror». Glossario su immaginari, culture e media della società digitale. Roma: Rogas.

• Zizek, S. (2015). Problemi in paradiso: Il comunismo dopo la fine della storia. Milano: Ponte alle Grazie.

Most of these texts are in other languages such as English and Spanish. If any of the students need support in finding the bibliography, please contact the teacher.

 

Teaching methods

As a workshop, this is primarily a practical course designed to foster collaborative experimentation with students, encouraging the exchange of knowledge and ideas grounded in the texts, concepts, authors, and visual materials presented in class. In this context, active student participation and open classroom debates are strongly encouraged. The workshop follows a seminar-style format, promoting a horizontal dialogue between instructor and students based on shared learning and critical discussion.

Assessment methods

During the course, continuous assessment will be conducted, taking into account both the assignments completed by students and their active participation in class. For the final assignment, students will be required to submit a short written paper analyzing a visual work through the lens of the sociology of the imaginary, applying the concepts developed throughout the course. Detailed instructions regarding the final assignment will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

PDF files will be shared with students, as well as any visual material used during the course. PPT slides will be made available and shared with students at the end of the course, ensuring complete and organized access to all teaching resources.

Office hours

See the website of Paulina Sabugal Paz