27280 - Seminars (1) (G.A)

Learning outcomes

The philosophy Seminars propose general objectives, which are those specific teaching seminar: (1) to train the students to philosophical discussion urging participation in conferences and presentations of Italian and foreign scholars; (2) deepen the topics of the courses through participation in philosophical lectures by specialists also of other universities; (3) broaden their thematic and methodological horizons to complete offered teaching.

Course contents

Sociology of Science and Sociology as Science

Sociology was born as a science of social order and established itself as an autonomous science at the turn of the twentieth century; in the latter half of the twentieth century, following the Second World War and the Cold War, sociology turned the same critical gaze onto science, technology, and its own analytical tools, interrogating the social construction of the scientific fact and of the technological artifact. Today, new questions confront large language models and artificial intelligence artifacts, now part of everyday life and, once again, of the scenarios of war — questioning the global order, the forms of power inscribed within them, and the discipline itself that observes them.

The seminar will address these themes and the key questions across three macro-sections.

Readings/Bibliography

A list of texts to be discussed during the seminar (excerpts from books and scholarly articles) will be provided before the start of the course. All materials, both the texts for discussion and the teaching materials specifically prepared by the professor, will be made available online via the Virtuale.

Teaching methods

The seminar promotes interactive dynamics, in which, under the coordination of the professor, selected articles and passages from sociological studies, film excerpts and videos on contemporary issues are read and discussed in class. The activities include guided collective discussions and presentations by external scholars. The professor will provide reading materials and coordinate the meetings.

Assessment methods

Pass/Fail Certification (Idoneità)

The certification is obtained when both of the following conditions are met:

1. Attendance: at least 11 of the 15 sessions, attested by a signature in class — upon entry or exit — on a dedicated register kept by the instructor (there will be no circulating sign-in sheets in the classroom, but a single, unique register).
2. In-class activity: completion of at least 11 of the 15 activity questionnaires, corresponding to the sessions actually attended, on the texts and materials discussed in class, via the Microsoft Forms platform, to be accessed by logging in with one's own studio.unibo.it account.

Falsifying a signature entails exclusion from the certification for the current academic year. Students will therefore have to wait until the following academic year to attend the Seminar again.

Exempted from the attendance requirement are only:

• Students who are abroad on Erasmus or Overseas programs (certification required);
• Working students who document, through a statement from their employer, that their work schedule makes attendance impossible;
• Students with a certified disability (see the section "Students with Disabilities and SLD");
• Students with a medical certification.

For these students, the certification will be obtained by passing a brief oral examination after the conclusion of the Seminar, during the month of May.

Students with Disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders are entitled to special accommodations in relation to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD.

Please do not contact the instructor directly; instead, contact the Service to schedule an appointment. The Service will determine which accommodations are appropriate. Further information is available at: http://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti .

Students are advised to contact the University office well in advance. Any accommodations must in any case be submitted, at least 15 days in advance, for the instructor's approval, who will assess their appropriateness also in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

During the lessons, supplementary documents, slides, and videos will be used. The material will be made available to students via the Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Loschi