28164 - Seminar (1) (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the seminar students: - have deepened the knowledge of relevant aspects of cinema, television and multimedia production studies; - autonomously apply innovative methodologies of analysis to audiovisual and media products.

Course contents

From the Loser to the Incel: Continuities and Discontinuities in Contemporary Media Imaginaries.

The course examines the transformation of contemporary masculine imaginaries through the evolution of figures such as the loser, the nerd, and the freak, placing twentieth-century subcultures in dialogue with more recent digital communities, particularly the incel phenomenon. Through the analysis of films, media texts, and participatory cultures, the course explores how characters and narratives originally rooted in specific historical and cultural contexts are now reinterpreted, decontextualised, and, at times, appropriated within new ideological frameworks. Particular attention will be devoted to the processes through which masculine taste is constructed, the mainstreaming of countercultural formations, and the risks of retrospective and deterministic readings of the past that project contemporary categories onto works and phenomena shaped by very different historical contexts. An underlying concern of the seminar is the critical examination of the predominantly male, and at times exclusively male, construction of these cultural imaginaries.

Readings/Bibliography

L. Barra, D. Hipkins, C. O'Rawe, D. Renga, Contemporary Italian Youth Television, Palgrave, London, 2026 (durante il corso saranno discussi alcuni capitoli).

G. Boccia Artieri, G. Fiorentino (a cura di), Storia e teoria della serialità. Vol. III. Le forme della narrazione contemporanea tra arte, consumi e ambienti artificiali, Meltemi, Milano, 2024.

P. Brembilla, Dalla TV alle OTT. Il caso Netflix, in M. Scaglioni (a cura di), La televisione. Modelli teorici e percorsi d'analisi, Carocci, Roma, 2018, pp. 281-292.

S. Hall, Codifica e decodifica nel discorso televisivo, in S. Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, P. Willis (a cura di), Politiche del quotidiano. Culture, identità e senso comune, Il Saggiatore, Milano, 2006.

D. Hebdige, Sottocultura. Il significato dello stile, Meltemi, Roma, 2017

E. R. Meschini, Freak, in AA.VV., Selvario. Guida alle parole della selva, Mimesis, Milano, 2023, pp. 223-229.

Teaching methods

The seminar combines lectures and seminar discussions designed to provide a theoretical framework for understanding the concept of subculture and its historical development through the analysis of key texts, case studies, and multimedia materials (films, documentaries, music productions, etc.). Adopting a participatory approach to knowledge production, the course will engage students in the analysis of music videos from a range of contemporary scenes, as well as blogs and social media profiles associated with the online communities examined throughout the seminar. Methodologically, the seminar privileges a relational and workshop-based approach; active participation and dialogue between students and the instructor therefore constitute an essential component of the learning process. The aim is to create a shared space for critical reflection in which theoretical analysis is continuously enriched by collective discussion and the collaborative interpretation of the materials under examination.

Assessment methods

To successfully complete the seminar, students are required to attend at least 80% of the classes. In addition, they must submit a short essay (approximately 2,500 words) on one of the topics covered during the seminar. Assessment will take place throughout the duration of the seminar and will be based on a process of continuous and participatory evaluation. The main assessment criteria include: active participation in lectures and seminar discussions; critical engagement with the analysis of the course materials (films, music, documentaries, and theoretical readings).

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

 

Use of Generative AI in Final Assessment. Generative AI may be used as a support tool for individual study, for example for background research, summarisation (only after students have actually read the original sources), and self-assessment activities. During the examination, however, the use of generative AI is strictly prohibited. Any use of AI tools during the examination constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

Throughout the seminar, various tools will be used to support teaching activities: computers, internet access, and multimedia projections (including PowerPoint presentations, video excerpts, and audio materials).

All materials discussed during the sessions—slides, academic articles, theoretical contributions, reference bibliographies, music playlists, and selected filmographies—will be made available to students via the virtual platform virtuale.unibo.it .

Office hours

See the website of Emanuele Rinaldo Meschini