00905 - Sociology (F-N)

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student: - possesses a basic knowledge of sociology, including its origins, main paradigms and theories, methods of analysis, and objects of study; - possesses tools for analyzing and understanding contemporary social phenomena—such as globalization—that also facilitate the interpretation and understanding of specific social contexts.

Course contents

Introduction to and explanation of the key approaches that shaped the discipline's development, with specific reference to and in-depth analysis of classic sociological works. Reflection on the theoretical, methodological, and epistemological debates underlying the move beyond the dichotomies that characterized sociology in the modern era (action/structure; micro/macro; quality/quantity; individualism/collectivism) and the subsequent introduction of new approaches. Focus on the importance of representation (in film and documentaries) for understanding the social reality we inhabit.


Lectures will systematically reference films and documentaries, which will serve to illustrate and provide empirical examples of the topics discussed. Platforms and titles relevant to upcoming lectures will be indicated on a weekly basis. Selected topics include:


Cultural trauma and divided memory: *The Report*; il caso Moro, Esterno Notte  and *Cronache criminali*.
Cultural capital and the reconstruction of cultural trauma: *Romanzo di una strage* and *I cento passi*.
Addiction, the urban periphery, *habitus*, and symbolic capital: *Trainspotting* and *Non essere cattivo*.
Stigma, prejudice, and total institutions: *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*.
Breaching experiments and the construction of social reality: *12 Angry Men*.
Cinematic and sociological realism: *Ossessione*.
Sociology of emotions (anger, nostalgia, and memory): *Compagni di scuola* and *Big Wednesday*.
The creation of a scapegoat and the diversion of investigations: The Piazza Fontana bombing and *Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina*.
Vigilante justice, the ethics of conviction versus the ethics of responsibility: *Gran Torino* and *Il colpo in canna* (from the series *Un giorno in Pretura*).
The social production of deviance, disillusionment, camaraderie, and police cultures: From *La polizia ringrazia* and *La polizia incrimina, la legge assolve* to *ACAB*.

Readings/Bibliography

Plummer, K. (2023) Primo Libro di Sociologia. Torino. Einaudi.


Wright Mills, C. (2014), L’immaginazione sociologica, Milano, Il Saggiatore (edizione originale 1956).


Bourdieu, P. (2010) Sul concetto di campo in sociologia, (edizione originale 1996), trad. it. M. Cerulo, Roma, Armando, pp. 56-98.


Toti, A. (2016) Per una sociologia del documentario. Teorie e pratiche cognitive, in «SocietàMutamentoPolitica», 7(14), pp. 199-216.

Teaching methods

Lectures covering the core syllabus, combined with seminar-style discussions—integrated into the lectures—focusing on the sociological concepts and issues raised by the films that attending students will be asked to watch each week.

Assessment methods

Attending students:




Midterm exam featuring multiple-choice and open-ended questions based on the text by Ken Plummer (required for all students) + Final exam consisting of a short essay analyzing a film—chosen from those discussed in class by the instructor—through the lenses of sociological imagination (Wright-Mills), cultural field (Bourdieu), and the cinema-documentary relationship (Toti).
The final exam regarding the seminars will take place on the last day of class for each group. Both the midterm and final exams are graded on a scale of 30. The overall exam grade will be the arithmetic mean of the scores obtained on the midterm and final exams.




Midterm exam duration and structure: 6 multiple-choice questions (3 points each) + 2 open-ended questions (6 points each). Test duration: one hour (60 minutes).


Final exam duration: one hour (60 minutes) to write the short essay.




Please note!
Students who do not take the midterm exam, fail it, or do not accept the grade will not be permitted to take the final exam regarding the seminars (scheduled for the last day of class for each group).




Non-attending students:




Written exam covering all texts (Plummer, Wright-Mills, Bourdieu, and Toti).


Exam duration and structure for non-attending students: 6 multiple-choice questions (3 points each) + 2 open-ended questions (6 points each). Test duration: one and a half hours (90 minutes).

Teaching tools

PPT.

Office hours

See the website of Luca Martignani