00905 - Sociology (A-E)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• have a knowledge of the sociological perspective, its origins, its main paradigms and theories, its methods of analysis, its objects of study
• use tools to analyze contemporary social phenomena, functional to reading and understanding several social contexts.

Course contents

The course provides students with the main tools and resources to reflect on the functioning of contemporary societies and the most valid and updated knowledge available to the discipline. The course applies an empirical and comparative approach. In particular, it aims to present the contribution to the understanding and interpretation of social reality that an empirically founded knowledge, based on a continuous comparison of the forms assumed by social phenomena in time and space, is able to offer.

The course adopts a method of organising teaching - inspired by the logic of the 'inverted class' - which divides the course into two different sections of different lengths: lectures and seminars.

Lectures (32 hours) aim to introduce students to the core concepts and theories of the discipline. In the first lessons, students are introduced to sociological thought and to the historical and social conditions in which it was born. Afterwards, the analysis of the institutions, practices and social processes that shape modern and contemporaries societies will be addressed, comparing theoretical approaches and the results of social research.

The topics covered in this part of the course are the following:

- The social fabric, social groups and organisations;

- Culture, language and communication

- Deviant behaviour and forms of social control

- Religion

- Systems of social stratification, social class and inequalities;

- The concepts of sex and gender, sexual identities and inequalities based on gender and age;

- The concept of race and ethnicity and migration processes;

- The social institution of the family and its changes,

- Education and education (Education and inequalities + education and meritocracy)

- Economy and society (work, production and consumption);

- Institutions and political interactions.

- The organisation of society in space

Seminars aim to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of educational materials assigned during the first part of the course, focusing on analysis and understanding the processes of age stratification, with particular attention to the condition of young people. Every society develops a system of norms and expectations through which it establishes what an individual can or should do, and this system differs according to age, as well as to position in social stratification, gender and migration background.

Starting from the assumption of this perspective, which has been discussed in depth in the first part of the course, the topics addressed in the seminar lessons will specifically concern;

- the transformations of modernity and the social construction of age;

- the theoretical approaches developed in the field of youth studies to analyse contemporary processes of change;

- the processes of socialisation, deviant behaviour and the phenomenon of youth gangs;

- the relationship with the education system and the labour market;

- social participation and political mobilisations;

- lifestyles, youth cultures and risk behaviour;

- intergenerational transfers and relationships (conflict, support) between age groups within and outside families;

- the relationship between the youth population and communication technologies.

For the seminar section (16 hours), students will be divided into 4 groups. Three groups will do the seminar in classroom and one group will do the seminar remotely on MS TEAMS, while the eventual activation of other online channels depends on the evolution of the health emergency.

Students are required to carefully read the assigned material before the session and - in the case of seminars - active participation will also be expected

A total of 46 classroom hours are planned for each student in the course: 32 hours of lectures and 14 hours of seminars.

Readings/Bibliography

The examination texts are differentiated according to the sections in which the teaching activity is organized. For the lectures section: • Bagnasco, A., Barbagli, M. e Cavalli, A., Elementi di sociologia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2013 (la prima edizione, del 2004, non va bene). • Poggi, G. e Sciortino, G., Incontri con il pensiero sociologico, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008.

For the seminar section:

The full list of readings for students who attend seminar section will be conveyed on the first day of class and posted on the class website on https://virtuale.unibo.it/.

Students who do not attend the seminar section are required to read:

• De Swaan, A., Società. Una introduzione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019.
• O'Byrne, D., Sociologia. Fondamenti e teorie (edizione 2°), Pearson Mylab, 2017.

To this book students who do not attend the seminar section must add at least one book of the following reading list:

Acocella, I., Pepicelli, R. (2018), Transnazionalismo, cittadinanza, pensiero islamico. Forme di attivismo dei giovani musulmani in Italia, Bologna, Il Mulino.

Bozzetti, A. (2021), Oltre la selezione scolastica. I giovani di origine straniera all’Università, Bologna, Bononia University Press.

Gasperoni, G., Albertini, M., Mantovani, D. (2018), Fra genitori e figli. Immigrazione, rapporti intergenerazionali e famiglie nell’Europa contemporanea, Bologna, Il Mulino.

Istituto Toniolo (2020), La condizione giovanile in Italia. Rapporto Giovani 2020, Bologna, Il Mulino. 

Saint-Blancat, C. (2017), Ricercare altrove. Fuga dei cervelli, circolazione di talenti, opportunità, Bologna, Il Mulino.

Teaching methods

Lectures section (32 hours). Conventional lectures (with the use of Power Point if necessary) during which the course contents are presented and discussed. The first part of the course is aimed at acquiring knowledge (of facts/events, procedures, concepts, theories). Seminar section (14 hours). Students will be divided in 4 groups: three groups will do the seminar in classroom and one group will do the seminar remotely on MS Teams. In the seminar part of the course, interaction between students and with the lecturer is explicitly stimulated. Students are encouraged to carry out a structured activity in the classroom to compare and verify the knowledge acquired by reading the indicated texts. Students are required to carefully read the assigned material before the session and active participation will also be expected.

In detail, the seminar lessons will be organised as follows:

- verification of preparation at the beginning of the lesson (with a grade)

- introduction and organisation of work by the lecturer

- classroom presentation (with grade) of 3 groups of students previously identified (composed of 2 students), based on the readings carried out for the preparation of the lessons

- Classroom discussion with the lecturer on the points raised during the presentations. The students' interventions in this last phase are a further indicator to assess active participation.

Each seminar group participates in only one lesson per week. In this way the student has adequate time to read, study in depth and study the material provided by the lecturer in preparation for the lesson.

Assessment methods

A written test will allow to evaluate the first part of the course: the questions will cover the subjects and the chapters of the examination texts listed in the content section.

The exam consists of 16 closed-ended questions: the score is +2 for each correct answer, 0 if absent or incorrect. The time available to the student for the written test is 30 minutes.

During the exam the use of support material (textbooks, notes, computer support) is not allowed. The maximum mark that can be obtained by providing all the correct answers is 30 with honours. The test is considered passed with a minimum score of 18/30.

This method of examination accounts for 50% of the overall mark.

The seminar part includes both in itinere assessment methods (multiple-choice tests at the beginning of the lessons, presentation of previously read texts in the classroom and participation in the classroom discussion) and, at the end of the seminar lessons, an assessment organised according to the take-home exam method (open book) in which the student is asked to answer one question, among those proposed, on the topics dealt with in the classroom.

The methods used to assess the seminar part, which contribute to determining the remaining 50% of the overall grade, are organised as follows

- 20%: average mark obtained in the initial tests to check preparation. The tests will cover the compulsory readings indicated by the lecturer for the preparation of each lesson.

- 40%: grade related to the paper presented in the classroom (for which the completeness of the paper itself, the ability to synthesize and clarity of exposition will be assessed) and to the participation in the discussion in the classroom (ability to make critical interventions and/or ask pertinent questions and ability to make connections between the various issues addressed throughout the course of the course).

Grades:

Insufficient: approximate report, lack of clarity of presentation, lack of participation in the classroom discussion;

18-21: sufficient completeness of the paper, ability to synthesise and clarity of presentation; limited participation in class discussion;

22-25: sufficient report, good synthesis and clarity of presentation; moderate participation in class discussion;

26-29: good paper, good ability to synthesise and clarity of presentation; active participation in class discussion;

30: very good paper, very good synthesis and clarity of presentation; active participation in the classroom discussion and ability to make connections between the different topics addressed;

30 with honours: excellent paper, excellent ability to summarise and explain clearly; active participation in the classroom discussion, ability to make connections between the various topics covered and relevant personal reworking of skills.

- 40%: grade obtained in the final exam in the take-home mode (open book), to be held at the end of the seminar lessons by a date defined by the lecturer, in which the following will be assessed: completeness of the paper, ability to summarise, clarity of presentation and ability to make connections between the various topics addressed. Grades:

Insufficient: knowledge of the subject is not even approximate or not correct.

18-21: elementary knowledge of the subject, and/or not always correct, partial capacity for argument and reworking

22-25: satisfactory knowledge of the subject, fairly solid argumentation and elaboration skills

26-29: good or very good knowledge of the subject, good or very good argumentation and elaboration skills

30: precise knowledge of the subject, very good argumentation and processing skills

30 with distinction: precise knowledge of the subject, very good argumentation and revision skills, relevant personal revision of knowledge.

The mid-term test will be taken on a single date, cannot be repeated or taken on another date and does not provide for any form of oral revision.

The dates and times of the examinations for attending students will be announced during the course. The exam can only be taken as a non-attending exam.

Non-attending students

The examination consists of two written tests.

The first consists of 16 closed-ended questions: the score is +2 for each correct answer, 0 if absent or wrong. The time available to the student for the written test is 30 minutes. During the test, the use of support material (textbooks, notes, computer support) is not permitted. The maximum mark that can be obtained by providing all the correct answers is 30 with honours. The test is considered passed with a minimum score of 18/30.

The second test - which can only be taken if the student has obtained a minimum score of 18/30 in the first test - consists of 3 open questions and will cover the same programme. The time available to the student for this second written test is 30 minutes.

The questions will concern the texts indicated in the contents section (first part of the course: frontal). These tests count for 80% of the overall grade. The marks are awarded on the basis of the following criteria: knowledge of the topics of the text, expository capacity and use of appropriate specialist vocabulary. The marks, in detail, are as follows:

Grades:

Insufficient: not even an approximate or incorrect knowledge of the subject matter, insufficient ability to explain and to use appropriate vocabulary.

18-21: elementary knowledge of the subject, and/or not always correct, partial presentation skills, sufficient use of appropriate vocabulary

22-25: satisfactory knowledge of the subject matter, fairly sound presentation skills, fair use of appropriate vocabulary

26-29: good or very good knowledge of the subject, good or very good presentation skills, good use of appropriate vocabulary

30: accurate knowledge of the subject, very good presentation skills, very good use of appropriate vocabulary

30 with distinction: precise knowledge of the subject, very good presentation skills, excellent use of appropriate vocabulary and relevant personal reworking of knowledge.

Students who DO NOT attend class will be also assessed through a final written exam, partly multiple-choice, partly open-ended. Students who DO NOT regularly attend seminars are also required to present a short paper on a subject of their choice, based on the reading of at least one of the texts suggested in the reading list. The paper (3.000/4.000 words) must be sent to the teacher by email at least seven days before the exam. This assessment is used to determine the remaining 20% of the overall grade.

The score is calculated according to the following criteria: consistency with the topics of the course, ability to study in depth, argumentation and critical discussion of the chosen topic, ability to explain and use the appropriate specialist vocabulary.

Teaching tools

The course uses slides in powepoint, which will be made available to the students at the beginning of each lesson.

Office hours

See the website of Nicola De Luigi

See the website of Alessandro Bozzetti

See the website of