75788 - SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The course investigates the role played by culture in social relations and in institutional processes as well. In particular, culture is analysed such as one of the main resources developed by social groups, people and Nations, that is as the focus on some crucial geopolitical, economic and religious themes that dominate the international debate. At the end of the course, students are able to know the different perspectives outlined by classic authors about the relationship between society and culture. Moreover, they are able to point out and examine the cultural dynamics that are involved in social processes both nationwide and at an international level.

Contenuti

The course examines sociology’s main contributions to our understanding of national and international cultural processes, with particular focus on:

 

Part 1: CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGY AND CULTURE

Social and intellectual forces in the rise of sociological theory; Tocqueville: the culture behind American political institutions; Comte's positivistic sociology; Durkheim's methodological holism; Marx and the cultural aspects of capitalist society; Critical Theory and the power of culture; Simmel and the tragedy of culture; Max Weber's methodological individualism; Goffman: performance and the drama of social life.

 

Part 2: CULTURE AND GLOBALIZATION

Globalization/anti-globalization; political cultures and globlization; social networking movements and contesting power in the global age; cultural theories of globalization: cultural differentialism, cultural convergence, cultural hybridization; utopia in the age of globalization; cultures between universalism and relativism in the global era.

 

All students are asked to register to the Distribution List lorenza.gattamorta.sociology-of-culture in order to receive via e-mail information and teaching material the professor makes available (the service is available to regularly matriculated students).

 

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to: have an analytical and critical understanding of the specific contribution of the main social theorists and schools of thought they have studied; be able to identify sociological works and theories that have also had an impact on the study of international relations; have a good understanding of the fundamental problems of social epistemology and ontology (individualism vs. holism; materialism vs. cultural autonomy; realism vs. social constructionism; cosmopolitanism vs. communitarianism); know the main interpretations of the relationship between culture, society and politics with particular attention to the cultural processes of globalization and the role of cultural pluralism in the global era.

Testi/Bibliografia

SECTION I

 

Part 1:

G. Ritzer, J.N. Stepniski, Sociological Theory, 10th edition, Sage, Los Angeles, 2018.

 

Part 2:

D. Held, A. McGrew, Globalization / Anti-Globalization. Beyond the Great Divide, Polity Press, Cambridge 2007 (Chapters 1, 8, 10).

U. Beck, The Cosmopolitan Condition. Why Methodological Nationalism Fails, in “Theory, Culture & Society”, 24, 2007, pp. 286-290.

M. Castells, Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, Polity Press, 2^nd edition 2015, pp. 1-52, 156-217.

J. Nederveen Pieterse, Globalization & Culture, Rowman & Littlefield, London, 2020 (Chapters 4 and 5).

R.T. Tally Jr., Utopia in the Age of Globalization: Space, Representation, and the World-System, Palgrave, New York, 2013 (Chapter 1).

Z. Bauman, Retrotopia, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2017 (Introduction; Chapters 2 and 4).

Sh. Benahbib, The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2002 (Chapters 1, 2).

G. Crowder, Theories of Multiculturalism, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2013 (Chapter 1).

Class notes

 

SECTION II

J.C. Alexander, Performance and Power, Polity, Cambridge, 2011.  

M. A. Centeno, E. Enriquez, War and Society, Polity, Cambridge, 2016.

Ronald F. Inglehart, Cultural Evolution: People's Motivations are Changing, and Reshaping the World, Cambridge University Press, 2018.

B. Moffitt, The Global Rise of Populism. Performance, Political Style, and Representation, Stanford, Stanford University Press, 2016.

Y. Mounk, The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It, Cambridge (MT), Harvard University Press, 2018.

J. S. Nye, Soft Power: The Means To Success In World Politics, Public Affairs, New York, 2005.

Metodi didattici

The course consists of traditional lectures, each dealing with a specific topic.

Lectures will start on the 19th of February 2020.

 

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Examinations for attending students

Attending students will carry out: three midterm written exams on the texts indicated in Section I and an oral final examination on a chosen book indicated in Section II.

 

Each midterm exam will last 55 minutes and will consist of 6 open ended questions. The mark for each midterm exam will be expressed out of a maximum of thirty points, the pass mark will be 18. Only those students who have sat and passed all three midterm exams may sit the oral final exam that will take place during the Summer or September exam sessions.

 

Should students not sit (or fail) one of the three midterm exams, they will be able to sit (or re-sit) this midterm exam. Students who do not sit (or fail) 2 midterm tests, will be considered as non attending.

 

Examinations for non-attending students

During the Summer or September exam sessions, non-attending students will carry out a written exam on the texts indicated in Section I (in this case the written exam will last 2 hours and will consist in 15 open ended questions) and an oral exam on two chosen books indicated in Section II.

 

Non attending students are kindly asked to meet the Professor on the 19th of February 2020, at 5.30 pm, in Room D3 (Via G. Della Torre 1, Forlì) or to contact the Professor via e-mail at the beginning of the course (lorenza.gattamorta@unibo.it).

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Video projector

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Lorenza Gattamorta