This course aims at providing a general desscription of the main theretical approches to the concept of  "gender" and at analysingi in a sociological perspective "family" and its transformations in western societies, especially focussing on the relations between genders and between generations, and on the interconnections among family organisation, economic systems, labour market, welfare models, and international migrations.

This course offers the students the possibility to get familiar with and to critically read transformations involving the family today and in historical perspective, putting them in relation with the most important socio-economic phenomena involving western societies and taking into account the mutual realtion between family structures and relation and gendered power relations. In particular the course will cover the following issues: 

General concepts and classifications
Introduction to gender sociology
European and Italian family today and the past
The effects of industialization on the family
What is happening today to the family
Statistic sources for the study of family (practical exercises)
Gender as an important category for studying the family
Fundamentals of antropology and sociology of kinship 
Family and kinship natworks, today and in the past
Kinship and gender structures
Family and social policies
Family and Law
Yesterday's Family and today's Families: an overview
The "new" families 

None

Knowledge and Understanding: knowledge and understanding of the main issues of the sociology of family, particularly focussing on the main socio-sconomic transformations occurring in western societies and involving directly or indireclty the family in its structures and relational models. Students will achive this objective through the attendance of the classes and through the individual study.

Applied Knowledge and Understanding: students will be able to identify peculiar research topics and to develop them on the basis of the knowledge acquired during the lessons. These competences will be developed through practical exercises and the active participation to the lessons.

Making judgements: students will be able to critical analyse the main issues treated during the course and to develop autonoumous judgement about them. This aim will be achieved through in-class discussions about research material privided throughout the course.

Communication Skills: students wll be able to communicate in written and oral form about themes concerning the discipline, with a specialized vocabulary. These skills will be proven through the submission of an original short paper to be presented and discussed during the course. 

Learning Skills: students will be able to autonomously study the texts, deepening the bibliografy provided during the course through further bibliografic research and the examination of statistic sources. This objective will be achived and assessed through the writing work. 

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Lectures supported by audiovisual and informatic tools, in-class practical exercises. Throughout the course further research material will be provided, which can optionally substitute part of the course books.   

Attendance

Attendance of at least 3/4 of the lectures. Individual study and writing of a short paper

Course books

- C. Saraceno e M. Naldini (2021) Sociologia della famiglia,  Quarta ed. Il Mulino (only chapters 1 -2 - 4 - 5 - 7 -8)

- M. Ambrosini (2019) Famiglie nonostante. Come gli affetti sfidano i confini, Il Mulino

-R. Ghigi e R. Sassatelli (2018) Corpo, genere e società, Il Mulino

Recommended readings (optional):

- R. Ghigi (2019) Fare la differenza. Educazione di genere dalla prima infanzia all'età adulta, Il Mulino

- C. Saraceno (2017) L'equivoco della famiglia, Laterza 

N.B.: The list of books can be partially personalised through the in-depth analysis of one of the topics treated during the course.

Assessment

Oral examination. Short paper on a chosen topic agreed with the teacher.
The discussion will focus on thecourse books and on the discussion of the research paper.
The paper must be a text from 7 to 10 pages long, with an index agreed with the teacher, which entails reading and original reinterpretation of texts (books, articles, research reports) agreed with the teacher - also other than those recommended for the exam. The paper must be delivered by the end of the course.
The final mark will be determined by the knowledge of the different course books and by the ability to connect them to real or potential experiences, as well as from the quality of the paper and its exposure.
In particular, the following aspects will be evaluated:
- the ability to connect concepts, theories, approaches and research in an organic and reasoned way, ranging between the different texts, without repeating the contents of the texts
- mastery of the disciplinary specialist language
- the ability to consistently use and link the texts used for the short dissertation and to link them to experiences and practices
- completeness and mastery of the dissertation topics
- the quality of the writing.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Attendance

Individual study of the course books

Course books

- C. Saraceno e M. Naldini (2013) Sociologia della famiglia,  terza ed. Il Mulino

- M. Ambrosini (2019) Famiglie nonostante. Come gli affetti sfidano i confini, Il Mulino

-R. Ghigi e R. Sassatelli (2018) Corpo, genere e società, Il Mulino

- R. Ghigi (2019) Fare la differenza. Educazione di genere dalla prima infanzia all'età adulta, Il Mulino

- C. Saraceno (2017) L'equivoco della famiglia, Laterza 

Assessment

Oral examination

The oral exam will focus on the study texts linking them to current experiences and public debates.
The final mark will be determined by the knowledge of the various exam texts and by the ability to connect them with current topics and events.

In particular, the following aspects will be evaluated:

- the ability to connect concepts, theories, approaches and research in an organic and reasoned way, ranging between the different texts, without repeating the contents of the texts
- mastery of the disciplinary specialist language

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.