The course will aim to train students in the fundamentals of contemporary sociology. The conceptual foundations of the discipline and its main theoretical approaches will be explored in depth. Thematic analysis will be privileged, starting from the elements of society, such as its structural organisation, processes of socialisation and interaction, the role of organisations, phenomena of deviance and control, processes of urbanisation; as well as the main social institutions and the dynamics that regulate social evolution and change. The educational objectives of the course respond to the need to provide students with a basis propedeutical to their Bachelor's degree study. Special attention will be paid to Anthony Giddens' perspective on structuration theory and Erving Goffman's order of interaction. The study will be conducted through the analysis of concrete cases. In this way, the theoretical knowledge acquired will find an empirical application.

Topic list:

• Social structure
• Socialization
• Social interaction
• Organizations
• Deviance and social control
• Community and urban life
• Inequalities
• Social institutions
• Economy and society
• Collective behavior and social movements
• Social and cultural change

1. Knowledge and understanding: students should have knowledge of the fundamental aspects of sociology and the main contemporary sociological perspectives.

1.1. Students reach these basic knowledge attending lessons and studying mentioned textbooks.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding: students should be able to apply the acquired knowledge to the analysis of contemporary social phenomena.

2.1. Students reach these skills by tests and laboratory activities during class hours.

3. Making informed judgments: students must be able to present and discuss the issues, concepts and explanatory logic of the main contemporary sociological theories.

3.1. Students reach and demonstrate these skills during debates with the Professor and with the class, during tests and during the preparation of the final exam.

4. Communication skills: students should have the necessary communication skills and basic competence in the specialist language of the discipline.

4.1. Students reach these skills organizing discussions and excercises.

5. Learning Skills: students must achieve the necessary learning skills which will serve as a basis for continuing their studies

5.1. Students strengthen these skills debating with the Professor and the rest of the class.

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

Theoretical lectures

Group work, tutorials, workshops; film and documentary screenings.

Attendance

To be counted as “attending”, students must participate in at least 50% of teaching hours and/or, for example, have completed any classwork, exercises or other such activities organised by the lecturer during the course.

Study of assigned readings

Course books

• Smelser Neil J. (2011) Manuale di sociologia, il Mulino, Bologna (The chapters to be studied will be assigned during the course)

The textbook will be supplemented with a series of short texts that the lecturer will upload directly to the blended platform

A monograph of your choice from the following:

• Becker H. (1963) Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, New York: The Free Press
• Cartocci R. (2007) Mappe del tesoro. Atlante del capitale sociale in Italia, Il Mulino
• Elias; Scotson J.L. (1965) The Established and the Outsiders. A Sociological Enquiry into Community Problems, London: Frank Cass & Co.
• Giannini L. (2021) Siamo tutti volontari. Etnografia di una Festa de l'Unità, tra retoriche e pratiche, Franco Angeli
• Goffman E. (1961) Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates, New York, Doubleday
• Sennet R. (1988) The Corrosion of Character, The Personal Consequences Of Work In the New Capitalism, Norton, New York-London

Assessment

Students have the option to choose between two modes of assessment: written or oral.

(A) WRITTEN EXAM MODE

• Intermediate test: this test will be conducted between November 2 and 4, 2023, covering the program discussed up to that date. It will consist of open-ended questions and will last for 50 minutes;
• Final Test: the final test will encompass the entire program and will be held during the first call of each exam session. The questions will remain open-ended, and the allotted time will be 50 minutes.

(Note: the intermediate test is OPTIONAL. Students may choose to participate directly in the final test, bringing the entire program. In this case the questions will still be open-ended, but the allotted time will be extended to 1 hour and 15 minutes).

(B) ORAL EXAM MODE

Students who prefer an oral mode of examination may request it. Oral examination will be conducted during all exam sessions, except for the first exam date of the first exam session).

EVALUATIONS

Excellent grades will be awarded to students who demonstrate:

• A good critical perspective and in-depth study of the subjects covered during the course.
• The ability to connect the main topics addressed during the course effectively.
• The use of appropriate language.

Good grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Strong mnemonic knowledge of the contents.
• A relatively good critical perspective and the ability to make connections among the topics covered.
• The use of appropriate language.

Sufficient grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• A basic understanding of the topics covered, even with some knowledge gaps.
• The use of mostly appropriate language.

Negative grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Difficulty in understanding the treated topics.
• Significant knowledge gaps.
• The use of inappropriate 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.

Course books

• Smelser Neil J. (2011) Manuale di sociologia, il Mulino, Bologna (The chapters to be studied will be assigned during the course)

A monograph of your choice from the following:

• Becker H. (1963) Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, New York: The Free Press
• Cartocci R. (2007) Mappe del tesoro. Atlante del capitale sociale in Italia, Il Mulino
• Elias; Scotson J.L. (1965) The Established and the Outsiders. A Sociological Enquiry into Community Problems, London: Frank Cass & Co.
• Giannini L. (2021) Siamo tutti volontari. Etnografia di una Festa de l'Unità, tra retoriche e pratiche, Franco Angeli
• Goffman E. (1961) Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates, New York, Doubleday
• Sennet R. (1988) The Corrosion of Character, The Personal Consequences Of Work In the New Capitalism, Norton, New York-London

An essay of your choice from the following:

• Augé M. (1995) "Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity", Verso, London-New York
• Bauman Z. (1997) "Chapter 4. Morality begiins at home: or the rocky road to justice" in "Postmodernity and its discontents", Polity Press, Cambridge
• Bonazzi G. (2002) "Capitolo 1. La burocrazia come organizzazione razionale e le sue varianti storiche" in "Come studiare le organizzazioni", il Mulino, Bologna
• Garfinkel H. (1967) "Passing and the managed achievement in an "intersexed" person, in "Studies in ethnomethodology", Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall
• Mauss, M. (2016). "The Gift". Jane I. Guyer. Chicago
• Simmel, G. (1971) "The Metropolis and mental life", in Levine, Donald (ed) 'Simmel: On individuality and social forms' Chicago University Press

Please note: monographs and essays delve into some of the topics covered in the textbook. Therefore, non-attending students are advised to choose them only after studying the textbook, so that they can direct their choice toward the topics they found most interesting.

(The student can contact the lecturer in case he/she has problems finding the texts)

Assessment

Students have the option to choose between two modes of assessment: written or oral.

(A) WRITTEN EXAM MODE

Final Test: the final test will encompass the entire program and will be held during the first call of each exam session. The questions will be open-ended, and the allotted time will be 1 hour and 15 minutes.

(B) ORAL EXAM MODE

Students who prefer an oral mode of examination may request it. Oral examination will be conducted during all exam sessions, except for the first exam date of the first exam session).

EVALUATIONS

Excellent grades will be awarded to students who demonstrate:

• A good critical perspective and in-depth study of the subjects covered during the course.
• The ability to connect the main topics addressed during the course effectively.
• The use of appropriate language.

Good grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Strong mnemonic knowledge of the contents.
• A relatively good critical perspective and the ability to make connections among the topics covered.
• The use of appropriate language.

Sufficient grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• A basic understanding of the topics covered, even with some knowledge gaps.
• The use of mostly appropriate language.

Negative grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Difficulty in understanding the treated topics.
• Significant knowledge gaps.
• The use of inappropriate 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.