Part I. The history of scientific psychology in Italy with a focus on the psychology in the University of Florence under Fascism and the emigration of Jewish psychologists. Part II: A historical and gender perspective of some relevant issues -mental disorders, delinquency, violence, racism - where psychology interacts with other disciplines, exp. law, criminology, and psychiatry.
P. Guarnieri (2016), Italian Psychology and Jewish emigration under Fascism: from Florence to Jerusalem and New York, Palgrave, New York.
P. Guarnieri (1993), A case of child murder. Law and science in nineteenth century Tuscany, Polity Press and Blackwell, Cambridge –New York.
Law 36/1904 on asylums and Law 180/1978 (the so called Basaglia Law) on line
ISTAT (2015), Violence against women inside and outside the family, on line.
For not attending students, also one of the followings:
Aa. Vv. (2009), In scienza e coscienza. Maternità nascite e aborti tra esperienze e bioetica, Carocci, Roma.
E. Musumeci (2012) Cesare Lombroso e le neuroscienze, F. Angeli, Milano (not ch.2).
Learning Objectives - Last names L-Z
a) The historical perspective as a critical approach for the awareness and analysis of the cultural and social construction of psychology as a scientific discipline, and of some specific issues
b) interdisciplinary knowledges which are useful for the psychological education and for working in multiprofessional team
c) critical approach and ability of understanding primary and secondary sources in order to develop a making judgements autonomy.
Prerequisites - Last names L-Z
none
Teaching Methods - Last names L-Z
Lecturing with discussion of films, documentaries and some primary sources . Experts will be invited.
Further information - Last names L-Z
Changes concerning the readings might be announced during the course. Also see Moodle
Type of Assessment - Last names L-Z
in order to verify the student's knowledge and understanding, and his/her autonomy of judgement are verified by analysis and discussions of the various sources during the course and by final oral and written exams with open questions on the interpretations of issues and texts syllabus.
Course program - Last names L-Z
At the beginning of the XXth century, psychology was a new and controversial science. How were the psychologists trained? In which Faculty? Medicine or Philosophy? How much did the leading political and cultural tendencies, of neoidealism and fascism - also with the expulsion of the Jews from the university- affect the quality of that science and what was taught and learned? The Florentine case and its international reputation is paradigmatic in still relevant topics.
This course of Cultural and Social History will deal, throught real cases, with the experiences of the male and female psychologists of the recent past. We will look at relevant issues in specific institutions where psychology has been interacting since its origins both with with prejudices and with other disciplines, expecially the Lombrosian criminal anthopology and psychiatry. Was Lombroso the father of "scientific racism"? How did the definitions and perceptions of the so called dangerous individuals change from the late XIXth century to the present? And those of mentally disordered people? How did both the laws and the places of custody and care change in Italy?