Course Content:
The course introduces and discusses some of the main issues characterising contemporary sociological theory and its most recent developments.
Cerulo, M. (2018). Sociologia delle emozioni. Bologna, Il Mulino
Collins, R., (2006). Teorie sociologiche. (trad. Livini, U.). Bologna, Il Mulino. Parte seconda, Teorie Micro, cap. V, VI e VII.
Turner, J. H., & Stets, J. E. (2005). The Sociology of Emotions. Cambridge University Press.
Wallace, R. A., & Wolf, A. (2008). La teoria sociologica contemporanea. Bologna, Il Mulino. Cap 5. (“L'interazionismo simbolico”), cap. 6 (“La fenomenologia”) e cap. 9 (“Prospettive della teoria sociologica”).
For attending students, the program consists of all the texts listed on the Moodle page and those that will be indicated during the lessons.
For non-attending students, there are two additional readings to be chosen from those indicated in the "non-attending readings" section of the course's Moodle page.
For the students of the Master of Science in Philosophical Sciences (6CFU) course, the texts will be those related to the topics covered during the first two modules.
Additional reading (recommended):
Collins, R. (2012). Interaction Ritual Chains. [2004]. New York and Oxford, Princeton University Press.
Collins, R. (2019) Emotional micro bases of social inequality: emotional energy, emotional domination and charismatic solidarity, Emotions and Society, vol. 1 no 1, 45–50.
Dillon, M. (2014). Introduction to sociological theory: Theorists, concepts, and their applicability to the twenty-first century. II edition. Oxford, John Wiley & Sons.
Goffman, E. (2018). A cura di Bontempi, M. Stigma. Note sulla gestione dell'identità degradata. Verona, Ombre Corte. Cap1. “Stigma e identità sociale”, pp. 27-65 e cap 5. “Deviazioni e devianza”, pp. 161-168.
Iagulli, P. (2011). La sociologia delle emozioni: un'introduzione. Milano, Franco Angeli.
Iagulli, P. (2016). La sociologia delle emozioni di Norbert Elias: un’analisi preliminare. Sociologia italiana. AIS Journal of Sociology, (7), 49-70.
Jedlowski, P. (2010). Il mondo in questione: introduzione alla storia del pensiero sociologico. Roma, Carocci.
Pratesi, A. (2018). Doing Care, Doing Citizenship. Towards a Micro-Situated and Emotion-Based Model of Social Inclusion. London, Basingstoke-UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Santambrogio, A. (2019). Introduzione alla sociologia: le teorie, i concetti, gli autori. Bari, Laterza & Figli.
N.B.: further specific readings will be provided during the course and/or made available on the MOODLE learning space.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives:
Developing knowledge and skills necessary to apply sociological theories to social research and to the critical analysis of contemporary social realities.
At the end of the course, the students will have acquired the following specific skills:
- Knowledge related to some of the most relevant contemporary approaches to sociological theory.
- Ability to connect sociological theory to everyday life.
- A good understanding of the sociological relevance of emotions.
- Ability to use the fundamental sociological concepts illustrated in the course to develop a "sociological imagination" (C.W. Mills).
Students will also acquire the following transferable skills:
- Ability to critically interpret the social phenomena characterising contemporary world.
- Autonomy in identifying relevant questions and some of the essential concepts and tools necessary for a sociological analysis of these phenomena.
- Oral communication and presentation skills.
- Evaluation skills.
- Team work skills; ability to work in groups and collaboratively.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites:
A good knowledge of classical sociological thinking is desirable (but not mandatory).
Teaching Methods
Teaching Methods:
Interactive lessons; seminars; in-class discussions; reports and oral presentations by students.
Further information
Further information:
Please, see MOODLE and the teacher’s web-page.
Type of Assessment
Type of Assessment:
In-class presentation of texts / topics; participation in debates during the presentations; final oral exam.
Course program
Course program:
The course introduces some of the main contemporary theoretical traditions with an interactionist and constructionist lens and by paying particular attention to the specific branch of sociology called “Sociology of Emotions”. The first part of the course introduces and illustrates the theoretical traditions of Symbolic Interactionism, Phenomenology, Ethnomethodology and Feminist Theories, and clarifies the way in which various types of inequality are socially constructed and constantly reproduced in daily practices and interactions, also through emotions. The first section devoted to the sociology of emotions focuses in particular on the work of Arlie Hochschild and Erving Goffman, but also on a preliminary introduction to some of the contemporary sociological theories on emotions.
The second part of the course introduces some key authors who, starting from extremely different perspectives, represent extremely interesting examples of "sociological imagination" as well as crucial references in the context of contemporary theoretical traditions. The sociology of emotions, in this part of the course, emerges above all through the contributions of Randall Collins and Norbert Elias.
Towards the end of the second part of the course, the students who undertake the entire course (9CFU) will present and discuss some of the topics covered with the help of PowerPoint. The questions asked by the students who, each week, will be involved in the presentation as audience will form the basis of the subsequent in-class discussion. The students will evaluate the presentations of their colleagues, according to the principle of peer review. Students' grades will not affect the overall final grade, but will still be evaluated and taken into account by the teacher.
Finally, the third part of the course (only for 9CFU students) deals more explicitly with the Sociology of Emotions, a skyrocketing sector of contemporary sociology which is considered more and more crucial in other disciplines as well. Having introduced several examples of contemporary scholars dealing with emotions from a sociological point of view, the aim of this part of the course is to further develop a solid understanding of the sociological relevance of emotions and their fundamental importance for analysing, interpreting and understanding contemporary political and social realities and phenomena. Intersected with other central themes of sociology such as inequality, inclusion/exclusion, citizenship, and social change, emotions will be examined in terms of complex phenomena which are able to explain social realities but also to transform dramatically their shapes and to challenge dominant and conventional interpretations of them.