OVERVIEW

Sociology is the study of the social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. This course offers a general introduction to sociology, with the aim to understand and apply key sociological concepts and social theories.

The course aims to develop the knowledge and skills that are needed for students to analyze the organization of societies.

This  objective will be accomplished through introducing students to the fundamental concepts and principles of sociology.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The primary objective of this course is to awaken students’ sociological imagination, by helping them to see how social forces and social environments affect human behaviors in multiple and complex ways. Beginning with an examination of core sociological ideas on how societies are organized and the inherent strengths and problems within different social arrangements, the class then explores these sociological principles through concrete studies .

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts and principles of general sociology; applying knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts and principles of sociology to analyze the organization of societies; ability to examine with scientific methods socio-cultural phenomena; disciplinary communication skills; ability to understand classical problems of sociology.

TEACHING METHODS

The course is structured on the assumption of the co-construction of knowledge and the inductive method and presupposes an active role on the part of the course participant in the reworking and reorganisation of knowledge.

The training objective of this didactic perspective is the development of critical skills and the autonomous use of the analytical categories of sociology.

The syllabus will be on the front page of aulaweb and will be constantly updated throughout the course. Also on the aulaweb will be slides and in-depth materials relating to the lectures held.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

-          Sociological inquiry and models of society;

-          Cultural and social functions of sociology;

-          Logic of inquiry in sociology;

-          The structure of social action; individual and social systems;

-          Basic social systems in modern societies;

-          Globalization and world society.

-          The social construction of reality.

-          Youth Studies.

-          Generations.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Required literature:

David Croteau, William Hoynes, Sociologia generale. Temi, concetti, strumenti, Milano, McGraw-Hill, 2015

one book to be chosen between:

- Luisa Stagi, Sebastiano Benasso, Aggiungi un selfie a tavola. Il cibo nell'era dei food porn media, Milano, EGEA, 2021

- Benasso S. e Benvenga L. (a cura di) (2024), Trap! Suoni, segni e soggettività nella scena italiana, Roma, Novalogos

​- Filippi D. (2024), Vita curriculi. Università neoliberale, meritocrazia e rincorsa al CV, Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino

Further readings will be shared on Aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SEBASTIANO BENASSO (President)

DAVID GIOFRE'

LESSONS

LESSONS START

II semester (see https://disfor.unige.it/didattica/orario-lezioni)

Class schedule

GENERAL SOCIOLOGY

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Attending students (i.e. attending at least 75% of the lectures) will take the examination through a final written test on topics covered in the lectures and dealt with in the textbook.

The written test will aim to assess the learning of theoretical knowledge and the ability to rework the knowledge acquired during the course and apply it to the interpretation of social phenomena.

The written test will consist of 3 open short essays to be answered with a maximum of 700 words for each. 

The maximum score obtainable through the written test is 27 points (9 points maximum per question).

Attending students who have passed the written test will take the oral examination by preparing only on the chosen monographic text. Attending students who obtain lower marks than 18 for the written test must study the whole programme (textbook and monograph) for the oral examination.

Non-attending students will discuss the entire syllabus (textbook and monograph) orally.

In the oral examination, conducted on the monograph book for the attending students and on the entire programme for the non-attending students, the ability to analyse and use sociological categories on a specific topic will be assessed.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written test is structured to assess

- the acquisition of basic notions

- the ability to connect concepts.

Through the oral test, the acquisition of sociological skills will be assessed.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities (DSA). 

Students with disabilities or with DSA are reminded that to request adjustments for examinations they must first enter their certification on the University website at servizionline.unige.it in the "Students" section. The documentation will be checked by the University's Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and DSA Sector (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/struttura/100111). 

Subsequently, well in advance (at least 10 days) of the exam date, an e-mail must be sent to the teacher with whom the exam is to be taken, with a copy to both the School's Inclusion Services for students with disabilities and with DSA (laura.traverso@unige.it) and the Sector indicated above using one of the following addresses (disabili@unige.it; dsa@unige.it). The e-mail must specify the name of the teaching course the date of the call, the student's surname, first name and roll number, the compensatory tools, and the dispensatory measures considered functional and required. 

The contact person (Prof. Laura Traverso) will confirm to the teacher that the applicant has the right to request adaptations during the examination and that these adaptations must be agreed upon with the teacher. The lecturer will respond by stating whether the requested adaptations can be used.  

ERASMUS students are advised to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and examination methods which take account of individual learning modes and provide suitable compensatory tools.