OVERVIEW

The course is part the characterizing activities of the MA (“Historical-social, juridical-economic, political and international relations disciplines) and is held by Professors of the Department of Political Sciences. The course belongs to the scientific field of Sociology of political phenomena.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides students with the perspective with which political sociology studies the European Union. The objectives are

- to acquire the tools to analyse the forms, the outcomes, the problems related to the integration process, on a social and political level

- to acquire the competences to understand the features of the EU as a "post-national" society, in terms of institutional dynamics, redefinition of citizenship and social practices;

- to develop the ability to apply knowledge and understanding to specific contexts or case studies aimed at critical and autonomous analysis.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, students will have acquired the following skills

1.         The specific knowledge with which the sociological perspective analyses European society, as a sui generis society, which is constructed and transformed by the interaction between the institutional dimension and the social practices developed within civil society and everyday life.

2.         The basic knowledge for the analysis of Europeanisation processes and for the understanding of the characteristics that define European society;

3.         The ability to understand the most relevant areas of social and political change affecting European society in the context of globalisation;

4.         The ability to apply knowledge and understanding to specific contexts or case-studies aimed at the critical and autonomous analysis of specific aspects, such as the Europeanisation of everyday life and European digitisation strategies, the future of European society in the post-Covid scenario.

The teaching adheres - in agreement with Unige's shared orientation - to the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals outlined in the UN Agenda 2030. Specifically, it will address the goal “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions,” whose objective is to promote peaceful and more inclusive societies for sustainable development; provide access to justice for all; and create efficient, accountable and inclusive bodies at all levels

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PREREQUISITES

The acquisition of basic knowledge of sociology and political sociology is suggested.

To acquire a basic knowledge of political sociology we suggest:  Fabio de Nardis, Understanding Politics and Society, Springer, 2020.

To acquire a basic knowledge of sociology we suggest: Anthony Giddens and Philip W. Sutton, Essential concepts in Sociology, Polity Press, 2017.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures, group discussions of common readings, individual or group exercises.

If required by the epidemiological situation, the course will be held in distance learning mode, according to the specifications that will be published in good time on the AulaWeb instance.

Students are asked to register for the course on AulaWeb, where they will find teaching materials (texts, video lectures and any other materials), reference texts and up-to-date information on the structure of the course.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The teaching covers the following topics

1 Politics and society in Europe: a sociological perspective

2 Economic, political, social integration

3 The Institutional Architecture of the EU and the European Public Sphere

4 The Europeanisation of everyday life

5 The EU post-Brexit and post-Covid

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The lessons begin on September 16, 2024

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination will be oral. The exam must be taken in Italian. Students on ERASMUS mobility may take the exam in English or Spanish. The Commission is appointed by the Department Council and chaired by the course lecturers.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination takes place in oral form. The examination is designed to test the acquisition of knowledge and the ability to critically apply the keys and analytical tools of political sociology to the study of the European Union. 

The quality of the exposition, the correctness of the sociological vocabulary and the ability to critically reason about the study carried out will also be assessed.

The in-depth study and illustration of the case study, and classroom interactions will form part of the assessment.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students should register for teaching on aulaweb, where they will find up-to-date directions on the texts they need to read to take the exam