Sociology of Cultural Processes
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
This course aims to provide students with an overview on the symbolic and performative dimension of culture, focusing on the circular relationship between meanings and social actions, and between symbols and practices, so as to better understand social processes, starting from classification, categorisation and identification.
Expected learning outcomes
Students should be able to understand sociological texts, master the key topics of the sociological analysis of cultural processes, and apply them to social and real-life situations.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
A-K
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The program is divided into two parts. In the first part, a path is proposed that moves from the construction of meaning as a constitutive object of inquiry in the sociology of culture, and dwells on the dynamics of learning, the formation of cognitive and classification categories, interpretive processes, the workings of common sense, the social construction of tastes, hierarchies, symbolic boundaries, and the link with corporeality (sex, gender, aging, birth, death), allowing for the study of culture in action in the different spheres of social life. In the second part, through a reference to classical and contemporary studies, we will focus on some temporal, spatial and bodily practices, touching on issues such as the construction of boundaries, the sense of dwelling, the relationship between social and subjective times, collective memory, the social meaning of age and generations, making use of examples from films and novels and the dynamics of specific social fields (sports, music, food and wine, etc.).
In summary, an attempt will be made to read from a sociological perspective the different connotations that the concept of culture takes on and its links to the multiple spheres of everyday reality. Students will therefore be required to develop the ability to read and understand sociological texts, master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes, and finally analyze content from newspaper articles and video excerpts from films in light of the concepts proposed during the course.
In summary, an attempt will be made to read from a sociological perspective the different connotations that the concept of culture takes on and its links to the multiple spheres of everyday reality. Students will therefore be required to develop the ability to read and understand sociological texts, master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes, and finally analyze content from newspaper articles and video excerpts from films in light of the concepts proposed during the course.
Prerequisites for admission
The requirements are a good humanistic culture, curiosity and an ability to observe and describe the world. A subscription to the Moodle learning platform on MyAriel is compulsory, so that you can find the course materials and interact with the professor.
Teaching methods
The course will follow a flipped mode (the lecture takes place FOLLOWING individual readings done each week at home, answering questions and observations, clarifying difficult points, etc.), alternating between moments of individual study, group activities, face-to-face and more interactive lectures. The course page on the Moodle platform will be the main reference point for the course. During the classroom lectures, dialogue between students and lecturer will be solicited and encouraged - within the limits of the large numbers of students enrolled in the course - through moments of collective clarification on the readings carried out independently and in groups, through interactive (e.g. instant survey) and multimedia tools. It is necessary to attend the class with a device that allows connection to Moodle (cell phone, ipad, PC).
Those who intend to attend the course must then, each week, participate in the frontal lecture in the classroom, read the material indicated and/or made available by the lecturer; work in groups according to the modalities that will be indicated each week. The work groups will be defined at the beginning of the course and will remain the same for its entire duration. The amount of weekly readings will be about 70 pages, divided between parts of the textbooks and essays assigned by the lecturer lecture by lecture.
The reference platform, on which essays, exercises, tests and any teaching aids will be posted, will be Moodle (Corso A-K https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=1494 visible when the course begins)
Students taking this course are expected to acquire three fundamental skills:
1. The ability to read and understand sociological texts
2. The ability to master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes
3. The ability to employ learned theoretical concepts in the analysis of everyday situations
Those who intend to attend the course must then, each week, participate in the frontal lecture in the classroom, read the material indicated and/or made available by the lecturer; work in groups according to the modalities that will be indicated each week. The work groups will be defined at the beginning of the course and will remain the same for its entire duration. The amount of weekly readings will be about 70 pages, divided between parts of the textbooks and essays assigned by the lecturer lecture by lecture.
The reference platform, on which essays, exercises, tests and any teaching aids will be posted, will be Moodle (Corso A-K https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=1494 visible when the course begins)
Students taking this course are expected to acquire three fundamental skills:
1. The ability to read and understand sociological texts
2. The ability to master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes
3. The ability to employ learned theoretical concepts in the analysis of everyday situations
Teaching Resources
Mario de Benedittis, Sociologia della cultura, Laterza Editore.
Readings uploaded during the course within the Moodle platform
Readings uploaded during the course within the Moodle platform
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination will be held in two possible modes. The first (Mode A) is recommended for those who are able to attend the lectures continuously and work every week on reading the suggested texts; the second (Mode B) is recommended for those who do not want to/cannot attend the lectures and for those who have more difficulties with the Italian language and therefore struggle to read a mass of about 65 pages of texts every week.
Mode A
The evaluation will be the result of the weighting of the three tests according to the percentages given in brackets:
- Test (35%): Students will sit two closed-response tests, one in the middle of the course and the other immediately at the end. The grade will be the average of the two tests. To be considered for the subsequent tests in the course, the student must have an average of 17 or above. Should a student fail at this stage, he or she will have to sit the entire examination in Mode B, as shown below.
- Group work on the bibliographical material (20%): based on the essays read and the lectures, each week a specific task will be assigned as an exercise to link the concepts to current events and the students' everyday lives. The group will have to post the results of the assignment each week on the Moodle platform.
Four pieces of work will be corrected and discussed each week, also subjected to a peer (i.e. student) assessment process, so as to progressively improve their writing. At the end of the whole course, two of these papers will be assessed for each group: one will be chosen by the group itself, the other will be drawn by the teacher from the remaining papers. The average of the two marks will constitute the grade for the group work.
- Dissertation (40%): a small individual paper (precise indications as to the number of pages, etc., will be provided in class and on Moodle at the end of the course) to be submitted at least 15 days in advance of the exam at which you wish to be tested. The paper will focus on the sociologically oriented analysis of a personal situation of everyday life, through the use of the concepts examined during the course, referring to the essays and materials analysed during the course.
- The remaining 5% of the grade will be made up of both an evaluation of the individual contribution to the classroom discussions of the texts assigned for weekly reading at home (students will be able to ask questions and make comments on them by means of a special Wooclap activity), and an evaluation of the student's overall learning path (progressive improvement in the tests, group work and the final paper).
Mode B
Students will be assessed on the same syllabus as in mode A, i.e. the textbook and essays that will be assigned weekly and uploaded on Moodle. The examination will consist of a two-part test. The first part will consist of a test consisting of 30 closed-ended questions designed to assess knowledge of the bibliographic material on the syllabus, to be taken in 35 minutes. This part of the exam is to be considered preparatory to the continuation of the test: a mark of less than 17 will therefore result in failing the exam. The second part of the examination will consist of two open questions to be answered in 75 minutes. In the first, students will be given a text to comment on. In the second, they will be asked to analyse an everyday life situation using the concepts learnt during the course.
The final grade will be made up of 40% from the result of the closed question paper, 30% from the answer to the first open question and 30% from the answer to the second one.
Mode A
The evaluation will be the result of the weighting of the three tests according to the percentages given in brackets:
- Test (35%): Students will sit two closed-response tests, one in the middle of the course and the other immediately at the end. The grade will be the average of the two tests. To be considered for the subsequent tests in the course, the student must have an average of 17 or above. Should a student fail at this stage, he or she will have to sit the entire examination in Mode B, as shown below.
- Group work on the bibliographical material (20%): based on the essays read and the lectures, each week a specific task will be assigned as an exercise to link the concepts to current events and the students' everyday lives. The group will have to post the results of the assignment each week on the Moodle platform.
Four pieces of work will be corrected and discussed each week, also subjected to a peer (i.e. student) assessment process, so as to progressively improve their writing. At the end of the whole course, two of these papers will be assessed for each group: one will be chosen by the group itself, the other will be drawn by the teacher from the remaining papers. The average of the two marks will constitute the grade for the group work.
- Dissertation (40%): a small individual paper (precise indications as to the number of pages, etc., will be provided in class and on Moodle at the end of the course) to be submitted at least 15 days in advance of the exam at which you wish to be tested. The paper will focus on the sociologically oriented analysis of a personal situation of everyday life, through the use of the concepts examined during the course, referring to the essays and materials analysed during the course.
- The remaining 5% of the grade will be made up of both an evaluation of the individual contribution to the classroom discussions of the texts assigned for weekly reading at home (students will be able to ask questions and make comments on them by means of a special Wooclap activity), and an evaluation of the student's overall learning path (progressive improvement in the tests, group work and the final paper).
Mode B
Students will be assessed on the same syllabus as in mode A, i.e. the textbook and essays that will be assigned weekly and uploaded on Moodle. The examination will consist of a two-part test. The first part will consist of a test consisting of 30 closed-ended questions designed to assess knowledge of the bibliographic material on the syllabus, to be taken in 35 minutes. This part of the exam is to be considered preparatory to the continuation of the test: a mark of less than 17 will therefore result in failing the exam. The second part of the examination will consist of two open questions to be answered in 75 minutes. In the first, students will be given a text to comment on. In the second, they will be asked to analyse an everyday life situation using the concepts learnt during the course.
The final grade will be made up of 40% from the result of the closed question paper, 30% from the answer to the first open question and 30% from the answer to the second one.
SPS/08 - SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
De Benedittis Mario
L-Z
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The program is divided into two parts. In the first part, a path is proposed that moves from the construction of meaning as a constitutive object of inquiry in the sociology of culture, and dwells on the dynamics of learning, the formation of cognitive and classification categories, interpretive processes, the workings of common sense, the social construction of tastes, hierarchies, symbolic boundaries, and the link with corporeality (sex, gender, aging, birth, death), allowing for the study of culture in action in the different spheres of social life. In the second part, through a reference to classical and contemporary studies, we will focus on some temporal, spatial and bodily practices, touching on issues such as the construction of boundaries, the sense of dwelling, the relationship between social and subjective times, collective memory, the social meaning of age and generations, making use of examples from films and novels and the dynamics of specific social fields (sports, music, food and wine, etc.).
In summary, an attempt will be made to read from a sociological perspective the different connotations that the concept of culture takes on and its links to the multiple spheres of everyday reality. Students will therefore be required to develop the ability to read and understand sociological texts, master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes, and finally analyze content from newspaper articles and video excerpts from films in light of the concepts proposed during the course.
In summary, an attempt will be made to read from a sociological perspective the different connotations that the concept of culture takes on and its links to the multiple spheres of everyday reality. Students will therefore be required to develop the ability to read and understand sociological texts, master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes, and finally analyze content from newspaper articles and video excerpts from films in light of the concepts proposed during the course.
Prerequisites for admission
The requirements are a good humanistic culture, curiosity and an ability to observe and describe the world. A subscription to the Moodle learning platform on MyAriel is compulsory, so that you can find the course materials and interact with the professor.
Teaching methods
The course will follow a flipped mode (the lecture takes place FOLLOWING individual readings done each week at home, answering questions and observations, clarifying difficult points, etc.), alternating between moments of individual study, group activities, face-to-face and more interactive lectures. The course page on the Moodle platform will be the main reference point for the course. During the classroom lectures, dialogue between students and lecturer will be solicited and encouraged - within the limits of the large numbers of students enrolled in the course - through moments of collective clarification on the readings carried out independently and in groups, through interactive (e.g. instant survey) and multimedia tools. It is necessary to attend the class with a device that allows connection to Moodle (cell phone, ipad, PC).
Those who intend to attend the course must then, each week, participate in the frontal lecture in the classroom, read the material indicated and/or made available by the lecturer; work in groups according to the modalities that will be indicated each week. The work groups will be defined at the beginning of the course and will remain the same for its entire duration. The amount of weekly readings will be about 70 pages, divided between parts of the textbooks and essays assigned by the lecturer lecture by lecture.
The reference platform, on which essays, exercises, tests and any teaching aids will be posted, will be Moodle (Corso A-K https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=1494 visible when the course begins)
Students taking this course are expected to acquire three fundamental skills:
1. The ability to read and understand sociological texts
2. The ability to master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes
3. The ability to employ learned theoretical concepts in the analysis of everyday situations
Those who intend to attend the course must then, each week, participate in the frontal lecture in the classroom, read the material indicated and/or made available by the lecturer; work in groups according to the modalities that will be indicated each week. The work groups will be defined at the beginning of the course and will remain the same for its entire duration. The amount of weekly readings will be about 70 pages, divided between parts of the textbooks and essays assigned by the lecturer lecture by lecture.
The reference platform, on which essays, exercises, tests and any teaching aids will be posted, will be Moodle (Corso A-K https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=1494 visible when the course begins)
Students taking this course are expected to acquire three fundamental skills:
1. The ability to read and understand sociological texts
2. The ability to master key concepts and themes of sociological reflection on cultural processes
3. The ability to employ learned theoretical concepts in the analysis of everyday situations
Teaching Resources
Mario de Benedittis, Sociologia della cultura, Laterza Editore.
Readings uploaded during the course within the Moodle platform
Readings uploaded during the course within the Moodle platform
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination will be held in two possible modes. The first (Mode A) is recommended for those who are able to attend the lectures continuously and work every week on reading the suggested texts; the second (Mode B) is recommended for those who do not want to/cannot attend the lectures and for those who have more difficulties with the Italian language and therefore struggle to read a mass of about 65 pages of texts every week.
Mode A
The evaluation will be the result of the weighting of the three tests according to the percentages given in brackets:
- Test (35%): Students will sit two closed-response tests, one in the middle of the course and the other immediately at the end. The grade will be the average of the two tests. To be considered for the subsequent tests in the course, the student must have an average of 17 or above. Should a student fail at this stage, he or she will have to sit the entire examination in Mode B, as shown below.
- Group work on the bibliographical material (20%): based on the essays read and the lectures, each week a specific task will be assigned as an exercise to link the concepts to current events and the students' everyday lives. The group will have to post the results of the assignment each week on the Moodle platform.
Four pieces of work will be corrected and discussed each week, also subjected to a peer (i.e. student) assessment process, so as to progressively improve their writing. At the end of the whole course, two of these papers will be assessed for each group: one will be chosen by the group itself, the other will be drawn by the teacher from the remaining papers. The average of the two marks will constitute the grade for the group work.
- Dissertation (40%): a small individual paper (precise indications as to the number of pages, etc., will be provided in class and on Moodle at the end of the course) to be submitted at least 15 days in advance of the exam at which you wish to be tested. The paper will focus on the sociologically oriented analysis of a personal situation of everyday life, through the use of the concepts examined during the course, referring to the essays and materials analysed during the course.
- The remaining 5% of the grade will be made up of both an evaluation of the individual contribution to the classroom discussions of the texts assigned for weekly reading at home (students will be able to ask questions and make comments on them by means of a special Wooclap activity), and an evaluation of the student's overall learning path (progressive improvement in the tests, group work and the final paper).
Mode B
Students will be assessed on the same syllabus as in mode A, i.e. the textbook and essays that will be assigned weekly and uploaded on Moodle. The examination will consist of a two-part test. The first part will consist of a test consisting of 30 closed-ended questions designed to assess knowledge of the bibliographic material on the syllabus, to be taken in 35 minutes. This part of the exam is to be considered preparatory to the continuation of the test: a mark of less than 17 will therefore result in failing the exam. The second part of the examination will consist of two open questions to be answered in 75 minutes. In the first, students will be given a text to comment on. In the second, they will be asked to analyse an everyday life situation using the concepts learnt during the course.
The final grade will be made up of 40% from the result of the closed question paper, 30% from the answer to the first open question and 30% from the answer to the second one.
Mode A
The evaluation will be the result of the weighting of the three tests according to the percentages given in brackets:
- Test (35%): Students will sit two closed-response tests, one in the middle of the course and the other immediately at the end. The grade will be the average of the two tests. To be considered for the subsequent tests in the course, the student must have an average of 17 or above. Should a student fail at this stage, he or she will have to sit the entire examination in Mode B, as shown below.
- Group work on the bibliographical material (20%): based on the essays read and the lectures, each week a specific task will be assigned as an exercise to link the concepts to current events and the students' everyday lives. The group will have to post the results of the assignment each week on the Moodle platform.
Four pieces of work will be corrected and discussed each week, also subjected to a peer (i.e. student) assessment process, so as to progressively improve their writing. At the end of the whole course, two of these papers will be assessed for each group: one will be chosen by the group itself, the other will be drawn by the teacher from the remaining papers. The average of the two marks will constitute the grade for the group work.
- Dissertation (40%): a small individual paper (precise indications as to the number of pages, etc., will be provided in class and on Moodle at the end of the course) to be submitted at least 15 days in advance of the exam at which you wish to be tested. The paper will focus on the sociologically oriented analysis of a personal situation of everyday life, through the use of the concepts examined during the course, referring to the essays and materials analysed during the course.
- The remaining 5% of the grade will be made up of both an evaluation of the individual contribution to the classroom discussions of the texts assigned for weekly reading at home (students will be able to ask questions and make comments on them by means of a special Wooclap activity), and an evaluation of the student's overall learning path (progressive improvement in the tests, group work and the final paper).
Mode B
Students will be assessed on the same syllabus as in mode A, i.e. the textbook and essays that will be assigned weekly and uploaded on Moodle. The examination will consist of a two-part test. The first part will consist of a test consisting of 30 closed-ended questions designed to assess knowledge of the bibliographic material on the syllabus, to be taken in 35 minutes. This part of the exam is to be considered preparatory to the continuation of the test: a mark of less than 17 will therefore result in failing the exam. The second part of the examination will consist of two open questions to be answered in 75 minutes. In the first, students will be given a text to comment on. In the second, they will be asked to analyse an everyday life situation using the concepts learnt during the course.
The final grade will be made up of 40% from the result of the closed question paper, 30% from the answer to the first open question and 30% from the answer to the second one.
SPS/08 - SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
De Benedittis Mario
Professor(s)