Sociology of Cultural Processes

The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the study of cultural phenomena in a sociological key. Although this is a relatively recently established area of sociology, nowadays we are witnessing an explosion of cultural studies in the social sciences: topics in sociology of culture may range from knowledge to art, from collective memory to taste, from gender to media cultures. This course deals with the study of schools of thought (Marxian, functionalist, Weberian) and authors (for example: Durkheim, Weber, Bourdieu) of primary importance for the development of the discipline, in order to provide the conceptual and methodological tools necessary to critically analyze cultural objects, production systems, and publics. Particular attention, through the analysis of empirical studies, will then be reserved for the study of consumer culture and of gender construction.

By the end of the course, students should have developed a solid understanding of the main definitions of the concept of culture in sociology and mastery of the interpretative tools of shared social meanings. The final exam aims to verify the expected learning outcomes in the understanding and critical presentation of concepts, theoretical perspectives, areas of discussion and case studies addressed during the course.