GENERAL SOCIOLOGY

The class has the explicit goal of providing students with the main foundations of sociology as the science of studying society in a theoretical and empirical way. It will be introduced the notions of social change and social process from the classics' point of view as well as provide the necessary knowledge for learning the sociological thought history. To complete the above work it proposed an insight into the most important American and European collective action theories, in order to provide students with a general framework on the various collective phenomena and suitable methodological approaches in contemporary society. The monographic section will be focused on one of the issues addressed in the theoretical session: fashion as collective behavior.

The course will be divided into lectures and a series of seminar meetings on the main topics of the program. It will be also scheduled ongoing evaluations.

Good level of general culture and information on the main events and social facts that characterise current affairs and public debate in Italy and abroad.

It is an advantage to have already studied sociological subjects.

It is an advantage to have already studied social research methodology.

INSTITUTIONAL SECTION: 1) Sociology as a science for the person; The beginnings of Sociology; Karl Marx and the relations of production; Émile Durkheim and the problem of social order; Max Weber and social action; Georg Simmel and the forms of interaction; Herbert Blumer and symbolic interaction; Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton and the needs of coexistence; Erving Goffman and the order of interaction; Raymond Boudon and the Individual; Pierre Bourdieu and social practices; Anthony Giddens and the analysis of radical modernity; Zygmunt Bauman and liquidity; Being in relationship; Feeling part; Re-produce cultures; Re-producing social norms; Communicate: mediation; Live in everyday life; The course of life; Live the family; Acting together; Get educated and educate; Living in the global world; Living the planet: climate change. 2) Collective action as a social process; Discontinuity and continuity in collective action; Models of rationality in collective action; Social movements as empirical referents; Collective action and research; Concluding hypotheses; Fashion as a collective action; #ItalianiWithout Citizenship: the collective action of second generations of migrants in Italy; Collective action and environmental sustainability. MONOGRAPHIC SECTION: 3) Sociological declinations of the concept of fashion; Processes of social inclusion and exclusion through fashion; Conformity and originality of young people: empirical research.

Titles are translated from the Italian editions, not edited in the English language.

1) Bichi R., Sociology, Vita&Pensiero, 2022, Milano.

2) Daher L.M., Collective Action. Theory and empirical research, FrancoAngeli, 2021, Milano. 

3) Mavica G., Definitions of fashion. Youth subjectivity and social change, FrancoAngeli, 2022, Milano. 

The assessment of the examination will take into account the candidate's mastery of the content and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical propriety, as well as his/her argumentation ability and critical thinking.

Some ongoing tests will be planned.

- Explain the theory of M. Weber

- Provide a definition of social action

- What is meant by radical modernity?

- Provide the definition of liquidity according to Bauman

- Define the concept of social norm

- What is meant by mediatization