Valutami
Scheda programma d'esame
SOCIOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE
VINCENZO MELE
Anno accademico2016/17
CdSSCIENZE POLITICHE
Codice062QQ
CFU6
PeriodoSecondo semestre
LinguaItaliano

ModuliSettore/iTipoOreDocente/i
SOCIOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE SPS/08LEZIONI42
VINCENZO MELE unimap
Programma non disponibile nella lingua selezionata
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
The student who completes the course successfully will able to demonstrate a solid knowledge of the most important cultural and communicational processes in modernity. More specifically she or he will understand the main sociological perspectives on media and culture and how they can be applied to study human society. She or he will able to Identify key theoretical concepts of major theorists in the field of cultural and media studies; compare and contrast theoretical perspectives such as functionalism, critical theory, and reception studies; discuss contemporary media in light of these sociological concepts; develop a Research Project based on scholarly sources and participant observation.
Assessment criteria of knowledge
The student will be assessed on his/her demonstrated ability to discuss the main course contents using the appropriate terminology. - During the oral exam the student must be able to demonstrate his/her knowledge of the course material and be able to discuss the reading matter thoughtfully and with propriety of expression. - The students with the group project work must demonstrate the ability to put into practice an ethnographic research which focus on one of the topics illustrated or carried out under the guidance of the teacher during the course. - With the oral presentation, to be made to the teacher and the other students, the student must demonstrate the ability to approach a circumscribed research problem, and organise an effective exposition of the results.

Methods:

  • Final essay
  • Oral report

Further information:
Final oral exam 70% Project work presentation 30%

Teaching methods

Delivery: face to face

Learning activities:

  • attending lectures
  • participation in seminar
  • preparation of oral/written report
  • participation in discussions
  • individual study
  • group work

Attendance: Advised

Teaching methods:

  • Lectures
  • Seminar
  • project work
Syllabus
The course covers the sociological analysis of mass media, with special reference to the thought of Georg Simmel (1858) and Walter Benjamin (1892-1940). Simmel and Benjamin consider modern metropolis as the place where modern culture and communication was born. In the western metropolis between '800 and '900 we had major transformation in the urban landscape and architecture, such as department stores, passages, world exhibitions; big changes in the field of aesthetics, culture and customs because of diffusion of fashion, advertisement, newspapers and magazines; the transformation of perception of time and space, given to technical innovations like railways, artificial light, radio, telephone, photography, cinema. All these changes affected dramatically the experience of individuals living in the big cities and beyond. The new transformations that we are living now with the new media are in continuity with the experience of metropolis, which is constantly evolving and changing.
Bibliography
A. Abruzzese, P. Mancini, Sociologie della comunicazione (Sociologies of Communication), Laterza, Bari, 2011. W. Benjamin, Aura e choc. Saggi sulla teoria dei media (Aura and Choc. Essays on Media's Theory). Torino, Einaudi, 2012: only the essays The Work of Art in the Age of its Technical Reproducibility, pp. 17-50, On Some Motivs by Baudelaire, pp. 163-202, and Paris, The Capital of the XIX Century, pp. 372-386. M. Berman, All that is Solid Melts into Air, New York 1982 (introduction, ch. 2 and ch. 3). G. Simmel, Moda e metropoli (Fashion and Metropolis), Prato, Piano B Edizioni, 2011. G. Simmel, Estetica e sociologia (Sociological Aesthetics), Roma, Armando, 2006. Only the essays on Berlin Commercial Exhibiton and The Problem of Style, pp. 78-99. G. Simmel, Sull’intimità (On Intimacy), Roma, Armando, 1996. The essays on Shame, Discretion, Gratitude, Ornament, pp. 63-117. For the students who cannot attend the classes: students must know the thought of Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin. For this we recommend the introductions of P. Jedlowski to G. Simmel, Le metropoli e la vita dello spirito (Metropolis and Mental Life), Roma, Armando 1995 and V. Mele to G. Simmel, Estetica e Sociologia (Sociological Aesthetics), quoted, and the introductions by A. Pinotti and A. Somaini to W. Benjamin, Aura e choc, quoted, pp. IX-XXVIII, 5-13, 115-125, 345-360.
Ultimo aggiornamento 14/11/2016 17:27