The course introduces students to some of the most interesting theoretical debates developed by sociology that help understand contemporary societies. In dialogue with the theories of classical sociologists, we will analyze the theoretical debates on modern, post-modern, late modern, and non-modern societies; the Analytical Sociology approach to understanding social dynamics; the theoretical debate on the development of "positive sociology," analyzing climate change as a case study.
Texts to study for the final exam:
O'Byrne, D. (2017) Sociologia. Fondamenti e teorie. Seconda edizione. Pearson*. Only chapters 1 and 10.
Gherardi, L. (2021) Scoprire la sociologia. Teorie e temi essenziali. Pearson*. Only chapter 9.
Latour, B. (1991) Non siamo mai stati moderni, Eleuthera. Only chapter 2.
Latour, B. (2006) Dove sono le masse mancanti? Sociologia di alcuni oggetti di uso comune. In Mattozzi (ed.) Il senso degli oggetti tecnici. Meltemi (pp. 81-119).
Hedström, P. (2006). Anatomia del sociale. Sui principi della sociologia analitica. Mondadori. Only chapters 1, 2, 3.
Bazzani, G. (2023). Climate Solidarity: A Framework and Research Agenda for Low‐Carbon Behavior. Sociological Forum 38(2): 352-374.
Stebbins, R.A. (2020). Positive Sociology: An Overview. In: Kono, S., Beniwal, A., Baweja, P., Spracklen, K. (eds) Positive Sociology of Leisure. Leisure Studies in a Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, (pp. 13-24)
Non-attending students should integrate the program with:
O'Byrne, D. (2017) Sociologia. Fondamenti e teorie. Seconda edizione. Pearson*. Chapters 2, 4, 6, 7, 8.
Latour, B. (1991) Non siamo mai stati moderni, Eleuthera. Only chapter 3.
Hedström, P. (2006). Anatomia del sociale. Sui principi della sociologia analitica. Mondadori. Chapters 4 and 5.
For further insights (optional):
Orsini, A. (2021) Teoria sociologica classica e contemporanea. UTET. (Selected parts)
Bazzani, G. (2023). Agency as conversion process. Theory and Society, 52(3), 487-507.
Bazzani, G. (2023). Futures in action: expectations, imaginaries and narratives of the future. Sociology, 57(2), 382-397.
Latour, B. (1991). Non siamo mai stati moderni, Eleuthera.
Hedström, P., & Bearman, P. (Eds.). (2009). The Oxford handbook of analytical sociology. Oxford University Press. (Selected parts)
Pearson has informed us that their two texts are available both in print+digital version (with a code on the cover) and in a digital-only version. The digital-only version can be purchased only on the publisher's website (http://pearson.it/shop). The online platform accessed by students is the same whether they have scratched the code on the print version or purchased the digital-only version. On the platform, students find the digital book as well as extra materials. The Moodle platform of the Sociology Theories course contains the ID code to be inserted on the Pearson website to access the specific class for this Sociology Theories course.
Learning Objectives
Expected Learning Outcomes (based on the Dublin descriptors):
Knowledge and understanding:
Acquire knowledge of sociological vocabulary related to the subjects of study.
Understand sociological concepts and their definitions.
Comprehend the main sociological theories explaining the studied social phenomena.
Applied knowledge and understanding:
Apply the concepts and different theories studied to describe the social phenomena under investigation.
Compare and integrate, where possible, the different theories studied.
Autonomy and judgment:
Choose among the different sociological theories studied, those most useful for interpreting specific case studies.
Critically analyze a study that applies the subjects of study to the analysis of a case.
Communication skills:
Use appropriate sociological vocabulary when presenting the studied sociological theories.
Clearly articulate the studied theories.
Learning skills:
Independently learn the portions of the study texts not covered during lectures.
Prerequisites
Good reading skills and ability to independently study scientific texts.
Sound knowledge of the ideas of classical sociologists.
Successful completion of the Sociology course exam.
For preparation for the course, it is recommended to read Chapter 2 of the book: O'Byrne, D. (2017) Sociologia. Fondamenti e teorie. Seconda edizione. Pearson.
Teaching Methods
Frontal lectures
Flipped classroom with presentations and memos
Case study discussions
Further information
Type of Assessment
The final examination consists of an oral exam, which aims to assess the acquisition of knowledge and skills described in the Learning Objectives section of the course. The interview is conducted without the aid of notes or books. The topics covered in the exam pertain to the contents found in the recommended textbooks.
Course program
The course introduces various sociological theories that help understand the dynamics of contemporary society.
The reflection on different sociological theories and their constant comparison aim to develop in students a sense of self-reflection on their way of 'thinking' society. This openness to various sociological perspectives and the ability for self-reflection are crucial for consciously developing one's specific research interests and, more broadly, the ability to read and interpret social reality.
It is structured into three distinct modules, each focused on specific topics and sociological theories, offering students an overview of ongoing theoretical debates within sociology.
Module 1: Modern, Post-modern, Late Modern, or Non-modern?
This module introduces students to the debate about modern society, a foundational theme in sociology. It explores how classical sociologists grappled with the significant social upheavals of the 19th century, such as industrialization, urbanization, and technological progress. They sought to understand the origins of these changes, their anticipated consequences, and how to address emerging social problems like poverty, exploitation, inequality, and the dominance of certain social groups. These themes have accompanied sociological theory from its inception and have seen renewed interest in response to recent social transformations. The module analyzes different analytical perspectives that have emerged in this debate, with a particular focus on Bruno Latour's non-modern theory. Latour proposed a radical and innovative reexamination of the birth and development of modern societies, leading to the emergence of an approach to sociology known as 'Actor-Network Theory,' later evolving into 'Socio-Technical Studies.' Through the analysis of case studies, fundamental concepts of this approach to sociological study as a socio-technical network of humans and non-humans will be presented.
Module 2: Analytical Sociology for the Study of Inequality, Segregation, and Conflict.
The second module introduces Analytical Sociology, a recent approach to sociology that emerged from intense theoretical debates on the idea of social mechanisms for explaining social phenomena. Analytical Sociology seeks to develop highly precise models for interpreting social dynamics through the concept of micro-foundations of macro-social dynamics. The Desires-Beliefs-Opportunities (DBO) model is analyzed as an example of a general theoretical model for studying social action. Although the extensive use of approaches proposed by Analytical Sociology for studying social dynamics remains a subject of debate, this way of reasoning about sociological theory has contributed to significant discoveries and theorizations for understanding crucial aspects of societies, such as trust, inequality, segregation, conformity, hierarchies, and conflict. In this module, students will have the opportunity to become familiar with the reasoning and theorizations of Analytical Sociology for understanding social phenomena through the analysis of some case studies.
Module 3: Towards the Development of Positive Sociology? The Case of Climate Change.
The third module presents the recent theoretical debate on the possibility, considered necessary by some sociologists, of developing a "positive sociology" as an approach to understanding social reality (not to be confused with positivism). Positive sociology seeks to understand social phenomena attributed with characteristics considered tendentially "positive," such as cooperation, solidarity, and agency, in contrast to the traditional sociological focus on understanding social problems, such as inequalities, discrimination, and exclusion. This kind of interest is well-established in other social science disciplines such as economics, pedagogy, and psychology, where the "positive" approach is consolidated, even giving rise to dedicated schools of thought like "positive psychology." However, the possibility of a parallel development in sociology of an interest in "positive" phenomena raises open questions and concerns, such as its appropriateness and the risk of proposing a normative view of society, which are currently subjects of theoretical reflection within the discipline. The module introduces students to this theoretical debate through the sociological analysis of climate change as a social problem that requires urgent responses, and for which positive sociology aims to provide a significant contribution to its mitigation.