Sociology

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. Why do people commit crime? Why and how do we punish offenders? This course addresses all these fundamental questions through engaging with core criminological and sociological theories and debates on crime and its responses. At the end of the course unit, students: know the most important concepts of sociology as applied nowadays with reference to criminal phenomena and their punishment, with an emphasis on the evolutionary dimension of relevant theories and the comparison between European and North American approaches; and are capable to apply those concepts independently, especially in fields covering deviance and social control.

This course addresses various dimensions of social problems both theoretically and empirically using a social constructionist perspective.  The course begins with brainstorming social problems, categorizing them by its nature, extracting common features of these various problems, as well as discussing key concepts of social problem construction such as “claims-maker,” “audiences,” “constructing victims/villains,”  "objectivism vs constructivism" by the text book. The class then engages in a “social problems game," addressing their own topics, or following big issues: Anthropocene, Domestication, Zoonosis, Climate change, One health approach, SDGs (contradiction or compromise), Sufficiency economy, Green new deal, etc.

The second half of the term focuses on problem solving, particularly poverty alleviation. Students are invited to one mountain village in an Asian country, virtually, where they analyze the problems in that village and formulate the development project using PCM (Project Cycle Management) tools. After this practical exercise, the class further studies the theoretical base of social deviation, or the formation of social order, reading Adam Smith on moral philosophy and Amartya Sen's capability approach. 

Throughout the course, participants are expected to consider: i) whose social problems we address; ii) causes and consequences of them; and iii) what changes needed. The contents of the course are subject to change according to participants’ interests and progress.

This course examines a variety of social and cultural issues analytically as well as critically. Focusing mainly on Japanese culture and society, this course requires students to read books written on topics such as groupism, communication, government bureaucracy, environmental protection, the education system, gender relations, internationalization, and/or political culture. Students will write short papers, participate in discussion, and make a group presentation. In 2025, the course focuses on cities in the developing world. 

The course explores everyday relationships and their sociological significance for contemporary debates on family, personal life, and kinship; as well as illuminating the importance of relationships in all aspects of everyday life,  provides theoretical frameworks and empirical materials to allow students to explore for themselves how personal relationships are played out through all aspects of everyday life, and explore and critique different relationships through different institutions and practices.

This course provides basic knowledge of the culture of the Viking Age, such as it is presented in contemporary sources and in interpretations and applications from the past two centuries with a special focus on how this culture has gained considerable importance then and in modern times, in the Viking homelands, and the surrounding world. The course provides skills in interpreting, understanding and discussing certain contemporary sources both written (Old Norse literature, rune inscriptions, chronicles) and archaeological, and to analyze the nature of Viking culture's depiction in high and popular culture in fiction, film, media, monuments and cultural-political contexts with a certain emphasis on its relationship with the romantic tradition. The course highlights how the modern spread of Viking culture has been marked by academic and political disagreements.

This course immerses students in a global examination of the rise of far-right movements, employing mixed methods to explore radicalization, narratives, and mobilization strategies. The comparative perspective encompasses cases in both Latin America and Europe. Participants gain practical experience in qualitative data collection and analysis techniques, as well as skills in database construction and discourse analysis. The course culminates in the drafting of a research publication, fostering the development of rigorous academic skills.

This course introduces contemporary media and popular culture in South Korea along with relevant issues. A primary emphasis will be placed on the ways in which the media express and mediate Korean popular culture. Students learn theoretical concepts and ideas that enable them to understand Korean media and “read” Korean popular culture from academic perspectives. The topics include ownership, diversity, economics, policy, globalization, multiculturalism, Korean Wave, K-pop, film, journalism, broadcasting, among others. Students undertake group research projects and discuss their work in class. 

This course examines cultural (textual and visual) productions about minority identities in Paris. The city has always attracted immigrants and refugees who, in turn, influence its cultural and political landscape. After a brief historical survey, the course focuses on the contemporary period with special emphasis on the legacy of World War II, colonialism, and postcolonial immigration. It explores tensions between marginalization and integration, French universalism and multiculturalism, and competing memories of traumatic histories. Through films, literature, art works, media, weekly site visits, and critical essays, students reflect on what it means to be “the other” in Paris. Through the class, students gain awareness of local and global perspectives, by enhancing their intercultural understanding of languages, cultures, and histories of local societies and the global issues to which these relate. Students also develop an aesthetic inquiry and creative expression by engaging with artistic or creative objects in different media and from different of cultural traditions. Finally, this class allows students to explore and engage with difference by thinking critically about cultural and social difference; students identify and understand power structures that determine hierarchies and inequalities that can relate to race, ethnicity, gender, nationhood, religion, or class.