Sociology

The course provides an overview of working in the United Kingdom and examines the changing organizational structures of work in Britain. It examines the social and economic changes that affect the workplace in the UK. Topics covered include the sociology of work; trade unions; oppression at work; generational changes at work. 

This course investigates how the early childhood period contributes to the reproduction of social inequalities, focusing on the role of early education and care, and on the interplay between micro-level characteristics with the policy context. Several interdisciplinary concepts are introduced, as well as the key policy evaluation tools, as applied to (early) education and care. The course discusses and questions current concepts in the early childhood literature and their relevance to the reproduction of social inequalities; examines early education and care; explores cross-national differences in early childhood policies and current policy debates; considers the concepts behind key policy evaluation tools; and applies acquired knowledge to evaluate early education programs and their role in the production of inequalities. Sessions are interactive and require participation.

In recent decades, a growing interest in material cultures and the sociology of space has elevated the status of architecture in sociological discussions. This seminar examines how different architectural forms take part in a range of different social practices. To what extent are they part of social practices, support or suppress them? The course adopts a simple scheme of spatial directions to discuss forms of enclosure (prisons), verticality (skyscrapers), liminality (borders), flows (logistics), etc.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have a strong background in sociological theory. The terms of reference for the theoretical part are based on Italy and in particular on Palermo, Sicily, and the Zen neighborhood. The course focuses on the concept of community both in socio-cultural and socio-spatial terms as well as the relationship between the concepts of community and social capital, with particular attention to the question of environment from an empirical point of view. Special attention is placed on the concepts of community and social capital at the general theory level, standard and non-standard research tools, advantages and disadvantages of empirical environment research that focuses on community and social capital concepts. The course is divided into three thematic modules. The first module introduces the concept of community, both as a reference to classical authors such as Tonnies, Weber, and Park, and as a socio-cultural and socio-spatial meaning. In the second module, using the above theoretical framework, the relation between community and social capital is considered in order to develop the connection between these two concepts and the neighborhood, in terms of urban sociology and in the light of recent acquisitions of neighborhood studies. A special section is also dedicated to the question of urban sustainability with particular reference to the relation between the concept of resilience and the neighborhood approach. The third module is dedicated to studies that explore the relation between poverty, neighborhood and social capital through the development of a mixed methods approach. This section also stresses the importance of the distinction between structure and culture in the study of urban poverty. Required reading includes: COMUNITÀ, CAPITALE SOCIALE, QUARTIERE by M. Castrignanò, LO ZEN DI PALERMO by F. Fava, CERCANDO RISPETTO by P. Bourgois, and I REIETTI DELLA CITTÀ by L. Wacquant. Assessment is based on a final oral exam that covers the assigned readings and the social research methodology and techniques discussed in the course.

This public health course provides an exciting opportunity to strengthen understanding of the role of social and structural factors in health and how more distal drivers of inequity interact with more proximal individual determinants of health outcomes and behaviors. In addition to highlighting contemporary theories and research that take an ecological approach to public health, the course showcases key examples of contemporary health issues affected by broader social and structural factors, such as social stigma of specific groups. The course also encompasses an overview of social and structural approaches to public health and health promotion, such as through social policy and environmental change, complementing well-known education and counselling approaches.