Sociology

In Germany and Europe public debates on migration, migrant and ethnic communities and religion play a big role in politics and society. This course first analyzes the concepts of race and racism, looking at historical and contemporary moments as well as developments of racism in society. Further, it examines the various uses of terminology in the field and particularly elaborates on the concept of ‘intersectionality’, studying racism and discrimination from this angle. After gaining the theoretical lens for this course, students engage with clear examples of different forms of racism and discrimination such as Antisemitism, anti-Black racism, anti-Muslim racism or anti-Gypsyism. These examples are analyzed and contextualized by looking at structural and societal problems of racism. Finally, students visit and hear from activists in Berlin dealing with the problem of racism and discrimination. Additionally, the course looks into how governments and policy makers try to tackle racism within their own societies. Students learn from this course the different concepts and forms of racism and are able to apply this knowledge in future discussions by critically questioning processes and events in politics and society.

The course identifies the impact of U.S. interventionism on the political, economic, and social transformations in Latin America and the Caribbean. It discusses the political crisis, process of re-colonization, and the eco-social collapse affecting the region. The course analyzes political forces, corporations, national and regional actors, power blocks, integration mechanisms, and de facto powers and their role in the systemic and environmental crisis that exists in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

The course explores the nature, extent, and social impact of corporate crime around the world, and assesses the forms of social and legal regulation of corporate malfeasance.

The aim of this lecture is to familiarize students with the various methods of media research (both quantitative and qualitative) and their theoretical backgrounds. Students may already know (and be using) some of the methods and theories, but this course aims to enlighten them of other approaches as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods.

The course includes engagement with videos about media research methods as well as discussion of recent articles from media and communication journals. Students will be expected to introduce each article in class to facilitate the discussion. Students will gain an understanding of the different kinds of media research methods, as well as when, how and why they were developed. This is not a practical course so students will not be taught how to use particular methods, but this course should help them make a more informed choice of research methods for their own projects.

This course examines two visions of modernity--Karl Marx (the critique of capitalism) and Max Weber (the spirit of capitalism). Topics include historical constitution of capital and work, social structure and stratification, class struggle and revolution, the theory of action, class and status, and social change.

This course considers the re-emergence of social class as a primary category of a sociological understanding and analysis and assess its significance for interpreting contemporary inequalities and recent political developments. Set against the backdrop of post-war social and cultural change in Britain, it begins by tracing the declining salience of class in sociological theory and political discourse before considering the recent development and impact of a more culturally sensitive model of class analysis associated, in particular, with the work Pierre Bourdieu. It then moves on to examine how the key mechanisms of class formation are conceptualized and operationalized by researchers, paying particular attention to debates about social mobility, education, and meritocracy. A third section considers the relationship between lifestyle and classed cultures, the politics of classification, and issues of intersectionality between class, gender, and ethnicity. Finally, the course looks at the particular role of elites in defining class-based spatial inequalities and political alignments in "Brexit Britain."

This course introduces and explores gender and sexuality studies, mainly from a sociological perspective, by examining various issues in recent Japanese society.

In Japan today, we frequently hear terms such as the “gender gap” and “LGBTQ”, some of which may be regarded as “current must-know terms” for university examinations or employment examinations. However, not many people recognize that gender is essentially a matter of power-knowledge. Gender, as power-knowledge, acts as a structural background that goes beyond the good or bad intentions of individuals. This course aims to examine how gender as power-knowledge makes various things unremarkable and socially “natural” (e.g., stay-at-home moms, heterosexual couples) but other things more distinctive (e.g., stay-at-home dads, gay couples).

Based on traditional discussions of power relations between men and women, this course outlines recent discussions focusing on complex relations among women and among men that do not always fit into the monolithic scheme of “male domination of women.” During the first half of the semester (lectures 1–6), the course covers basic ideas and concepts in gender and sexuality studies; in the second half (lectures 7–14), the course examines social issues, mainly in recent Japanese society.

*Topics regarding violence (including rape and hate crimes) will be discussed in multiple sessions of this course. Carefully consider your enrollment in this course if these topics make you uncomfortable; alternative assignments can be provided for these sessions.

What are the methodological implications of queer theory? What makes an article or a research project 'queer’ or ‘feminist’? This course provides students with a practical exploration of queer theory and feminist perspectives in research methods. We examine how societal norms and power structures impact research, including research design, data collection methods (such as surveys, interviews, and observations), data analysis techniques, and ethical considerations in research. We explore a range of concepts, such as intersectionality, homonormativity, and anti- and inter-disciplinarity, and discuss how they could shape and inform sociology and research. After covering these key concepts, we focus on ethnographic methods and address the ethics of conducting research with vulnerable groups, including the importance of consent, confidentiality, and reflexivity. Throughout the course, students develop critical thinking skills, engage in discussions and debates, and conduct research tasks under the supervision of the instructor. The course hosts guest speakers who are experienced in gender and sexuality research in Germany.  

This course examines concepts relating to gender and sexuality, and discuss the obsession with gendering in a historical, social, and cultural context.  Topics for discussion also include the sex/gender system; gender and sexuality in relation to identity, behavior, the body and desire. Questions include: to what extent are the characteristics of masculinity and femininity born with us, or to what extent do the makers of gender vary over time and between societies? Is sexuality innate of socially constructed or a combination of the two? 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides an advanced and critical overview and understanding of the role of victims of crime and abuse of power, social exclusion, and repression in contemporary society with regards to the main theoretical approaches in the discipline as a reflection of the changing of structure dynamics and relations at all level in the "global era". The course provides the skills to: analyze processes of victimization in contemporary societies in a broader political and socio-economic context; set the peculiar condition of victims in the frame of multiple interactions with regards to national and supra national institutions; recognize the ambivalence of victims’ role inside the judiciary and criminal justice systems in a comparative perspective; apply the “new” victimology of human rights in an original and interdisciplinary approach that transcends current official and social perspectives of victimization and its sources.