SOCIOLOGIA DEI FENOMENI POLITICI

Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: ROSSANA SAMPUGNARO

Expected Learning Outcomes

In alignment with the Dublin Descriptors, it is expected that students will have acquired the following competencies by the end of the course:

1. An understanding of the essential elements required to comprehend the underlying mechanisms of politically relevant phenomena. The principal theoretical and research perspectives on essential topics in the discipline will be recalled, including political cultures and identities, socio-political fractures, organisational forms (parties, pressure groups and political movements), political participation, electoral behaviour and public opinion.

2. The ability to apply knowledge using different conceptual and methodological tools, with a focus on the historical evolution of the discipline and its theoretical-methodological distinctiveness.

3. The capacity for autonomous judgement with respect to contemporary socio-political phenomena, and the ability to present points of view and/or positions.

4. The proficiency in communication to convey information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist interlocutors.

5. The capacity to learn and develop a method of study, characterized by a sufficient degree of autonomy, in order to undertake further studies.

The teaching syllabus supports the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially for the goals: 4. QUALITY EDUCATION; 5. GENDER EQUALITY; 16. PEACE, JUSTICE AND SOLID INSTITUTIONS. Awareness-raising with respect to the goals will be supported through reflection on these issues in lectures and seminars across the course.

Course Structure

Lectures, reading texts, exercises and laboratory activities.

Required Prerequisites

It would be preferable to have already attended an introductory course in sociology or social research methodology,

Attendance of Lessons

Detailed Course Content

The aim of the course is to provide students with elements needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the politically relevant phenomena. The course introduces the main theoretical and research perspectives on key issues of political sociology: culture and political identity, political cleavages, organizations (parties, lobbies, interest groups and movements), political participation, electoral behaviour and public opinion. A special focus is on electoral behaviour with particular attention to abstention and depoliticisation. The phenomena are studied from a perspective of multidipliscinary and

integrated knowledge: different conceptual and methodological tools, looking at the historical evolution of the discipline. Therefore, the course allows acquisition of knowledge concerning policy relevant issues and the formation of abilities needed to identify contemporary political issues

Textbook Information

Testi:
1) L. Ceccarini e I. Diamanti, Tra politica e società. Fondamenti, trasformazioni e prospettive, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018, pp. 13-36 un testo a scelta tra i seguenti:
(2) R.Sampugnaro, Astensionismo, Mondadori, Milano 2024, pp. 7-155, isbn: 9788861848641
(3) D.Fruncillo, Verso la politica post-elettorale, Soveria Mannelli, Rubettino, 2020, isbn: 9788849865851

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

The exam is in oral form. The assessment will take into account the candidate's grasp of the content and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical propriety, as well as his or her ability to argue.

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For attending students, assessment of their preparation during the course will take place through:

- April: reading and analysis of scientific articles (2 chosen by the student from those available on Studium);

- May-June: research activities, carried out in a laboratory setting, aimed at analysing new forms of participation, to be carried out individually or in groups.

Both activities require the delivery of written papers and discussion of the results. Attending students will also be required to take a final oral examination on topics that have not been covered in the assessments.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

Describe the characteristics of a mass party

Illustrate forms of abstentionism

Explain the origin of cleavages

What is a matrix?

Illustrates the stages of a deliberative poll

Degree Course in

Sociology and Social Work