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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "SOSC/ITS 225"
COURSE NAME: "Sociology of Southern Italy"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2019
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
James Schwarten
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 11:30-12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine the Italian Mezzogiorno starting with this paradox – the reality of a society often engaged in rapid social change but one where change itself often appears impossible. We will look at the modern history of the region briefly, moving on to major themes and questions concerning how the Italian South has developed since the Unification of Italy and especially in recent decades. Issues to be studied include underdevelopment, modernization, social capital and civic spirit or the lack of it, the argument that the South is characterized by “amoral community”, the whys and hows of the great emigration of the last century, the land reforms after World War II, the attempt to overcome the region’s underdevelopment with the Fund for the Mezzogiorno, the issue of clientelist and corrupt politics, organized crime including the Sicilian Mafia, the Neapolitan Camorra, and the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, the anti-Mafia movement, the current crisis of waste removal in Naples and its causes, the changing role of women in Southern society and others.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Each of the main themes of the course will be introduced with lectures, followed by seminar-style group discussion and debate, drawing on students’ reading assignments and research projects. The course will first briefly look at the modern history of the Mezzogiorno, moving on to major themes and questions concerning how the Italian South has developed since the Unification of Italy and especially in recent decades. Issues to be studied include underdevelopment, modernization, social capital and civic spirit or the lack of it, the argument that the South is characterized by “amoral community”, the whys and hows of the great emigration of the last century, the land reforms after World War II, the attempt to overcome the region’s underdevelopment with the Southern Development Fund, the issue of clientelistic and corrupt politics, organized crime including the Sicilian Mafia, the Neapolitan Camorra, and the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, antimafia movements, the recent crisis of waste removal in Naples and its causes, the changing role of women in southern society and others. Emphasis will also be on the often-overlooked attempts of ordinary Southern Italians to find solutions of their own to the problems facing them, from mass emigration abroad in the early twentieth century, to land occupations, from internal migration to the factories and cities of northern Italy in the 1950s and 1960s, to historic and current antimafia movements.
Students will be expected to complete their assigned readings punctually and to follow developments in southern Italy by reading newspapers and accessing statistical databases, throughout the semester. The professor will provide guidance in these areas.
The professor customarily offers an optional day-trip to Naples. Students should inform the professor of their interest in this option the first day of class.
Student Responsibilities:
Students will attend every class and arrive on time for all class sessions. They will keep up with assigned readings and additional assignments. They will turn in assignments promptly. Five points will be deducted from each assignment that is not turned in on time for each day it is late.
The assessment criteria listed below refer to all assessment methods in the course.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will acquire detailed knowledge of the social history of southern Italy from Unification to the present day. They will be able to identify the main events, trends and actors in the political, economic and social development of the Mezzogiorno during that time period.
Based on the required readings and lectures, students will be able to summarize and critically analyze the different theories which have emerged to explain the South’s economic, political and social development.
Students will develop their research skills by carrying out a paper project, based on scholarly bibliographical research as well as some fieldwork techniques, if appropriate. The methods, instruments, and conclusions of the paper will form the basis of an in-class oral presentation.
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TEXTBOOK:
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Research paper | Minimum 2000-word research essay on a topic relevant to the course and carried out using at least three academic sources. | 25 |
| Presentation (in class) | Approximately a 10-minute power point (or similar platform) presentation of the topic of the research paper, explaining its relevance to the course, the methods used to collect information, main findings, and conclusions and brief discussion of the sources used. | 10 |
| Midterm Exam | | 25 |
| Participation at mid term | Assessed qualitatively and quantitatively and includes such practices as active participation in class debates/discussions, offering insightful comments and asking pertinent questions, note-taking, and remaining attentive during class meetings. Missing more than 4 classes or repeated tardiness/leaving class early will result in a grade of zero for participation. | 5 |
| Participation at end of term | Assessed qualitatively and quantitatively and includes such practices as active participation in class debates/discussions, offering insightful comments and asking pertinent questions, note-taking, and remaining attentive during class meetings. Missing more than 4 classes or repeated tardiness/leaving class early will result in a grade of zero for participation. | 5 |
| Final Exam | | 30 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
B
This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
C
This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
D
This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
F
This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Letter grades and corresponding percentages for this class
94 – 100 points = A
90 – 93.99 = A-
87 – 89.99 = B+
83 – 86.99 = B
80 – 82.99 = B-
77 – 79.99 = C+
70 – 76.99 = C
60 – 69.99 = D
59.99 – 0 = F
Attendance concerns arriving punctually, remaining in class for the duration of each lesson, participating actively and constructively, and refraining from using devices such as personal computers, cell phones, and tablets. Your final grade will be reduced by 3% for each absence after the third.
You cannot make up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean's Office. The Dean's Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will miss an exam must notify the Dean's Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up the work that will be missed.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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The course schedule may be subject to modification. All readings will be provided and are subject to change on the basis of recent scholarlship.
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Session
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Session Focus
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Reading
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Assignments/Exams
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WK 1A
Jan 21
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Course introduction, syllabus, goals and expectations, research paper, terminology
Class discussion: images, notions, and misconceptions about the Mezzogiorno
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WK 1B
Jan 23
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Defining and measuring Italy and “the South”
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Castellanos (Provincialism and Nationalism); Duggan (A Concise History of Italy), chapter 1; Dickie ("Imagined Italies")
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WK 2A
Jan 28
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Cont'd
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WK 2B
Jan 30
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Lecture: Introduction to the history of southern Italy
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Riall ("Garibaldi and the South"), Davis ("The South and the Risorgimento: histories and counter-histories")
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WK 3A
Feb 4
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Lecture: Unification viewed from the South
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Gribaudi (in Forgacs and Lumley (Italian Cultural Studies. An Introduction, chapter 4)
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WK 3B
Feb 6
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Lecture/discussion: “Orientalism”
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WK 4A
Feb 11
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Lecture/discussion: Gramsci, Banfield and Putnam; the Southern Question during Fascism
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Putnam (Making Democracy Work), Tarrow (review of Putnam), Ginsborg ("Civil society in contemporary Italy: theory, history and practice")
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WK 4B
Feb 13
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Cont’d
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WK 4C Friday, Feb 15
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In-class discussion and debate: views, interpretations, stereotypes of the South
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Harris ("Photography of the 'primitive' in Italy")
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Topic, research question, bibliography and outline due
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WK 5A
Feb 18
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Lecture/discussion: Politics of the South since World War II; Southern Development Fund; economic trends
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Alacevich ("Postwar development in the Italian Mezzogiorno"), Lüttge (the Mezzogiorno during European Integration)
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WK 5B
Feb 20
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Cassano ("Southern Thought")
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WK 6A
Feb 25
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Film
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Reading(s), T.B.A.
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WK 6B
Feb 27
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Film (cont'd) + discussion
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WK 7A
Mar 4
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Organized crime: Origins of Cosa Nostra (Sicily)
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Lupo (History of the Mafia, pp. 1-30)
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WK 7B
Mar 6
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Organized crime: Cosa Nostra in post-WWII Sicily
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WK 7C Friday, Mar 8
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Cont’d
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Documentary on 2nd Mafia War |
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SPRING BREAK
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WK 8A
Mar 18
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Organized crime: Camorra
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Scaglione, A. ("Cosa Nostra and Camorra: illegal activities and organisational structures")
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WK 8B
Mar 20
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Midterm Exam
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WK 9A
Mar 25
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Camorra: Causes and the consequences of "Ecomafia"
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Saviano (Gomorrah, "Land of Fires"), Collins (review of Saviano), Greco ("Blaming the southern victim: Cancer and the Italian 'Southern Question' in Terra dei fuochi and Taranto")
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WK 9B
Mar 27
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Organized crime: 'Ndrangheta
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Paoli (Mafia Brotherhoods, pp. 29-40; 46-52; 67-70), Mete and Sciarrone ("Overcoming the 'Ndrangheta")
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WK 10A
Apr 1
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Lecture/discussion. Antimafia
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Schneider and Schneider ("Civil society and transnational organized crime: The case of the Italian antimafia movement")
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WK 10B
Apr 3/(5-Friday: inclement weather make-up day as necessary)
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Student research presentations and discussion
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WK 11A
Apr 8
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Discussion and debate: the effect of organized crime on southern development
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Daniele ("The Burden of Crime on Development and FDI in Southern Italy")
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WK 11B
Apr 10
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Lecture/discussion: Immigrants in southern Italy
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Buonaiuto and Laforest ("Spelling Out Exclusion in Southern Italy")
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Final draft research paper due
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WK 12A
Apr 15
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Lecture/discussion: Women and the Family
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Carrera ("Women and Work in Italy: The Risk of Discouragement"), Fantone ("Gender and Generational Politics in Contemporary Italy"), Ruspini ("Masculinity between Familism and Social Change")
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WK 12B
Apr 17/(19-Friday: inclement weather make-up day as necessary)
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Current statistical data on the Mezzogiorno
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WK 13 Apr 24 (no class Apr 22)
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Discussion/debate on the future of the South
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Readings T.B.A.
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WK 14
Apr 29 (no class May 1)
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Course conclusions / Final Exam review
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