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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "SOSC/ITS 226-2"
COURSE NAME: "Rome: Modern City (On-site)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2020
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Ferruccio Trabalzi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TH 9:15-12:00 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This on-site course, which will be conducted in English, aims to introduce students to a sociological analysis of contemporary Rome. It focuses on the changes which are occurring in the city’s populations, its neighborhoods and patterns of daily life and commerce, and challenges conventional images of what it is to be a Roman today. On-site classes will be held in a variety of neighborhoods in the city in order to analyze the area’s role as a social entity and its relationship with the wider urban context. We will examine the issues and problems facing Rome today, such as housing, degradation and renewal, environmental questions, transportation, multiculturalism, wealth and poverty, social conflict and political identities. These issues will be contextualized within theories of urban sociology and also within an explanation of Rome’s urban development over the centuries and, in particular, since it became the national capital in 1870. Through readings, film clips, interviews and guest speakers, students will also analyze the way the city is narrated by some of its residents.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
By focusing on the non-tourist Rome (i.e. the city without monuments), the course highlights changes that are occurring in the city’s life and culture.  In doing so the course challenges conventional, stereotypical, images of Rome while raising students’ cultural awareness and inter-cultural competency.  The main focus of the course will be on the historical relations between the seemingly eternal center and its ever-changing suburbs, the transformed identity of the population, the ways in which the city is adapting to globalization and the fate of its cultural heritage. 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course students should be able to:

1)        Demonstrate knowledge of the city’s urban development from the late 1800s to today.

2)        Demonstrate familiarity with the economic, political, social, religious, cultural and institutional diversity that characterizes the city of Rome today.

3)        Describe individual neighborhoods and identify their key roles and relations with the broader urban context.

4)        Identify the main sociological and spatial features of each neighborhood.

5)        Demonstrate familiarity with major theories of urban sociology and apply them to the case-study neighborhoods in order to assess their validity and relevance for understanding the particular situation of Rome.

TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
FINAL EXAMFormat of the final exam: between 5 to 10 questions including multiple choice, short and longer answers for a total of 100 points. All questions are based on readings, lectures and on-site visits after midterm (i.e. the final exam is not cumulative and does not include topics dealt with in the first part of the semester) .25%
   
SUMMARY OF READINGSSummaries are due in class, in hard copy, the day they are discussed. Please see the schedule of classes with its assigned readings. Specific information on how to write a summary will be given the first day of class. The summaries are not graded. 5%
STREET EXERCISEWritten and Visual urban analysis of two streets in the historical center. This exercise, to be conducted in pairs, falls in the category of urban analysis and is designed to provide non-specialized students with an intuitive method to understand, record and describe parts of cities and their evolution. The objective of the exercise is to acknowledge the complex and multi-layered development of Rome’s historical center in the last 100 years as a consequence of urban development, urban renewal, globalization gentrification, mass consumption and mass tourism. The exercise is divided into two parts: a visual part including maps and pictures to be presented in class in PPT format, and a written part (1000 words) to be handed in in hard copy the day of the presentation (This part is the written version of the oral presentation). 30%
PARTICIPATIONShowing up for class or on time for the field visits grants the student a C in the final participation grade. To earn full participation the student has to actively participate. This means asking questions relevant to the issue at hand, answering when prompted by the professor, bringing into the discussion relevant points, experiences and whatever extra information generate further reflection on the topic discussed at the moment. 5%
MIDTERM EXAMFormat of the midterm exam: between 5 to 10 questions including multiple choice, short and longer answers for a total of 100 points. All questions are based on readings, lectures and on-site visits. All questions are relative to the topics covered in class up to the week before midterm.35%

-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 co
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis 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.
FThis 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:

SEE JCU ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR THIS CLASS ON THE UNIVERSITY CATALOGUE.  

NOTE: 

Missing a bus, not knowing how to get to the appointment site, bus delay, etc. are not reasons that excuse the student from coming to class.  Public transportation in Rome is rather unpredictable therefore students need to give themselves ample time to arrive on time at the on-site appointment.

Flight delay and other inconveniences experienced by students when traveling for personal reasons that prevent them from attending classes are not considered.

Traveling with parent\friends\significant others during class time is considered an unexcused absence.

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.
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.

SCHEDULE

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

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1\23  IN CLASS: COURSE PRESENTATION  

NOTE: CLASS STARTS AT 8:30 AND ENDS AT 11:15
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 1\30  ON-SITE. THE MASS TOURISM CITY: WALK IN TRASTEVERE
Appointment in class at 9:15

Readings:

F. Trabalzi. The commodification of culture and the changing identity of a Roman neighborhood (working paper)

Clough Marinaro, I. and B. Thomassen, 2014:” Into the City: The Changing Faces of Rome,” in Clough Marinaro, I. and B. Thomassen, eds. Global Rome (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press)

Thomassen, B., and P. Vereni, 2014. “Diversely Global Rome.” In Clough Marinaro, I. and B. Thomassen, eds. Global Rome (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press)

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2\6  ON-SITE. THE MASS TOURISM CITY II: A WALK BETWEEN CAMPO DI FIORI AND THE PANTHEON

Appointment: 9:15 at Campo di Fiori nearby the statue of Giordano Bruno
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2\13  IN-CLASS. 1870-1940: THE MODERN INVENTION OF ANCIENT ROME 

NOTE: CLASS STARTS AT 8:30 AND ENDS AT 11:15

Readings:

D. Watkin.  “Archaeologists under the kings of United Italy”  pp. 196-200 and “From Mussolini To Hitler to Holes on the Ground,” pp. 201-222, In The Roman Forum (London: Profile  Books, 2011).

F. Trabalzi. “Primavalle: Urban Reservation in Rome". In Journal of Architectural Education, 42\3 September 1989: 38-46

F.Trabalzi. The Roman Forum Reinvented (Working paper)
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2\20  ON-SITE. LEARNING FROM THE FORUM: THE MODERN LANDSCAPE OF ANCIENT ROME

Appointment: 9:15 in Piazza del Campidoglio under the equestrian statue of Emperor Marco Aurelio.

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2\27  ON-SITE. FORUM BOARIUM AND THE EX-JEWISH GHETTO

Appointment: 9:15 at Tiber Island by the statue of Saint Bartholomew.

Readings: F. Trabalzi. Jewish Ghetto and Forum Boarium: The paradox of protecting cultural landscape in Rome (working paper).
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3\5  IN CLASS.  REVIEW (STREET EXERCISE AND LECTURES)
NOTE: CLASS STARTS AT 8:30 AND ENDS AT 11:15
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3\19  IN CLASS MIDTERM
NOTE: THE EXAM STARTS AT 8:30 AND ENDS AT 10:30
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3\26   IN-CLASS. SOCIAL MARGINALITY IN CONTEMPORARY ROME
NOTE: CLASS STARTS AT 8:30 AND ENDS AT 11:15

Readings:

bell hooks. “Choosing the Margin as a site of Radical  Openness,” in Yearning: Race, Gender and Cultural Politics”, Boston: South End Press,1990.
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4\2   ON-SITE. PARK OF THE AQUEDUCTS: A History of Social Marginality

Appointment: 9:15 at Metro A station Giulio Agricola. Expected return time to campus around 12:15.

Readings:    F. Trabalzi. The Park of the Aqueducts: A history of social marginality (Working paper)
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4\9  ON-SITE. Testaccio: A neighborhood radically open

Appointment: Bus 23 stop Marmorata-Galvani near PIRAMIDE at 9:15.

Readings: F. Trabalzi. Testaccio: A neighborhood radically open (Working paper)
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4\16  ON-SITE. RELIGION AND MULTICULTURALISM IN ROME YESTERDAY AND TODAY: BASILICA SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE AND THE ESQUILINO NEIGHBORHOOD

Appointment 9:15 at Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore.
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4\23  ON-SITE. GREEN ROME: THE EVOLUTION OF ROME’S PARK. THE CASE OF VILLA PAMPHILI

Appointment: 9:15 in class 
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4\30  IN-CLASS. FINAL REVIEW  
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5\7  FINAL TBA
TURN IN THE STREET EXERCISE.