Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "SOSC/ITS 250"
COURSE NAME: "Contemporary Italian Society"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2016

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Isabella Clough Marinaro
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course introduces students to the complexities of contemporary Italian society, taking a primarily ‘bottom-up’ social science approach by examining a wide variety of contexts and exploring the ways in which Italians express, negotiate and transform their cultural and social identities. By drawing on a growing body of anthropological and sociological research, it provides students with the tools to question rigid and dated assumptions about Italian social life and enables them to analyze its multifaceted, dynamic and often contradictory forms and practices, focusing primarily on the last two decades. Students are first introduced to key theoretical and methodological approaches in the sociological and anthropological study of contemporary Italy. We then examine local identities in urban contexts, how families and gender roles are transforming, and the pressures produced by the current economic crisis, as well as exploring why increasing numbers of Italians are returning to rural livelihoods. Next, we discuss life in the Italian work-place and the effects that de-industrialization, technological development and precarious work contracts are having on professional and class identities. We analyze the rising appeal of populist and ‘anti-political’ discourses and figures and then focus on how Italy’s strong civic movements are struggling to improve social life ‘from below’. Among the issues tackled are ones traditionally relegated to the private domain, such as disabilities and sexual identities. Lastly, we examine how migration is changing social and cultural life as the country becomes increasingly multiethnic, how religious (and secular) identities are expressed, and the effects that Italy’s dramatic brain-drain is having within the country.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course primarily focuses on social dynamics and identities in Italy as they have emerged in the last two decades and continue to transform in the present, although each topic is contextualized within a broader explanation of social change in the post-World War 2 era. Students are first introduced to the main theoretical and methodological approaches adopted in the sociological and anthropological study of contemporary Italy. We then examine the ways in which local and community identities are expressed and transformed in Italy’s primarily urban society, how families and gender roles have developed since the 1970s and the pressures produced by the current economic crisis, as well as the reasons and processes by which increasing numbers of Italians are re-developing rural activities and livelihoods. Next, we discuss life in the Italian work-place and the effects that de-industrialization, technological development and precarious work contracts are having on professional and class identities. Inevitably, these new identities are also expressed in the political arena and we therefore examine the rising appeal of populist and ‘anti-political’ discourses and figures and the extent to which traditional parties are able to respond to these demands and challenges. Italy’s strong civic movements are also innovating and struggling to improve social life ‘from below’ and we explore various forms and expressions of this civic engagement and protest. Issues that have been traditionally relegated to the private domain – such as disabilities and sexual identities – are increasingly being represented in the public sphere and we explore the way the fight for rights and recognition is evolving. Lastly, we examine Italy as a multiethnic society and the increasingly transnational identities that are developing as people move into and out of the country. We discuss how immigration is changing social and cultural life and how the growing number of ‘hyphenated Italians’ express their identities. Religious (and secular) identities and practices are profoundly connected to these processes and we explore the social role of Catholicism and other religions today. We also investigate why Italy is suffering a dramatic brain-drain and the influence that young Italians abroad are having on their society of origin.

The course will include at least one fieldtrip within Rome. Various classes will also require students to carry out field observations and interviews with Italians for homework in order to encourage experiential learning. In addition to participating in lectures, class discussions and doing the assigned readings, students will be expected to attend guest lectures offered by John Cabot and to watch a number of documentaries and films about contemporary Italy in their own time.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

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

· Explain the main methods and rationale of anthropological and sociological inquiry as it pertains to Italy

· Refer to theoretical debates concerning identities, performativity and tensions between agency and structure

· Identify the main periods of social change in post-war Italy and analyze today’s phenomena within those contexts

· Outline the main demographic and population changes of recent decades and explain their causes and consequences on social interactions and identities

· Discuss the main economic developments in Italy since the 1980s especially as they concern the labor market and the workplace

· Discuss debates concerning the body and the public sphere: gender, sexualities, and disabilities

· Identify the main forms and expressions of grassroots action and protest and their reasons

· Outline Italy’s recent history of in- and out-migration and discuss why people decide to migrate and how this relates to processes of identity formation

· Explain the changing role of Catholicism in Italy and the increasing importance of secularism and alternative religious identities

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Porta Palazzo: The anthropology of an Italian market. Black, R. (2012). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 0812223152	Black, R. (2012).	Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.	0812223152
Around the Tuscan table: Food, family, and gender in twentieth century Florence.	Counihan, C. (2004).	New York: Routledge	0415946735
Ritual, rapture and remorse: A study of tarantism and pizzica in Salento.	Daboo, J. (2010).	New York: Peter Lang	3039110926
The passeggiata and popular culture in an Italian town: Folklore and the performance of modernity.	Del Negro, G. (2004)	Montréal: McGill-Queen's University Press	0773527397
Italy's Margins.	Forgacs, D. (2014).	Cambridge University Press	1107052173
Migrants in Translation: Caring and the Logics of Difference in Contemporary Italy.	Giordano, C. (2014).	Berkeley: University of California Press	0520276663
Conceiving life: Reproductive politics and the law in contemporary Italy.	Hanafin, P. (2007).	Aldershot, England: Ashgate	0754646351
Darkness Before Daybreak: African Migrants Living on the Margins of Southern Italy Today	Lucht, H. (2011)	University of California Press	0520270738
Labor Disorders in Neoliberal Italy: Mobbing, Well-being, and the Workplace.	Molé, N. (2012)	Bloomington: Indiana University Press	0253223199
The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Italy: History, politics, society	Mammone, A., Parini, E. G., & Veltri, G. A. (2015).	Routledge	0415604176
The moral neoliberal: Welfare and citizenship in Italy	Muehlebach, A. K. (2012).	Chicago University Press	0226545407
Sheltering women: Negotiating gender and violence in northern Italy.	Plesset, S. (2006). S	Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press	0804753016
Religion, Italian Style	Garelli, Franco (2014)	Ashgate	147243644X
Global Rome: Changing Faces of the Eternal City	Clough Marinaro, Isabella and Bjorn Thomassen (Eds) (2014)	Indiana University Press	0253012953

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Mid-term exam	Essay-based exam: students critically engage with the materials and debates presented in class lectures, discussions and readings	(20%)
Final Exam	Essay-based exam: students critically engage with the materials and debates presented in class lectures, discussions and readings	(30%)
Final Research Paper	Write an essay based on research on one of the problems/issues discussed in the course. Debate its dynamics, impacts and possible solutions, drawing from the recommended readings and further bibliographical research	(25%)
Oral presentation of research project and findings	In the process of finalizing their research paper students will present their project and findings to the rest of the class in order to generate questions, feedback and the opportunity for refining the analysis to be integrated in the final version of their essay.	(10%)
Class participation (15%)	Attendance is mandatory. Participation is graded based on the student's comments, questions, active note-taking and general active engagement in class discussions and activities.	(10%)
Presentation and discussion of readings	Students are graded on their ability to summarize and critically discuss their assigned readings	(5%)

-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 cour
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:

Letter grades and corresponding percentages for this class

94 – 100 points = A

90 – 93.99 pts = 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 is mandatory and, alongside active participation in class, makes up 15% of the final grade. Two unexcused absences will be tolerated, after which your grade will be lowered in proportion to each class missed.

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

Session	Session Focus	Reading Assignment
WK1A 18 Jan	Introduction to the course
WK 1B 20 Jan	Introduction to the study of contemporary Italian society: Theoretical and methodological approaches
WK2A 25 Jan	Overview of Italian social change: 1861-1990s	Mignone, M. Italy Today: Facing the Challenges of the New Millennium, Introduction (p. 13-28)
WK 2B 27 Jan	Cont’d	Mignone, M. Italy Today: Facing the Challenges of the New Millennium, Chapter 5 (p. 131-153)
WK3A 1 Feb	Social change in urban Italy since the 1990s	Quality of Life in European Cities Survey (PDF on MyJCU)
WK 3B 3 Feb	Cont’d	Andreotti, A. and P. Le Galès, Middle class neighborhood attachment in Paris and Milan. Partial exit and profound rootedness. In Blokland-Potters, T., & Savage, M. (2008). Networked urbanism: Social capital in the city. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. (PDF on MyJCU)
WK4A 8 Feb	Changing community identities	Read one of the following (assigned by professor, PDFs on MyJCU): * Carlestal, E. (2011). What a Marvelous Event: The Ever Becoming of an Italian Village. The Journal of Mediterranean Studies 20 (1). * Trabalzi, F. (2014) Marginal Centers. Learning from Rome’s Peripheries in Global Rome, Changing Faces of the Eternal City
WK 4B 10 Feb	Changing family dynamics
WK5A 15 Feb	Changing gender roles	Hanafin, P. (January 01, 2009). Refusing disembodiment. Feminist Theory, 10, 2, 227-244. (PDF on MyJCU)
WK5B 17 Feb	Changing sexual practices	* Capuano, S., Simeone, S., Scaravilli, G., Raimondo, D., & Balbi, C. (January 01, 2009). Sexual behaviour among Italian adolescents: Knowledge and use of contraceptives. European J. of Contraception and Reproductive Healthcare, 14, 4, 285-289. (PDF on MyJCU)_______________________ * Bertone, C., & Ferrero, C. R. (January 01, 2009). Beyond the sex machine? Sexual practices and masculinity in adult men's heterosexual accounts. Journal of Gender Studies, 18, 4, 369-386. (PDF on MyJCU)
WK 6A 22 Feb	The body and the public sphere: sexualities	Crowhurst, I., & Bertone, C. (November 01, 2012). Introduction: the politics of sexuality in contemporary Italy. Modern Italy, 17, 4, 413-418.
WK 6B 24 Feb	The body and the public sphere: disabilities	Forgacs, D. and Rachele Tardi (2014) Introduction: Disability rights and wrongs in Italy, Modern Italy, Vol. 19, Issue 2
WK7A 29 Feb	Workplace identities and precarious work
WK 7B 2 March	Mid-term exam
WK 7C 4 Mar MAKE-UP DAY for 25 April	Changing Italy from below: civil society and grassroots mobilization	Hajek, A. (December 01, 2013). Learning from L'Aquila: Grassroots mobilization in post-earthquake Emilia-Romagna. Journal of Modern Italian Studies, 18, 5, 627-643.Forno, F., & Ceccarini, L. (June 01, 2006).
WK 8A 7 March	Cont’d
WK8B 9 March	Uncivil society – the changing roles of organized crime	Europol. Italian Organized Crime Threat Assessment (PDF on MyJCU)
WK9A 14 March	Cont’d
WK9B 16 March	Pluriculturalism in a country of immigration	Ben-Yehoyada, N. (January 01, 2011). The moral perils of Mediterraneanism: Second-generation immigrants practicing personhood between Sicily and Tunisia. Journal of Modern Italian Studies, 16, 3, 386-403.
WK10A 21 March	Hybrid identities	Arnone, A. (January 01, 2011). Talking about identity: Milanese-Eritreans describe themselves. Journal of Modern Italian Studies, 16, 4, 516-527.
WK 10B 23 March	Field visit – location TBA
28 Mar – 1 April	SPRING BREAK
WK11A 4 April	Secularism and the Catholic Church	Ballarino, G. and C. Vezzoni, Social stratification and church attendance in contemporary Italy. In Keister, L. A., McCarthy, J., & Finke, R. (2012). Religion, work and inequality. Bingley, U.K: Emerald.
WK11B 6 April	Religious identities in the multiethnic context	Garelli, F. (2013) Religion and Civil Society in Italy and other Latin Countries. In Hart, J. J. M., Dekker, P., & Halman, L. Religion and civil society in Europe. Dordrecht: Springer
WK 12A 11 April	Italian identities abroad	Harney, N. D. M. (February 01, 2006). The Politics of Urban Space: Modes of Place-making by Italians in Toronto's Neighbourhoods. Modern Italy, 11, 1, 25-42.
WK 12B 13 April	Brain-drain and the cultural role of a highly-skilled diaspora	Morano, F. S. (June 01, 2006). Key issues and causes of the Italian brain drain. Innovation: the European Journal of Social Science Research, 19, 2, 209-223.
WK 13A 18 April	Student presentations
WK 13 B 20 April	Student presentations
WK 14 A 25 April NO CLASS	ITALIAN NATIONAL HOLIDAY
WK 14B 27April	Conclusions and review