POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY

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 the relationship between democracy, citizenship and political communication in the context of post-representative politics: the new forms of triangulation between media, politics and citizens, the disintermediation and the new meanings of participation.

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

Issues

1 Politics and society

2 Civil society, State and political system

3 Political cleavages

4 Culture and political identity

5 Participation and democracy

6 Electoral Behaviour in political studies

7 Political parties

8 Movements and interest groups

9 Connective parties and hybrid organizations

10 Public opinion in digital sphere

11 Representation and disintermediation

(1) Ceccarini L. e Diamanti I., Tra politica e società. Fondamenti, trasformazioni e prospettive, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2018 (pag. 15-368)

(2) Bennett W. L., Segerberg A. & Knüpfer C. B., The democratic interface: technology, political organization, and diverging patterns of electoral representation, Information, Communication & Society, (2017) (pag. 1-21)

And one book between:

(3) De Rosa R., Cittadini-digitali. L'agire politico al tempo dei social media, Apogeo, Milano, 2014 (vii-xviii; 3-142)

(4) Sorice M., Partecipazione Democratica, Mondadori Università, Milano, 2019 (pag. 3-138)

(5) Sunstein C.R., #Republic.com. La democrazia nell'epoca dei social media Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017 (pag. 11-288; 315-327)