Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the students should have acquired knowledge and skills related to the sociology of care, caregiving and the historical evolution of the concept of care within the history of political thought. In particular, they should be able to:
- acquire and understand basic notions and principles of the sociology of care and caregiving and of the history of political thought in the field of care, starting from the contemporary sociological literature and the literature within the history of political thought;
- acquire and understand some of the main theories developed in the sociological and historical-political fields and the main methodological tools of the social sciences with which the topics of care and caregiving are approached;
- apply the acquired knowledge in reading and interpreting contemporary social phenomena associated with care and caregiving, also with attention to transnational and political dimensions;
- communicate and discuss the sociological and historical-political issues related to care and caregiving in a clear and critical way and with an appropriate language, by reading both academic and non-academic sources.
Prerequisites
None.
Course unit content
This course is aimed to provide basic conceptual, theoretical and methodological tools to deal with the study and analysis of contemporary social phenomena associated with the theme of care and caregiving through a multidisciplinary perspective.
The first module will be dedicated to the history of political thought and specifically to the historical evolution of the concept of care through the analysis of some of the main political theories.
The second module will be dedicated to the main developments in the sociological thought on care, with particular emphasis on those from the sociology of health and medicine.
The third module will be dedicated to the topic of caregiving.
The fourth will be a workshop on the transnational dimension of care.
Full programme
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Bibliography
The teaching material for both attending and non-attending students will include compulsory readings (and suggestions for further study) indicated by the lecturers during the course, consistently with the credits awarded for each part of the course (maximum 50 pages for each CFU, for a total of up to 300 pages). The slides used during the lectures are an integral part of the teaching materials. They will be uploaded by the lecturers on the Elly platform, following each lecture and within the same week. None of the materials provided may be shared outside unipr, except with the lecturers' permission.
Teaching methods
The teaching activities will be conducted in Italian and will include:
- face-to-face lectures, with the aid of slides;
- classroom discussions aimed to verify students’ on-going learning and to stimulate the application of the acquired knowledge to the interpretation of contemporary social phenomena associated with care and caregiving;
- workshop and seminar activities with contributions from scholars and local professionals, aimed at stimulating interest in the topics at issue and providing opportunities for discussion also outside the academic context.
All lectures, workshops and seminars will be held in the classroom, unless otherwise indicated. They will begin and end punctually, as indicated in the relevant timetable, unless otherwise indicated.
Assessment methods and criteria
ATTENDING AND NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
Both attending and non-attending students will be required to take an exam in Italian, after registering on the Unipr Esse3 platform according to the official exam calendar of the Department of Law, Political and International Studies. It will be a unique written exam for the whole integrated module. It will consist of a 120-minute examination with 6 open questions: 3 for the first part of the module, 1 for each of the subsequent three parts.
Students will have to demonstrate they have learned and understood notions, concepts and theories of the sociology of care, of caregiving, also in its transnational dimension, and of the evolution of the concept of care within the history of political thought. They will also have to demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge through examples and to discuss what learned by using an appropriate language. The evaluation will be carried out on a scale between 18 and 30, based on a weighted average for the total credits. In order to pass the exam, students will have to pass each of the four parts of the integrated module. Honours will be awarded to students whose score is 30 for each of the questions and who can demonstrate their mastery of the discipline and the capacity to discuss the relevant topics also by means of interdisciplinary connections. The results of the exam will be published on the Esse3 portal within 2 weeks. The lecturers will be available for an appointment to discuss the outcome of the exam.
Other information
The lecturers are available for questions regarding the respective parts of the integrated module. They can be contacted by e-mail with written questions and/or to request an appointment.
For the academic year 2023\2024, the lecturers will meet students on the days/times indicated on the respective lecturer’s page:
Michela Semprebon https://personale.unipr.it/it/ugovdocenti/person/230106
Fausto Pagnotta https://personale.unipr.it/it/ugovdocenti/person/136914
Stefania Fucci https://personale.unipr.it/it/ugovdocenti/person/218419
Annavittoria Sarli https://personale.unipr.it/it/ugovdocenti/person/245837
All students are invited to register on the Elly platform and to regularly read the notices (details of any schedule changes, programmes, materials) provided by the lecturers, which will also be communicated in the classroom.
