THEORETICAL AND SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF MODERNITY

Degree course: 
Corso di First cycle degree in Communication Sciences
Academic year when starting the degree: 
2017/2018
Year: 
3
Academic year in which the course will be held: 
2019/2020
Course type: 
Compulsory subjects, characteristic of the class
Credits: 
6
Period: 
Second semester
Standard lectures hours: 
48
Detail of lecture’s hours: 
Lesson (48 hours)
Requirements: 

Political, sociological, philosophical and historical knowledge is not required in addition to those that students will have acquired in the course of their curricular and personal studies. The conceptual heritage achieved so far by students through the studies of the Communication Sciences Course will allow them to be able to approach the subject in an easy way.

Learning will be assessed through the final oral exam on the discipline. The examination will be conducted in the name of verification: the learning of the basic concepts of matter and its variations; national and European political socio-political contexts; of the ability to contextualize, analytical and comparative with themes of current events and social, economic, political and cultural evolution of the phenomena that characterize modernity; delineation of differences between different views on modernity; analysis of the companies of the 20th and the post 1900s; language, both lexically and precisely in terms of the accuracy of the concepts expressed. The examination will close with an "open" question on the subject intended to complete the assessment in relation to the synthetic capacity, depth and intensity of the study, considered as a whole.

Assessment: 
Voto Finale

The main objective of teaching is primarily the acquisition of the knowledge of modernity from birth to our days, deepening not only the phenomena and evolutions of social, economic, political, cultural and institutional contexts, but also the themes of post-modernity and hyper modernity according to a sociological and political vision. In particular, the themes of the forms of renewed democracy and representation will be analysed in the light of new political and organizational paradigms: society and the horizontal city; a modern conception of the citizen and the enterprise as a common good; the awakening of informed participation and consent from a social and participatory organization through the grassroots and city community, with a view to lowering political, institutional and social baricentres to join in a timely manner and effectively to basic social needs. Pupils will delve into issues such as globalisation, the European social model and the democracy of needs in a vision of compatibility of the general interest, the common good and the preservation of the environment. It is an educational path that will develop in comparison with different points of view of sociology French, German, English and Italian. The Course will allow students to deepen the relationship between Constitutions and the defense of the dignity of the person together with the needs of existential humanism. All considered from a perspective of anthrocapitalism and the centrality of the person in total society, dominated by the Web and social media.

Learning will be focused mainly on six axes of reasoning: 1) toppling the pyramid of the relationship between power and community (horizontal society); 2) remove the causes of social distress and disrespect for the dignity of citizens;3) to re-modulate the future by starting from a new conception of the "citizen and the common good enterprise"; 4) reposition neighbourhood and city communities in political and social life, considering them the primary cells of a new democracy; 5) relaunching the culture of "values", the common good and the general interest in rebuilding social bonds and the interests of citizens; 6) get out of the trap of "total society" designed by globalism, markets and the web.
In particular, the following topics will be the subject of educational attention: the general interest and its meanings: general concepts and socio-legal aspects; good and common goods in the society of modernity; the citizen and the enterprise common good in terms of holistic and socio-environmental sustainability; modern common good and commoning; the new welfare and the minimum levels of dignity in the national and European social model; misinformation and common goods; the decline of knowledge and the supremacy of "profane"; relations between globalisation as a common good, collective goods and market goods; enterprise and modernity; the roots of organised civil society; towards the community of destiny; economic, political and social horizontalism.

The didactic program will deal with: the general interest and the common good; insights into the meaning of the common good; society and common goods; the international framework and the supremacy of the web; globalization and modernity; modernity, entrepreneurship and total society; the European social model, inequalities and modernity; horizontalism, new epolitic social paradigm; we live unfinished.Subject and fundamental human rights; for a responsible community; global risks and sustainable choices; Towards the community of destiny.

The learning will be focused on the two pivotal texts: The Total Society, by Franz Foti, Mimesis editions and "The Society of Us" by Valentina Grassi, editions Franco Angeli. In the classroom, slides will be used from time to time, in case of educational needs. Finally, several slides by Professors Morcellini and Leonzi will be projected to expand and compare the margins of conceptualizations on matter.

Convenzionale

The training objectives of the course will be achieved through frontal lessons for a total of 48 hours, where there will also be the comparative analysis of short works of dissemination on Modernity curated by Professors Morcellini and Leonzi. In the course of the teaching activity and within the limits of the availability of time, there is the possibility of carrying out a sociological survey by the students, according to criteria that will be established in the classroom.

Reception of students by appointment, to be agreed by e-mail, at the headquarters of the Departmental Structure of The Teacher's Reference (DISUIT, seat of Varese).

Professors

FOTI FRANZ