At the end of the course students will be able to:
- Master the main theories and concepts in the field of the sociology of intimacy and emotions;
- Communicate their ideas about emotions and critically discuss the role that they play in individual and social life;
- Apply their knowledge to a case-study to which they will bring their own insights and analytical skills.
Additional skills that will be developed include:
- Oral and team working skills;
- Essay writing skills.
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How do we express grief at funerals? Are women more emotional than men? How do we address the question: “How do you feel?”. Emotions are usually thought of as “natural” biological phenomena, relegated to the private intimate sphere, somehow opposed to “rationality” and thus were, for a long time, considered beyond the scope of social research. However, the ways we conceive of love, grief, embarrassment, anger, friendship and the way we express (or do not express) them are shaped through social interactions. In recent years social scientists have become more and more interested in understanding to what extent intimate relationships and emotions are socially constructed and how they can be studied as the ultimate expression of our society(ies) and of social relations. The course will focus on how our understanding of intimacy and emotions are subjected to cultural definitions and how a sociological approach can give us a key to improve our analysis of them.
The course will be divided into two kinds of classes:
- Lectures: Introducing students to the study of intimacy and emotions by exploring the main theories, concept and approaches.
- Case-study presentations: Students are asked to elaborate their own analysis of intimacy and emotions by presenting a case-study where they should apply the theories and concepts analyzed during the lectures. Enriched by in class presentation and discussion, students will then write a paper based on their case-study.
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