Scuola Universitaria Interdipartimentale in Scienze Strategiche (SUISS)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, students will have an autonomous knowledge of a specific approach to the analysis of contemporary societies, the Relational Sociology.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
As a consequence, students are expected to be able to evaluate and apply appropriate solutions to problematic situations in work environments often characterized by sounding situations deriving from critical conditions and new risks of current societies, such as Defence and Security sectors, using a proper level of authonomy (INDEPENDENT JUDGEMENT) in analytical evaluation processes.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Students are expected to communicate adequately and explain their analysis results in multicultural and complex environments where specific forms of vulnerability are frequently expected.
LEARNING SKILLS
At the end of the course an autonomous ability to deepen and improve further knowledge useful for professional work is expected.

The comparative sociology of civilizations in the analysis of (in chronological order): Alexis de Tocqueville, Max Weber, Alfred Weber e Robert MacIver, Nicolaj Berdjaev, Max Scheler, Oswald Spengler, Karl Jaspers, Christopher Dawson, Pitirim A. Sorokin, Arnold J. Toynbee, Norbert Elias, Leo Strauss, Eric Voegelin, Raymond Aron, Robert Nisbet, Shmuel N. Eisenstadt, René Girard, Clifford Geerts, Robert N. Bellah, Samuel P. Huntington, Robert Spaemann, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor.

Traditional frontal lessons (with possible and reduced help of slides).

The exam takes place in the form of an oral interview lasting a minimum of twenty minutes.

Since this is a university exam, the evaluation will enhance and reward the following requirements:

logical-argumentative rigor, analytical precision, exhaustiveness, terminological propriety, comparative analysis ability.

No supportive activities are provided, but attendance of lectures and active participation in them by indulging the lecturer's advice and requests, aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of the lectures, are strongly recommended in the following terms:

- careful preliminary reading of the chapter devoted to each author before the analysis of that author is carried out in class;

- preparation of timely questions about unclear aspects of the syllabus, to be submitted in advance to the lecturer by email, so that he can best arrange for these aspects to be taken up in class;

- using the tool of student reception both individually and in groups; in case of need, the lecturer is willing to organize additional lectures (in the form of group student reception) both to resume unclear aspects and to deepen, also and especially through discussion or otherwise in dialogic form, aspects that have aroused particular interest or curiosity.