The task of political sociology is to explore and explain the relationship between politics and society, between social and political institutions, and between social and political behavior. Contemporary political sociology also “concerns cultural politics, which is the interpretation of social meanings that support, challenge, or change the definitions, perspectives and identities of social actors, to the advantage of some and the disadvantage of others, across state and society” (Nash 2010). This course aims to explore some of the great debates about the relationship between politics and society. In particular, it explores the challenges connected to a transnational public sphere, the backlash against globalization, the management of migration and citizenship, and the contestation of LGBTI rights. The course has two main goals: to make students familiar with the main aspects and problems of political sociology; and to provide a basic understanding of the key authors, theories, methodologies and techniques for the analysis of the relationships between politics and society. The course puts special emphasis on theoretical perspective taking and debate, and will train students in taking different perspectives on certain topics. These goals will be achieved through the study of texts, lectures and student-led class activities and debates.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: This course will provide theoretical and empirical knowledge relevant to the discipline of political sociology, its scope, and its importance within the social sciences. Students acquire a thorough understanding of major figures, debates and paradigms in political sociology. MAKING ARGUMENTS: Students are encouraged to analyze complex debates in political sociology and competently express their views on it. They are enabled to take and evaluate multiple perspectives on challenging questions and to make informed judgments. COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Students learn to communicate their standpoint using sociological concepts, appropriate terminology and logical argument. They interact with peers and instructors and improve their ability to deliver academic presentations. LEARNING SKILLS: This course teaches students to work with reading assignments, organize their personal reading and writing schedule and deliver results over the course of the semester. Special emphasis is placed on professional academic writing and correct use of literature and citations during assignments.

This course applies sociological principles as a scientific framework to analyze and address contemporary societal issues from a political perspective. Students will explore key concepts in political sociology such as power and legitimacy, the modern nation state and transnational dynamics, globalization and populism, the nexus between democracy and the public sphere, and migration and citizenship. Through a combination of theoretical frameworks and real-world case studies, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of political sociology and its relevance to contemporary social and political issues. The course is built around four themes, each introduced by a key reading: the transnational public sphere, the globalization backlash, migration regimes; and the contestation of LGBTI rights. The assigned readings become the starting point for lectures and assigned student-led discussions to cover the essential concepts of political sociology that are at stake in each of these themes. The student “presentations” are short inputs for discussion that should not last longer than 10 minutes. These inputs will count towards the final grade.

The exact sections of assigned readings will be detailed in the syllabus that will be distributed in the beginning of the course and published on Luiss Learn. All books are available on the perlego-app, to which you have access as Luiss student. Basic background reading on political sociology: Amenta, Edwin; Nash, Kate; Scott, Alan (eds.) (2012). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell. This text is available on the perlego-app: https://www.perlego.com/book/1013761/the-wileyblackwell-companion-to-political-sociology Nash, Kate (2009). Contemporary Political Sociology. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell. This text is available on the perlego-app: https://www.perlego.com/book/2755962/contemporary-political-sociology-globalization-politics-and-power The following four readings will be assigned for student-led debates. Every group will be assigned ONE of these readings, but you are encouraged to read more than one. Crouch, Colin (2018). The Globalization Backlash. Cambridge: Polity. This text is available on the perlego-app: https://www.perlego.com/book/1536639/the-globalization-backlash Fraser, Nancy; Nash, Kate (eds.) (2014). Transnationalizing the Public Sphere. Cambridge: Polity. This text is available on the perlego-app: https://www.perlego.com/book/1535231/transnationalizing-the-public-sphere Shachar, Ayelet (2020). The shifting border: Legal cartographies of migration and mobility. Manchester: Manchester University Press. This text is available on the perlego-app: https://www.perlego.com/book/1526228/the-shifting-border-legal-cartographies-of-migration-and-mobility-ayelet-shachar-in-dialogue Ayoub, Phillip; Stoeckl, Kristina (2024). The Global Fight Against LGBTI Rights. New York: New York University Press. This text will be made available by the author. Additional material for the student-led debates will include youtube-recorded lectures and discussions, other readings, and real-world case-studies, on which students do research. This material will be made available at the beginning of the course.

Lectures, focused debates guided by student input in class.

The assessment for this course is partially enquiry-based and includes three components. [1] A mid-term exam in week 7 covers content of weeks 1-6: multiple choice + open questions; 40% of grade. [2] The final exam in week 12 covers the content of weeks 7-11: multiple choice + open questions; 40% of grade. [3] Student-input in groups including the preparation of maximum 3 (!) slides; 20% of grade. In all open questions, your academic writing skills and the correct use of literature will be evaluated. Students can obtain 1 additional point (or lode) for exceptional class participation. The maximum score for this course is 30, the passing score for this course is 18. For students who (in exceptional circumstances and with previous authorization by the competent offices and the lecturer) do not attend the course in presence and do not become part of an enquirer-team, the assessment method consists of one comprehensive oral exam on the whole content of the course. It is your duty to contact the course-teacher well ahead of the exam to receive the syllabus and the assigned reading.

For those of you interested, please reach me at kstoeckl@luiss.it.