67711 - Sociology of Asian Countries

Course contents

MIGRANTS, DIASPORAS AND THE CITY 

The course consists of two parts, the first one will focus on research methodologies in social sciences; the second one will deal with the contribution of migrants to the revitalization of urban areas. 

1. Social Science Field Research

This part of the course is an introduction to some research methodologies in social sciences. The course will address research design, some outstanding methodologies for fieldwork, the value of combining methods and tools to strengthen research design.  Irreverence and commitment to honesty will be highlighted. Students will be encouraged to experiment fieldwork. 

2. Migrants, Diasporas, and the city

    A. Rethinking migration and migrants   The course will present the reconceptualization of international migration taking place in the last decades. Previously adopted theoretical approaches to migration did not adequately come to terms with the complexity of the evolving situation  and new approaches had to be adopted. Emphasis has shifted to the migrants themselves, now seen as active agents of migration and in the reshaping of the cities in which they settle.

    B. Reaching out The course will discuss the mechanisms for incorporating migrants into the state strategy to affirm the leadership's political legitimacy, to extend its political standing and to pursue trans-nationalized status. The many and different kinds of links – political, economical, ideological - between the state and its diaspora  will be highlighted.

C. The Chinese in Japan, Italy and some African countries This part will focus on the positioning of Chinese migrants in Tokyo, Italian industrial districts and some African cities. Migrants' interactions with dynamics taking place at the global, national and local levels will be highlighted.  A number of videos in English produced in the last years will complement the course.

Lectures: Historical memory and nationalism in the China-Japan relations

Two lectures by Dr. Sofia Graziani and the course instructor will focus on contemporary Sino-Japanese relations. Taking the anti-Japanese demonstrations occurred in cities across China in April 2005 as a point of departure, the lectures focus on the political tensions stemming from issues pertaining to the creation of historical memory. The lectures will delve into the underlying causes of the emergent popular nationalism and the growing tide of anti-Japanese sentiments among China's younger generation

Readings/Bibliography

* Maurizio Ambrosini, 2011, Sociologia delle migrazioni, Bologna: Il Mulino, chapters to be decided. * Massimiliano Tarozzi, 2008, Che Cos'è la Grounded Theory, Roma: Carocci, capp 3 e 4 (till a 4.2.1), pp 39-70. * Handout of the course. The handout of the course will be available at the bookstore Serendipità, vicolo de facchini 2, Bologna.

Teaching methods

Classroom teaching;

ppt presentations, video clips watching and commenting

Assessment methods

Written exam with five open questions based on the programme. The student will be evaluated for their comprehension of the relevant issues and their ability to answer the questions using a specialistic register. For each question an answer of about one page is expected. Answer are marked from 0 to 6. The duration of the exam will be two hours and a half. 

The written exam can be reduced for those students that will do one or more of the following:

1: a presentation followed by discussion with the class of articles chosen by the instructor. The number of the questions to be answered will be reduced to 4. 

2. a presentation followed by discussion with the class of video/s different from those already included in the program. The number of the questions to be answered will be reduced to 4. 

3. a long interview (at least one hour) or more short interviews with people knowledgeable in the subject on issues discussed in class. The interview/s should be transcribed, commented in a written form and presented to the class. The number of the questions to be answered will be reduced to 3. 

Teaching tools

multi media tools

Office hours

See the website of Antonella Ceccagno