Economy and Society: Past, Present and Perspectives

Learning objectives are coherent with the general objectives of the degree course (applied, specialized knowledge) and with the formation of specific professional figures required by the job opportunities of to-day labor market
The course will foster the active involvement of students in the learning process through plenary discussions and the writing of papers on key topics, as swell as the coordination and interaction with other teachers.
The Economy and Society course aims at developing the basic critical skills which are necessary to appraise the relationships between economy and society and to analyse the great transition taking place in to-day world, i.e. the deep, manyfold transformation in labor, enterprise, markets, institutions and social relations, that is induced by the scientific-technological revolution and global modernization. This critical analysis is made with regard to both the theories of classical social science thinkers and the empirical research of contemporary scholars. More specifically, the concepts, methods and theoretical models of Economic Sociology and Political Economy are applied to the study of processes of production, distribution, exchange and consumption, providing an alternative approach to the hegemonic neo-liberal paradigm in contemporary economics.

The expected learning outcome of the Economy and Society course is synthetically that students obtain the knowledge and expertise necessary to understand and critically discuss public issues in political institutions, economic relations, media, scientific and technological research and to act in the public sphere in order to orient with the policy choices of decision makers evidence-based knowledge. Economy and Society, together with the other courses of the 1st year, will focus on the analysis of
key changes in the social and economic scenario, the interplay between global networks and local identities, the strategy and organization of key actors, the main political and institutional responses to transformation and crisis , the conflicts of interests and moral dilemmas underlying collective choices, and the middle and long-term implications of these choices.