Teaching plan for the course unit (Short version)
Català Castellano English Close

 

General information

 

Course unit name: Sociology of Culture

Course unit code: 360936

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Arturo Julio Rodriguez Morato

Department: Department of Sociology

Credits: 6

Single program: S

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

60

	-  Lecture with practical component	Face-to-face		45
	-  Seminar	Face-to-face		15

Supervised project

40

Independent learning

50

Learning objectives

Referring to knowledge Understand the diversity of meanings and referents associated with culture in the contemporary world, as well as the socio-historical perspective provided by sociology. Examine the key stages in the historical formation of the specialised cultural sphere and the emergence of the modern cultural order. Identify the social mechanisms and dynamics that have contributed to the crisis of the modern cultural order and assess current perspectives for change. Recognise the role of public policy and institutional intervention in the transformation of cultural systems. Understand the defining features and modes of operation of different cultural sectors. Analyse the distinctive social condition and professional realities of cultural workers. Interpret data on cultural participation and consumption using diverse sociological frameworks. Apply theoretical and empirical knowledge to the analysis of the territorial organisation of culture.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. Sociology of culture and contemporary society

2. The social organization of culture

3. The analysis of cultural dynamics

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Assessment for this course is individual and based on three components: Class participation (20%) – Attendance (specifically controlled), along with the quality and accuracy of each student’s group presentation on one of the course readings, and their level of engagement in class discussions (including contributions from both in-person and remote participants). Individual written exercises (40%) – A set of short written reflections and synthesis exercises on the course readings. These will be evaluated according to the quality of argumentation and the degree to which they accurately address the issues raised in the assigned texts. Group project (40%) – A collaborative paper (15–20 pages) analysing a phenomenon or issue in the arts and culture from a sociological perspective. The project should relate to the reading presented during the course. This assignment is assessed in terms of its conceptual maturity, sociological relevance, and originality, as well as its coherence with the analytical and reflective work developed throughout the course. Repeat assessment is available and adheres to the same procedure as that followed for the single mode of assessment.   Examination-based assessment Students opting for single assessment are also evaluated on three components: Critical summaries of course readings (30%) – Reviews will be assessed on the student’s ability to synthesise key ideas and to include relevant evaluative insights. Theoretical essay (30%) – A short essay (maximum 12 pages) on a research topic related to one of the course readings. Assessment will focus on the sociological relevance of the topic, the quality of the argumentation, and the integration of broader sociological knowledge beyond the specific reading. Final written exam (40%) – The exam will cover the core content of the course., including lectures and assigned readings. Students are required to present essay-style responses to two major questions addressed during the course.

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

ARIÑO VILLARROYA, Antonio. Sociología de la cultura: la constitución simbólica de la sociedad. Barcelona: Ariel, cop. 1997

Catàleg UB  

DOMÍNGUEZ RUBIO, Fernando Domínguez Rubio. Still Life: Ecologies of the Modern Imagination at the Art Museum, The University of Chicago Press, 2020.

 

Versió en línia (2020)  

LENA, Jennifer C. Entitled: Discriminating Tastes and the Expansion of the Arts. Princeton University Press. 2019.

Catàleg UB  

ARIÑO VILLARROYA, Antonio (dir.). La participación cultural en España. Madrid: Fundación Autor, DL 2006

Catàleg UB  

ARIÑO VILLARROYA, Antonio. Prácticas culturales en España: desde los años setenta hasta la actualidad. Barcelona: Ariel, 2010

Catàleg UB  

BOURDIEU, Pierre. La Distinción: criterio y bases sociales del gusto. Reimp. Madrid: Taurus, 2016

Catàleg UB  

MOHR, John W. et al. Measuring Culture. Columbia University Press. 2020.

Catàleg UB  

BECKER, Howard. Art Worlds. Berkeley [etc.]: University of California Press, 2008

Catàleg UB  

CHIAPELLO, Eve. Artistes versus managers : le management culturel face à la critique artiste. Paris: Métailié : Diffusion, Seuil, 1998

Catàleg UB  

BOURDIEU, Pierre. Las reglas del arte : génesis y estructura del campo literario. (reimp). Barcelona: Anagrama, 2002

Catàleg UB  

CRANE, Diana. (ed). Global culture : media, arts, policy, and globalization. New York [etc.]: Routledge, 2002

CURRID, Elizabeth. The Warhol economy : how fashion, art, and music drive New York City. Princeton,N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2007

EVANS, Graeme. Cultural planning : an urban renaissance?. Londres: Routledge, 2001

GANS, Herbert J. Popular culture and high culture: an analysis and evaluation of taste. New York: Basic Books, cop. 1999

MENGER, Pierre-Michel. Le travail créateur : s’accomplir dans l’incertain. Paris : Seuil: Gallimard, cop. 2009

RODRÍGUEZ MORATÓ, Arturo. Los compositores españoles.: un análisis sociológico. Madrid, CIS, 1996

RODRÍGUEZ MORATÓ, Arturo y SANTANA ACUÑA, Alvaro, (ed). La nueva sociología de las artes. Una perspectiva hispanohablante y global. Barcelona, Gedisa, 2017

Versió en línia (2017)  

RODRÍGUEZ MORATÓ, Arturo (ed). La sociedad de la cultura. Barcelona: Ariel, 2007

ZOLBERG. Vera, Sociología de las artes. Madrid: Fundación Autor, 2002

ZUKIN, Sharon. The Cultures of Cities. Oxford, Blackwell,1995

RODRÍGUEZ MORATÓ, Arturo and SANTANA ACUÑA, Alvaro, (eds). Sociology of the Arts in Action. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. 2022.