PD:Sociologia del Futur

Teaching plan for the course unit

(Short version)

Català

Castellano

English

General information

Course unit name: Sociology of the Future

Course unit code: 360946

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Jose Antonio Rodriguez Diaz

Department: Department of Sociology

Credits: 6

Single program: S

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

Face-to-face and/or online activities

	- Lecture with practical component	Face-to-face		45
	- Problem-solving class	Face-to-face		15

Supervised project

Independent learning

Learning objectives

Referring to knowledge

Thinking, imagining, and creating the future are essential aspects of human and social life — and should also be central to sociology as a discipline. The primary aim of Sociology of the Future is to equip students with the conceptual, epistemological, and methodological tools needed to think critically and imaginatively about the future, and to analyse its social, political, and cultural dimensions.
To this end, the course introduces the foundations of strategic foresight and futures studies, explores key methodologies and applications, examines emerging visions and recent research in the field, and addresses some of the most pressing questions facing humanity: the future of politics and democracy; the social implications of science and technology; and the impact of these transformations on societies, cultures, identities, and the planet itself — including humanity’s potential future beyond Earth.

Referring to abilities, skills

Think about the future.
Conceive the future as a guide to the present.
Master the epistemological foundations and techniques and techniques for thinking about and creating the future.

Referring to attitudes, values and norms

Cultivate a rich imagination and an open-minded approach.

Teaching blocks

1 Thinking about and creating the future

1.1 Introduction to the concept of Thinking about the Future

1.2 The future as a fundamental part of sociology

1.3 The need for and goals of futures studies

2 Foresight and futures studies

2.1 Introduction to futures studies and strategic foresight

2.2 History, current developments and the future of the discipline

2.3 Sociological approaches to foresight

3 Objectives and initial hypotheses

3.1 Analysis and discussion of the fundamental objectives of futures studies and sociological foresight

4. Research the future: Epistemology

4.1 The body of knowledge in futures studies

4.2 Conceptual foundations

4.3 Key thinkers

4.4 Major ideas

5 Methods of study

5.1 Presentation and practice of the main methods for studying and forecasting the future

6 Values and ethics: On good and evil

6.1 The importance of values and the ethical analysis of good and evil in assessing possible and desirable futures

7 Visions of the future

7.1 Review of key visions of the future

7.2 Analysis of their construction and impact

8 Prospective studies over two centuries

8.1 Presentation and analysis of some of the most significant foresight and prospective studies conducted in recent decades

9 Political foresight

9.1 The political dimension in futures studies and sociological foresight

9.2 Illustrative examples

9.3 Politics of the future and politics in the future

10 Futures: Science and technology

10.1 The role of science and technology in building the future

10.2 The future of science

11 Futures: Population and environment

11.1 The impact of demographic and environmental dynamics on the future

11.2 The future of population and the environment

12 Futures: Society, culture and identity

12.1 The influence of social and cultural dynamics in constructing the future (including a gender perspective)

12.2 Futures of society, culture and identity

13 Futures: Space

13.1 Space projects and the role of space exploration in designing the future

13.2 Possible futures in space

Official assessment of learning outcomes

Continuous assessment

Assessment includes individual and group work, presentations and participation in class.

Students opting for continuous assessment must submit coursework assignments by the specified deadlines.

Approximate weighting of the final grade:

Future autobiography: 25%.
Analysis and public presentation of the course readings: 20% (10+10).
Analysis and public presentation of the science fiction reading: 20% (10+10).
Final project on Mars: 25%.
Participation and contributions: 10%.

Examination-based assessment

Student always have the right to opt for the single mode of assessment.

Single assessment consists of a written examination covering the course programme and content.

Repeat assessment

Students are entitled to repeat assessment whether they originally opted for the continuous or single mode of assessment. The procedure implemented for repeat assessment follows the same format as that for single assessment.

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

BAS, Enric. Prospectiva : herramientas para la gestión estratégica del cambio. Barcelona: Ariel, 1999

Catàleg UB

BELL, Wendell. Memories of the Future. New York: Transaction Publishers, 2012

Catàleg UB

BELL, Wendell. Foundations of futures studies : human science for a new era. NewJersey : Transaction Books, 1997

Catàleg UB

BLUMENFELD, Yorick (ed.) Scanning the Future: 20 Eminent Thinkers of the World of Tomorrow. Londres: Thames and Hudson, 1999

Catàleg UB

CORNISH, Esward. Futuring. The Exploration of the Future. Bethesda (Md.): World Future Society, cop. 2004

Catàleg UB

FUKUYAMA, Francis. Our posthuman future : consequences of the biotechnology revolution. London: Frofile Books, cop. 2003

Catàleg UB

GILBERT, G. Nigel. ; TROITZSCH, Klaus G. Simulation for the Social Scientist. 2ª ed. Buckingham: Open University Press, 2005

Catàleg UB

GODET, Michel. De la anticipación a la acción: manual de prospectiva y estratégica. Barcelona: Marcombo, 1993

Catàleg UB

GODET, Michel. Prospectiva y planificación estratégica. Barcelona: SG Editores, 1991

Catàleg UB

MASINI, Eleonora. Why futures studies?. Londres : Grey Seal, 1993

Catàleg UB

MEADOWS, Donella, et al. Los límites del crecimiento: 30 años después. Barcelona: Galaxia Gutenberg: Circulo de Lectores, 2006

MEADOWS, Donella H. et al. Beyond the Limits: Collapse or a Sustainable Future. London : Earthscan, 1992

RIFKIN, Jeremy. The Biotech Century: harnessing the gene and remaking the world. Nueva York: Penquin Putnam, 1998

SARDAR, Ziauddin. Rescuing all our futures: the future of future studies. Westpot, Connecticut: Praeger, 1999

SLAUGHTER, Richard. New Thinking for a New Millennium. Londres: Routledge, 1996

TEZANOS, José Félix (ed.) Tendencias en Identidades, Valores y Creencias. Madrid: Editorial Sistema, 2004

TOFFLER, Alvin. El shock del futuro. Barcelona: Plaza & Janés, 1992

Chapter

BELL, Wendel. Images of the Future for Our Time Transactions. The Connecticut Academy of Arts and Science. Connecticut: Pasat, present and future; in celebration of the 200th anniversary of The Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. New Haven: Connecticut .1999, Vol. 56, pp.45-90.

Article

BELL, Wendell. Making People Responsible: The Possible, the Probable, and the Preferable. American Behavioral Scientist,1998, vol. 42, núm. 3.

BELL, Wendell. The Purposes of futures studies. The Futurist Nov-Des 1997.

BELL, Wendel. The Sociology of the Future and the Future of Sociology. International Review of Sociology, 1999, Vol. 9, nº 3, pp. 295-310

BELL, Wendell. La recuperación de lo bueno: valores, objetividad y futuro. Revista Internacional de Ciencias Sociales, 1993, núm. 137.

BELL, Wendell. New Futures and the Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil. Fundación Ciencias Sociales y Mundo Mediterráneo 2001.

DIEZ NICOLAS, J. La España previsible. Revista española de investigaciones sociológicas, 1980, Vol. 12, pp. 59-86.

BELL, Wendel. Futures Studies comes of age: where are we now and where are we going? Future Research Quarterly 1997.