Microsociology

Objectives

This course oriented to the students of Sociology and Social Work and introduces the main concepts, theories and approaches in microsociology.
The student of Microsociology must acquire the main concepts, theories and approaches in the field of the everyday life and in the context of small groups.
The main competences to develop are:
a) To know and to identify the main paradigms and theories of the Microsociology ;
b) To recognise and to interpret the specificity of the Microsociological analysis in the different analytical contexts (everyday life, small groups…)
c) To interpret the main sociological approaches related with the Microsociological contexts

Program

1. The object and the field of microsociology
1.1. Definitions of microsociology.
1.2. The field of microsociology by Gurvitch.
2. The main sociological paradigms and the microsociology
2.1. The individual and collective issue in Sociology
2.2. To a constructivist approach
3. The theoretical development: main currents and authors.
3.1. Tarde and Simmel and the microsociology
3.2. Mead and the symbolic interactionism
3.3. Moreno and the sociometry
3.4. Lewin and the group dynamic
3.5. Shultz and the phenomenological approach
3.6. Garfinkel and the ethnomethodology
3.7. Goffman and the experience framework
4. Microsociological issues
4.1. The small group analysis
4.2. The Microsociological analysis of the rules in the everyday life.
5. Research and intervention strategies
5.1. Microsociological research
5.2. Introduction to research-action

Teaching Methodologies

Considering the defined objectives the option of the teaching methodologies was to choose a comprehensive approach that combines expositive lectures, texts commentaries, and interactive work in the classroom. The texts are presented in the E-learning platform of the university and a forum allows commentaries of the different students and resolution of teaching issues on line. This strategy was adopted because the number of students in the classroom doesn’t allow a full interactive classroom. In this case the eLearning platform of the University is important to allow a more accurate enlightenment of the subjects treated in the classroom.
In this context, the assessment is based on two elements substantially different in nature that includes a written test, and an individual exercise in the classroom: 75% for first, 25% for the second element of evaluation.

Bibliography

Berger, P. (2007). Perspectivas sociológicas: uma visão humanística. Petrópolis: Vozes.
Berger, P., & Luckmann, T. (1978). A construção social da realidade. Petrópolis: Vozes.
Blumer, H. (1962[2018]). Sociedade como interação simbólica. Plural, Revista do Programa de PósGraduação em Sociologia da USP, São Paulo, 25(2), 282-293.
Corcuff, P. (2001). As novas sociologias. Sintra: Editora Vral.
Demartis, L. (2006). Compêndio de sociologia (pp. 43-75). Lisboa: Edições 70.
Giddens, A., Appelbaum, R. P., Duneier, M., & Carr, D. (2018). Introduction to sociology (11th ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Goffman, E. (2002 [1959]). A representação do Eu na vida cotidiana (10ª ed.) Petrópolis: Editora Vozes.
Goffman, E. (2004). Estigma - notas sobre a manipulação da identidade deteriorada. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar Editores.
Raven, B. (2008). The bases of power and the power/interaction model of interpersonal
influence. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 8(1), 1-22.
Simpson, J.A., Farrell, A.K., Oriña, M.M., & Rothman, J.A. (2015). Power and social influence in
relationships. In M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), APA Handbook of personality and social
psychology (pp. 393-420). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Vala, J. &. Monteiro, M.B (Coords.), Psicologia social (10ª ed.) . Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.