Unit Sociology of Social Complexity
- Course
- Investigation and security sciences
- Study-unit Code
- A001976
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Piero Dominici
- Teachers
-
- Piero Dominici
- Hours
- 54 ore - Piero Dominici
- CFU
- 9
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2022
- Offered
- 2022/23
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline sociologiche
- Academic discipline
- SPS/11
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian and English
- Contents
- In the first part of the course, the theoretical framework of the discipline will be defined and will be discussed the urgency of a systemic approach to complexity; the fundamental concepts and categories; before the State and after the State; the political power; intermediation and disintermediation. New utopias and dystopias. The Interconnected / Hyperconnected society and the hyper-technological civilization: between control and cooperation; between freedom and security; the autonomy of the Social Actor and politics in the era of civilization of automation. The social and political implications of big data and Artificial Intelligence (?). The second part of the course concerns the analysis of Interconnected/Hyperconnected Society. Let us begin by attempting a possible definition: “The interconnected society is a hypercomplex society, in which the management and processing of information and knowledge have by now become our main resources, a kind of society where the exponential growth of opportunities for connection and information transmission that constitute the fundamental factors of economic and social development, do not yet correspond to an analogous increase in the opportunity for communication, which we define as the social process of knowledge sharing that entails equality and reciprocity (inclusion). Technology, the social networks and more in general the digital revolution, despite having determined a paradigm shift in the setting up of the structural conditions, allowing the interdependency (and the efficiency) of the systems and organizations, and having intensified the intangible flow between social actors, have not yet been able to guarantee that the interactive networks that have been created will generate genuine communicative relationships, based on, that is, truly shared, symmetrical rapports. In other words, the network has constructed a new ecosystem of communication (1996) but, although it has designated a knowledge zone, it cannot by itself assure horizontality or symmetrical relationships. Again, the difference comes down to who and how: the people and the uses that they make of technology, beyond the potential interests at stake.” (Dominici, 1995 and 2014, 2019)
- Reference texts
- 1) G.Gembillo - A. Anselmo, Filosofia della Complessità, Le Lettere, 2019 (Third Edition).
2) P.Dominici, Dentro la Società interconnessa. La cultura della complessità per abitare i confini e le tensioni della civiltà ipertecnologica, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2019
-> Students who cannot attend the course will integrate the exam program with the following book:
3)P.Dominici, La comunicazione nella società ipercomplessa. Condividere la conoscenza per governare il mutamento, FrancoAngeli, Roma 2011.
See also: P.Dominici, “For an Inclusive Innovation. Healing the fracture between the human and the technological”, in, European Journal of Future Research, Springer, 2018 -> https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40309-017-0126-4 Peer Review - Educational objectives
- objectives
1) the knowledge of the most topical issues covered in the lessons
2) the ability to formulate – logical and coherent - arguments on the topics and to identify the connections between the levels of analysis involved
3) the ability to interpret data and recognize the methodological implications
4) the ability to formulate assessments in a fully autonomous manner
5) communicative skills for developing arguments in support of their ideas
6) the ability, through reasoning and insight, to define possible solutions and to anticipate new problems. - Prerequisites
- The knowledge of the main sociological and philosophical theories is required
- Teaching methods
- Classroom lectures (face-to-face) - debate - seminars and practical training, but also Laboratory activities. Particular attention to the complexity of the issues/topics discussed (and to the urgency of a systemic approach to complexity)
Should the health emergency persist, the lessons will be held in blended mode - Other information
- Prof.Piero Dominici (PhD)
Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO.
Scientific Director of CHAOS - International Research and Education Programme on "Complex Human Adaptive Organizations and Systems".
Here's the link to the official website: https://www.chaoshumanresearch.com/
Director (Scientific Listening) – Global Listening Centre
Complexity and Systems Thinking
Member of World Complexity Science Academy
Linkedin: http://bit.ly/1TUwAyK
Visiting Professor
Awarded title of Associate Professor (National Scientific Qualification - Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) - Learning verification modality
- The exam is always oral (oral exam) and it has a duration of at least 25 minutes.
The objectives of the exam are many:
1) to verify the knowledge of the topics covered during the course;
2) to evaluate the ability to analyze and make connections between the issues;
3) to evaluate the communication skills gained. It's also planned a presentation by the students of individual papers about topics covered in the course. Students may also choose to discuss the projects they developed, always concerning topics analyzed in the lessons - Extended program
- All contents in the books. In the first part of the course, the theoretical framework of the discipline will be defined and will be discussed the urgency of a systemic approach to complexity; the fundamental concepts and categories; before the State and after the State; the political power; intermediation and disintermediation. New utopias and dystopias. The Interconnected / Hyperconnected society and the hyper-technological civilization: between control and cooperation; between freedom and security; the autonomy of the Social Actor and politics in the era of civilization of automation. The social and political implications of big data and of Artificial Intelligence (?). The second part of the course concerns the analysis of Interconnected/Hyperconnected Society: " Let us begin by attempting a possible definition: “The interconnected society is a hypercomplex society, in which the management and processing of information and knowledge have by now become our main resources, a kind of society where the exponential growth of opportunities for connection and information transmission that constitute the fundamental factors of economic and social development, do not yet correspond to an analogous increase in the opportunity for communication, which we define as the social process of knowledge sharing that entails equality and reciprocity (inclusion). Technology, the social networks and more in general the digital revolution, despite having determined a paradigm shift in the setting up of the structural conditions,
allowing the interdependency (and the efficiency) of the systems and organizations, and having intensified the intangible flow between social actors, have not yet been able to guarantee that the interactive networks that have been created will generate genuine communicative relationships, based on, that is, truly shared, symmetrical rapports. In other words, the network has constructed a new ecosystem of communication (1996) but, although it has designated a knowledge zone, it cannot by itself assure horizontality or symmetrical relationships. Again, the difference comes down to who and how: the people and the uses that they make of technology, beyond the potential interests at stake.” (Dominici, 1995 and 2014, see also 2005, 2011, 2019)