Due to the fact that Comparative Sociology is an introductory class, no other class is necessary to enroll in it.

To acquire knowledge and comprehension to: -Students will be able to know the main analytical approaches in comparative social science -Students will be able to know the main objectives of comparative sociology -Students will be able to know the main dimensions of contemporary societies. -Students will be able to distinguish between structural, economic, cultural and political approaches. -Students will be able to identify cross-national differences based on descriptive evidence. -Students will be able to link theoretical models and socioeconomic and political indicators. - To increase the capacity to deal with abstract concepts. - To improve the ability to formalize theoretically an economic problem. - To acquire agility in solving practical problems. - To foster teamwork ability. - To be able to perform critical analysis of arguments and theories. - To improve oral and written communication.

PART I: CONCEPTUAL INTRODUCTION Topic 1 - Week 1: What is Sociology? Wednesday September 6: Lecture: Introduction Friday September 8: Seminar: What is Sociology? Compulsory readings: Giddens, Anthony. 2006. Sociology. Cambridge: Polity, pp. 4-8. Wright Mills, C. 1959. The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 3-18. Brym, Robert and John Lie. 2006. Sociology. Belmont: Thomson, pp. 2-3, 5-7. Topic 2 - Week 2: What is Comparative Sociology? Wednesday September 13: Lecture: What is Comparative Sociology? Friday September 15: Seminar: Debate on the ¿sociological imagination¿ Compulsory readings: Teune, Henry. 2014. ¿Comparing Societies around the World¿. Pp. 3-11 in Concise Encyclopedia of Comparative Sociology, edited by Masamichi Sasaki, Jack A. Goldstone, Ekkart Zimmermann and Stephen K. Sanderson. Leiden: Brill. Ragin, Charles. 1982. ¿Comparative Sociology and the Comparative Methods¿. Pp. 102-121 in Comparative Sociological Research in the 1960s and 1970s, edited by J. Michael Armer and Robert Mortimer Marsh. Leiden: Brill, pp. 102-107. Prezeworksi, Adam and Hentry Teune. 1970. The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry. Malabar: Krieger Publishing Company, pp. 31-39. Optional readings: Dogan, Mattei. ¿Strategies in Comparative Sociology¿. Pp. 13-45 in New Frontiers in Comparative Sociology, edited by Masamichi Sasaki. Rezaev, Andrey, Valentin S. Starikov and Natalia D. Tregubova. 2015. ¿Comparative Sociology as an Inquiry and as a Teaching Discipline: An Attempt of Comparative Analysis¿, Comparative Sociology, 14, 143-175. Topic 3 - Week 3: Theoretical Approaches in Sociology and Comparative Sociology Wednesday September 20: Lecture: Major Theoretical Approaches in Comparative Sociology Friday September 22: Seminar: Debate on the theoretical approaches of sociology Compulsory readings: Jones, Pip. 2003. ¿An Introduction to Sociological Theories,¿ in Introducing Social Theory. London: Polity, pp. 1-22. Brym, Robert and John Lie. 2006. Sociology. Belmont: Thomson, pp. 13-18. Optional readings: Apter, David E. 2005. ¿Comparative Sociology: Some Paradigms and Their Moments.¿ Pp. 103-125 in The SAGE Handbook of Sociology, edited by Craig Calhoun, Chris Rojek, and Bryan S. Turner. London: SAGE. Collins, Randall. 1985. Three Sociological Traditions. New York: Oxford University Press. Giddens, Anthony. 2006. Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press. Chapter 4. Topic 4 - Week 4: The Practice of Sociology Wednesday September 27: Lecture: Analytical Strategies and Data in Sociology Friday September 29: Seminar: Research Design in Sociology Compulsory readings: Brym, Robert, John Lie and Steven Rytina. 2010. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. Nelson. Chapter 2. Optional readings: Giddens, Anthony. 2006. Sociology. Cambridge: Polity, Chapter 2. PART II: DEMOGRAPHY AND MIGRATION Topic 5 - Week 5: Comparative Demography Wednesday October 4: Lecture: Comparative Demography Friday October 6: Seminar: Data Sources for the Essays Compulsory readings: Poston, Dudley ant Leon F. Bouvier. 2010. Population and Society: An Introduction to Demography. Cambridge University Press, pp. 265-266, 271-281. Fahey, Tony. 2011. ¿Population¿. Pp. 418-432 in Handbook of European Societies: Social Transformations in the 21st Century, edited by Stefan Imerfall and Göran Therborn. Springer. Optional readings: Kudo, Shogo et al. 2015. ¿Population Aging: An Emerging Research Agenda for Sustainable Development.¿ Social Sciences, 4, 940-966. Topic 6 - Weeks 6 and 7: International Migration Wednesday October 11: Lecture: International Migration Wednesday October 13: Holiday Wednesday October 18: Mid-term Exam Friday October 20: Seminar: Figures and Data Analysis Compulsory readings: Poston, Dudley and Leon F. Bouvier. 2010. Population and Society: An Introduction to Demography. Cambridge University Press. Pp. 166-177. Mau, Steffe and Roland Verwiebe. 2010. European Societies: Mapping Structure and Change. Bristol: Policy Press. Pp. 115-131. Optional readings: Eich-Krohm. 2013. ¿Twenty-first Century Trends in Highly Skilled Migration¿ in pp. 153-167 in Routledge International Handbook of Migration Studies, edited by Steven Gold and Stephanie J. Iawyn. Routledge. Lucassen, Jan and Leo Lucassen. 2013. ¿European Migration History¿ in pp. 52-64 in Routledge International Handbook of Migration Studies, edited by Steven Gold and Stephanie J. Iawyn. Routledge. PART III: CORE SOCIAL DIVIDES Topic 7 - Week 8: Social Class ¿ Concept and Class Structure Wednesday October 25: Lecture: Social Class Inequalities Friday October 27: Seminar: Debate on social class inequalities Compulsory readings: Rose, David and Eric Harrison. 2007. ¿The European Socio-Economic Classification: A New Social Class Schema for Comparative European Research¿, European Societies, 9, 459-490. Topic 8 - Week 9: Race and Ethnicity Wednesday November 1: Holiday Friday November 3: Lecture: Race and Ethnicity in US and France Compulsory readings: Wacquant, Loic. 2007. Urban Outcasts: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced Marginality. London: Policy. Pp. 229-233, 145-162, 169-185. Topic 9 - Week 10: Gender Inequalities Wednesday November 8: Lecture: Gender Inequalities Friday November 10: Seminar: Debate on gender inequalities; Introduction to academic writing. Compulsory reading: Esping-Andersen, Gosta. 2009. The Incomplete Revolution: Adapting to Women¿s New Roles. Polity Press. Chapters 1 and 2. Optional readings: Kimmel, Michael. 2001. The Gendered Society. London: Oxford University Press. PART IV: INTEGRATIVE STRUCTURES, CULTURE AND SYMBOLS Topic 10 - Week 11: Family Structures Wednesday November 15: Lecture: Comparative Sociology of the Family Friday November 17: Seminar: Debate on Family Structures Compulsory readings: Saraceno, Chiara. 2008. ¿Patterns of Family Living in the Enlarged EU¿. Pp. 47-73 in Handbook of Quality of Life in the Enlarged European Union, edited by Jens Alber, Tony Fahey and Chiara Saraceno. Routledge. Optional readings: Crouch, Colin. 1999. Social Change in Western Europe. Oxford University Press. p. 199-231. Mau, Steffe and Roland Verwiebe. 2010. European Societies: Mapping Structure and Change. Bristol: Policy Press. Pp. 103-114. Topic 11 - Week 12: Social Value Change Wednesday November 22: Lecture: Social Values in Comparative Perspective Friday November 24: Seminar: Debate n Social Values Compulsory reading: Inglehart, Ronald and Christian Welzel. 2005. Modernization, Cultural Change and Democracy: The Human Development Sequence. Cambridge University Press. Pp. 22-25, 37-38, and 115-134. Optional readings: Welzel, Christian. 2013. Freedom Rising: Human Empowerment and the Quest for Emancipation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Topic 12 - Week 13: Education Wednesday November 29: Lecture: Education Expansion in Comparative Perspective Friday December 1: Seminar: Review Compulsory reading: Müller, Walter and Irena Kogan. 2010. ¿Education¿. Pp. 246-282 in Handbook of European Societies, edited by Stefan Immerfall and Göran Therborn. Springer Optional readings: Mau, Steffe and Roland Verwiebe. 2010. European Societies: Mapping Structure and Change. Bristol: Policy Press. Pp. 173-193.

Lectures: In the lectures we will discuss the readings and the critical evidence needed to test the main theories. Reduced lectures: Each week we will have presentations, debates based on the readings and discussions of the essays. Students will have to participate actively in class.