Rural Sociology

After the completion of the course, the student will have: • Obtained knowledge of theoretical and methodological approaches to rural space • Developed an holistic and interdisciplinary understanding of the social content of rural space and of agriculture as production process • Obtained a comparative picture of international examples of rural transformation and of ‘new ruralities’ • Exploited theoretical and methodological knowledge for the understanding of the new conditions created in the rural areas and obtained the capacity to contribute to the facing and finding solutions for these problems.

Objectives

The scope of the course is the provision of both theoretical and methodological knowledge (through the description of empirical research examples) for the understanding of the socioeconomic transformation of rural space, the changing behaviour and attitudes of rural population, through the analysis of the particular characteristics of rural society and the observation of the rhythm and extent of changes occurring in the rural social environment as a result of the influences of the city, the industry and of the other sectors of the national and global economy. This is happening through the introduction of the student to the different theories for the understanding of social transformation of modern rural society, the discussion of family farming in the context of globalization and the implications of the latter in the operation of the family farm. The discussion is connected to the development of the agrofood industry and the ‘system’ of production and consumption composed thereafter that integrates local production to an international production and circulation food system. This requires an intersectoral methodological approach which gives the student on the one hand the capacity to understand the rural society in its component structure and, on the other, the capacity to construct a ‘new rurality’ which presupposes the holistic and comparative approach. This is why this approach involves both theoretical and empirical elements drawing from the national and international experience which gives the student the ability to compare and evaluate the cases studied.

Prerequisites

Not required.

Syllabus

• Introduction to the subject of Rural Sociology • The history of the subject and new research directions • Rural community, social groups and the process of social and economic transformation of the rural community • Rural family and household, family holding and family farming agriculture • Employment, pluriactivity and labour relations in rural areas. Social change and social structure in rural areas • Agriculture and the agrofood system • Globalization, new rurality and the future of the countryside.