Sociology of Knowledge
Code: 101131 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Sociology | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Maria del Mar Griera Llonch
- Email:
- mariadelmar.griera@uab.cat
Teachers
- Esperanza Bielsa Mialet
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
There is none.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of this course is to interrogate knowledge from a sociological perspective. Throughout the semester we will pose questions such as: “What do we understand by ‘knowledge’ in our society? How do people decide what to believe and what is worth believing? What role do institutions like the university play in the production of knowledge? Whom do we consider an expert in our society? What is the relationship between knowledge and reality? And between knowledge and conspiracies? And what role does knowledge play in how we imagine and construct possible future scenarios?”
Thus, the main objective is to provide students with a theoretical and methodological toolbox to critically analyze how knowledge is defined, produced, and disseminated. We will ask what we mean by “knowledge” in various contexts (scientific, professional, artistic, religious), which actors—intellectuals, experts, institutions—determine which narratives gain social validity, and how all these dynamics influence the imagination and construction of possible futures.
At the same time, this course seeks to highlight the central role of epistemological reflection for the research process itself and for sociological reflection. Therefore, we will combine classical readings that gave rise to the sociology of knowledge with more recent contributions addressing the challenges of globalization, digitalization, and the “datafication” of everyday life.
Competences
- Applying the concepts and approaches of the sociological theory, specially the explanations of social inequalities between classes, between genders and between ethnic groups, to the implementation of public policies and to the resolution of conflict situations.
- Demonstrating a comprehension of the approaches of the sociological theory in its different aspects, interpretations and historical context.
- Describing social phenomena in a theoretically relevant way, bearing in mind the complexity of the involved factors, its causes and its effects.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Developing self-learning strategies.
- Effectively communicating the basic analysis of social phenomena in an elementary level of English.
- Generating innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
- Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Searching for documentary sources starting from concepts.
- Students must be capable of assessing the quality of their own work.
- Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
Learning Outcomes
- Comparing the different theoretical approaches about culture.
- Comparing the reading of cultural phenomena from several ideologies of the social reality of Spain and Catalonia.
- Defining the sociological concepts that interpret the cultural phenomena.
- Defining the underlying social phenomena of cultural policies and conflicts.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Developing self-learning strategies.
- Effectively communicating the basic analysis of social phenomena in an elementary level of English.
- Explaining the social interpretations of culture according to these approaches.
- Expressing the debates regarding these approaches, that refer to culture.
- Generating innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
- Relating the debates regarding these approaches, that refer to culture, with the historical context in which they emerged.
- Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Searching for documentary sources starting from concepts.
- Students must be capable of assessing the quality of their own work.
- Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
Content
Main Program Module
1. Background: the sociological reflection on knowledge
2. Intellectuals and experts
3. The university in a context of neoliberal globalization
4. Production and dissemination of knowledge: issues of translation
5. The thresholds of scientific knowledge: art, astrology, and other knowledge
6. In search of truth? Conspiracies and political mobilization
7. Algorithms and the datafication of life
8. Imagining the future: knowledge and future scenarios
These modules may be adapted and/or slightly modified in the specific course program.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Section 1 and 2 | 20 | 0.8 | 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 |
| Section 3 and 4 | 20 | 0.8 | 1, 3, 4, 8 |
| Section 5 and 6 | 20 | 0.8 | 14, 13, 1, 7, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 15, 11, 12 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Debates in class and preparation of the essay | 30 | 1.2 | 14, 13, 1, 3, 4, 6, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Reading and commentary of the texts | 60 | 2.4 | 14, 13, 1, 2, 7, 3, 4, 6, 5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 11, 12 |
The course will combine lectures, reading seminars, and presentations on specific topics. Additionally, the students will develop an essay on a topic that will be agreed upon initially.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 30 | 0 | 0 | 14, 13, 1, 2, 7, 3, 4, 6, 5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 11, 12 |
| Final Exam | 50 | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12 |
| In-class presentation | 20 | 0 | 0 | 13, 1, 3, 6, 5, 8, 9, 15 |
Continuous Assessment
An essay to be defined at the beginning of the course (30%)
An exam (50%)
A class presentation (20%)
Single Assessment
A memorization exam (70%)
An essay (30%)
The review of the final grade follows the same procedure as for continuous assessment.
**It will be necessary to obtain a minimum of 4,75 in all parts of the assessment (exam, essay, and class presentation) to be able to pass the course.
**Non-assessable Students: when a student is deemed not to have provided sufficient evidence for evaluation, the course will be recorded as “non-assessable” on the transcript.
A student will be considered non-assessable if they fail to submit the required coursework, as outlined in this syllabus.
Restricted use of AI
In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or factual research, text correction, translation, or language refinement. AI may not be used to generate or structure core argumentative content without prior authorization from the instructor.
Students must clearly identify any sections generated or assisted by AI technologies, specify which tools were used, and include a brief critical reflection on how these tools influenced their process and the final result.
Failure to be transparent about the use of AI in graded assignments will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty, or more severe disciplinary action in serious cases.
Bibliography
- ADLER-NISSEN, Rebecca; KROPP, Kristoffer, A Sociology of Knowledge of European Integration, London/New York: Routledge, 2016.
- BERGER, Peter L. ; LUCKMANN, Thomas. La construcció social de la realitat : un tractat de sociologia del coneixement. Barcelona: Herder, 1996.
- DESPRET, V.¿Qué dirían los animales… si les hiciéramos las preguntas correctas?, Madrid: Cactus, 2018.
- DESPRET, V. A la salud de los muertos, Madrid: La oveja roja, 2016.
- FRASER, Heather; TAYLOR, Nik. Neoliberalization, Universities and the Public Intellectual. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.
- HACKING, Ian. ¿La construcción social de qué?. Barcelona [etc.]: Paidós, cop. 2001
- HESS, Charlotte ; OSTROM, Elinor (eds.). Los bienes comunes del conocimiento. Madrid :Traficantes de Sueños, 2016.
- HOROWITZ, I.L. , Historia y elementos de sociología del conocimiento, Buenos Aires: EUDEBA, 1964.
- LAKOFF, George ; JOHNSON, Mark. Metáforas de la vida cotidiana. Madrid: Cátedra, DL 1986
- LÖWY, M., ¿Qué es la sociología del conocimiento?, México: Fontamara, 2000.
- MANHEIM, K. Ideologia i Utopia, Barcelona: Ed.62, 1987.
- MANNHEIM, Karl. Ideología y utopía: introducción a la sociología del conocimiento. México,D.F.: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2010.
- MERTON, R.K. Estudios sobre sociología de la ciencia a R. K. Merton, Teoría y estructuras sociales, México: FCE, 1965.
- MERTON, Robert K., La sociologia de la ciencia: investigaciones teóricas y empíricas, Madrid:Alianza Universidad, 1977.
- PFADENHAUER, M. The New Sociology of Knowledge: The Life and Work of Peter L. Berger, New York: Routledge, 2013.
- SCHÜTZ, A. Estudios sobre teoría social, Buenos Aires: Amorrortu, 1974.
- SEARLE, J. R. La Construcción de la realidad social, Barcelona: Paidós, 1997
- SEARLE, John R. La construcción de la realidad social. Barcelona [etc.]: Paidós, 1997
- SIEGEL, K., Women's Autobiographies, Culture, Feminism, New York: Peter Lang, 2011.
- STEPANOVA, M. En memoria de la memoria, Madrid, El acantilado, 2022.
Software
There is no specific one.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |