Teacher(s)
Language
French
Prerequisites
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| This course in the BAS3 program aims not only to present and discuss in depth the question of symbolism, central in sociology and anthropology (and more broadly in the human and social sciences), but also to consider possible applications and repercussions. of this question through contemporary issues, addressed in part through classical questions (the symbolic function and the role of language, culture and the imagination, the study of myths and rites, symbolic effectiveness and its conditions, the question of belief and illusions, the tension between "active life" and "contemplative life", etc.), but also on the other hand through recent problems or those which have acquired a new acuity (the "demand for meaning ”and the“ meaning resources ”between interpretative and pragmatic approaches, meaning and the“ bringing into play ”of meaning, the components of a“ symbolic economy ”in current social configurations - see in particular what escapes an axiomatic of need and interests -, the new ways of "inhabiting the world" in an era which requires questioning productivism and rethinking our relationship to "nature", the question regimes of belief and knowledge in a world that can be said to be both “disoriented” and marked by pluralization and decentring, the challenges and dead ends of the cultural and interpretive turn - are we doomed to “relativism”? see the distinction between cultural relativism and methodological relativism -, the virtues and the limits of deconstructionist approaches, the metamorphoses of the religious fact, the rise in importance of issues linked to mental health and to the "language games" of psychology, 'experiential and psychic well-being ...). | |
Content
As indicated in the learning objectives, the course will address the classic question of symbolism through current issues and questions. The theoretical course will consist of several sequences and will be supplemented by an engaging activity in the form of text reading.
(Indicative) outline of the theoretical course:
1. Approaches to the question of symbolism: an overview.
2. How should we address the issue of rituals in individualistic societies? Deritualization or transformation of rites? Can we talk about individual or private rites? What are the implications? How does this differ from traditional conceptions of rites?
3. From rites to games. Comparison between these two concepts. Contrary to interpretations of games as imaginary spaces protected and separated from reality (or games as escapism), an approach to games as a dimension of human life forms and as a space for mediation (or transitionality) and transformation (supportability, interest, exploration, and experimentation), which can be found in various fields of human activity, and not only in the sphere of entertainment and leisure. What are the social and technological conditions that promote or, on the contrary, prevent “creative play” and “putting oneself on the line” in contemporary societies?
4. The symbolic economy of contemporary Western societies viewed through the prism of the resources of meaning provided by psychology, taking into account the symbolic struggles between various approaches or schools. Exercise in transposing and applying some concepts and hypotheses borrowed from Max Weber's sociology of religion to the current field of mental health and psychology.
(Indicative) outline of the theoretical course:
1. Approaches to the question of symbolism: an overview.
2. How should we address the issue of rituals in individualistic societies? Deritualization or transformation of rites? Can we talk about individual or private rites? What are the implications? How does this differ from traditional conceptions of rites?
3. From rites to games. Comparison between these two concepts. Contrary to interpretations of games as imaginary spaces protected and separated from reality (or games as escapism), an approach to games as a dimension of human life forms and as a space for mediation (or transitionality) and transformation (supportability, interest, exploration, and experimentation), which can be found in various fields of human activity, and not only in the sphere of entertainment and leisure. What are the social and technological conditions that promote or, on the contrary, prevent “creative play” and “putting oneself on the line” in contemporary societies?
4. The symbolic economy of contemporary Western societies viewed through the prism of the resources of meaning provided by psychology, taking into account the symbolic struggles between various approaches or schools. Exercise in transposing and applying some concepts and hypotheses borrowed from Max Weber's sociology of religion to the current field of mental health and psychology.
Teaching methods
The theoretical course is completed by readings of texts that the student must perform on his own. The knowledge of the subject of the theoretical course and that of the complementary texts are the subject of an evaluation during the same examination (see below).
In the course of the lecture, the professor exposes the theoretical aspects and the elements of problematization. It introduces students to the conceptual development exercise, using illustrations, and taking empirical objects as analyzers.
The teacher also gives keys to read and adapt more easily the texts that are part of the reading portfolio (see below).
Students are invited to ask questions and to debate, the small size of the audience allowing an interactive pedagogy.
The theoretical course is completed by a text portfolio.
It is expected that students read these texts thoroughly, understand them and appropriate them (it is strongly advised to make a personal synthesis of them).
Knowledge of compulsory reading is assessed on the examination.
In the course of the lecture, the professor exposes the theoretical aspects and the elements of problematization. It introduces students to the conceptual development exercise, using illustrations, and taking empirical objects as analyzers.
The teacher also gives keys to read and adapt more easily the texts that are part of the reading portfolio (see below).
Students are invited to ask questions and to debate, the small size of the audience allowing an interactive pedagogy.
The theoretical course is completed by a text portfolio.
It is expected that students read these texts thoroughly, understand them and appropriate them (it is strongly advised to make a personal synthesis of them).
Knowledge of compulsory reading is assessed on the examination.
Evaluation methods
The EU assessment consists of two parts, whose weighting in the overall mark is calculated as follows:
- knowledge of the theoretical course material: 14/20
- knowledge of supplementary texts (involving activity): 6/20.
The exam is oral (with 10 minutes of preparation on questions relating to the theoretical course).
The assessment language is French.
The use of generative AI is prohibited in this course.
The assessment method remains unchanged in the second exam session.
- knowledge of the theoretical course material: 14/20
- knowledge of supplementary texts (involving activity): 6/20.
The exam is oral (with 10 minutes of preparation on questions relating to the theoretical course).
The assessment language is French.
The use of generative AI is prohibited in this course.
The assessment method remains unchanged in the second exam session.
Bibliography
Voir indications données lors du cours.
Faculty or entity
Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)
Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
