Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology

The course will consider the main approaches of intercultural pedagogy to the issue of prejudice and stereotypes, as well as education for reflective thinking and the promotion of an empathetic attitude as effective strategies for overcoming dogmatic attitudes and for creating an open and democratic society based on integration, social inclusion, and the appreciation of differences. The thematic units of the course will be developed as follows: - Course introduction: content, teaching methods, evaluation criteria. Overview of students' expectations and educational needs. - The multicultural society: presentation of ministerial reports on students with non-Italian citizenship and documents on school reception and inclusion. - Forms of coexistence in a multicultural society. - The intercultural approach in Italian schools. - Definitions of the course's main concepts: prejudice, stereotype, and behavioral discrimination. Types of prejudice: Ethnic prejudice and racism. Modern racism, ambivalent racism, reluctant racism, automatic racism, and subtle racism. Gender prejudices and stereotypes. Ambivalent sexism. Gender-based violence. Gender education. Ageism. Age prejudice (children, adolescents, young people, adults, the elderly). - Cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of prejudice. Categorization as a cognitive strategy. Categorization as assimilation and differentiation. Group dynamics and prejudice. Workshop with individual and group work on film viewing perspective-taking and conflict mediation exercises. - Cognitive consequences of categorization. Stereotype and cognitive dissonance. Stereotypes and social evaluation: differential evaluation, verificationist prejudice, distortion in recalling the past, ultimate attribution error, stereotypes as self-fulfilling prophecies. Individual and group activities on expectations and perceptual distortions. - Contact, empathy, common identity, cross-categorization, and identity complexity as strategies for reducing prejudice. - Reflective thinking: experimental attitude for an open and intercultural mind. - Workshop on designing and implementing intercultural teaching practices for early childhood and primary education.

The student must be - able to read and understand psycho-pedagogical texts; - motivated to learn. It is helpful for the student to be - available to work in groups; - available to participate in the proposed activities.

1) Dewey, John, Come pensiamo, Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2019 (capp. da 1 a 8). 2) Hakuzwimana, Espérance, Tra i bianchi di scuola. Voci per un'educazione accogliente, Einaudi, Torino, 2024. 3) Mazzara, Bruno M., Stereotipi e pregiudizi, il Mulino, Bologna, 1997. 4) Szpunar, Giordana (a cura di), Progettare e valutare a scuola. Strumenti per l'infanzia e la primaria, Carocci, Roma, 2025 (cap. 6). 5) Institutional documents on welcoming in the integrated 0-6 system, nursery school, and primary school (the documents will be uploaded to the Moodle page of the Course Pedagogia interculturale SFP 2025-2026). I will provide any additional materials for consultation and study during the lessons.

Attendance at lessons is strongly recommended. Attendance at the workshops is mandatory.

The final evaluation will be based on an oral test that includes some questions on the texts adopted. The oral exam lasts about 20/30 minutes and aims to verify and assess the level of mastery and the student's ability to reflect on the contents dealt with in class and present in the reference texts. The final evaluation will also consider the quality of the student's participation in the lessons and activities planned (carrying out individual tasks, taking part in group work, and laboratory activities).

The teaching will take place through different teaching strategies: the lecture will be accompanied by discussions and collective reflections in the classroom, individuals and group work on different types of material, simulations and RPGs. In addition, a workshop activity on the specific contexts of the primary and pre-primary school is foreseen.

The course will consider the main approaches of intercultural pedagogy to the issue of prejudice and stereotypes, as well as education for reflective thinking and the promotion of an empathetic attitude as effective strategies for overcoming dogmatic attitudes and for creating an open and democratic society based on integration, social inclusion, and the appreciation of differences. The thematic units of the course will be developed as follows: - Course introduction: content, teaching methods, evaluation criteria. Overview of students' expectations and educational needs. - The multicultural society: presentation of ministerial reports on students with non-Italian citizenship and documents on school reception and inclusion. - Forms of coexistence in a multicultural society. - The intercultural approach in Italian schools. - Definitions of the course's main concepts: prejudice, stereotype, and behavioral discrimination. Types of prejudice: Ethnic prejudice and racism. Modern racism, ambivalent racism, reluctant racism, automatic racism, and subtle racism. Gender prejudices and stereotypes. Ambivalent sexism. Gender-based violence. Gender education. Ageism. Age prejudice (children, adolescents, young people, adults, the elderly). - Cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of prejudice. Categorization as a cognitive strategy. Categorization as assimilation and differentiation. Group dynamics and prejudice. Workshop with individual and group work on film viewing perspective-taking and conflict mediation exercises. - Cognitive consequences of categorization. Stereotype and cognitive dissonance. Stereotypes and social evaluation: differential evaluation, verificationist prejudice, distortion in recalling the past, ultimate attribution error, stereotypes as self-fulfilling prophecies. Individual and group activities on expectations and perceptual distortions. - Contact, empathy, common identity, cross-categorization, and identity complexity as strategies for reducing prejudice. - Reflective thinking: experimental attitude for an open and intercultural mind. - Workshop on designing and implementing intercultural teaching practices for early childhood and primary education.

The student must be - able to read and understand psycho-pedagogical texts; - motivated to learn. It is helpful for the student to be - available to work in groups; - available to participate in the proposed activities.

1) Dewey, John, Come pensiamo, Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2019 (capp. da 1 a 8). 2) Hakuzwimana, Espérance, Tra i bianchi di scuola. Voci per un'educazione accogliente, Einaudi, Torino, 2024. 3) Mazzara, Bruno M., Stereotipi e pregiudizi, il Mulino, Bologna, 1997. 4) Szpunar, Giordana (a cura di), Progettare e valutare a scuola. Strumenti per l'infanzia e la primaria, Carocci, Roma, 2025 (cap. 6). 5) Institutional documents on welcoming in the integrated 0-6 system, nursery school, and primary school (the documents will be uploaded to the Moodle page of the Course Pedagogia interculturale SFP 2025-2026). I will provide any additional materials for consultation and study during the lessons.

Attendance at lessons is strongly recommended. Attendance at the workshops is mandatory.

The final evaluation will be based on an oral test that includes some questions on the texts adopted. The oral exam lasts about 20/30 minutes and aims to verify and assess the level of mastery and the student's ability to reflect on the contents dealt with in class and present in the reference texts. The final evaluation will also consider the quality of the student's participation in the lessons and activities planned (carrying out individual tasks, taking part in group work, and laboratory activities).

The teaching will take place through different teaching strategies: the lecture will be accompanied by discussions and collective reflections in the classroom, individuals and group work on different types of material, simulations and RPGs. In addition, a workshop activity on the specific contexts of the primary and pre-primary school is foreseen.