Alice Spada – Short presentation and proposal outline

Institutional Affiliation

Third year Ph.D. student in “Applied Sociology and Methodology of Social Research” at University Milano Bicocca, Italy.

Training Background
Bachelor Degree in “Anthropology and Ethnology” at University of Bologna, Italy.
Overseas (2007/2008 academic year abroad – 60 CFU) at University of British Columbia, Vancouver – Canada.
Masters Degree in “Sociology and Social Policies” at University of Bologna, Italy.
Advanced Masters in Social Mediation at Università “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy.
Visiting PhD student at University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2018).

Main Themes of Investigation
In general: qualitative analysis of educational contexts, history of socialization models, analysis of contemporary socialization processes, transmission of norms and values in contemporary educational settings, europeanization of education, education and globalization, education and inequalities. PhD main research questions: how do middle school teachers conceptualize, transmit and evaluate “social competences”? Is “social competence” a concept that varies with the variation of schools’ catchment areas? Given that social competence is one of the eight key competences recommended by the EU (2006/962/CE) and fully implemented in the Italian educational legislation (DM 254/2012), how are teachers integrating this concept within their practices? Is this concept helping in developing European identity? Does the utilization of this concept depend on the conception of a) socialization and b) competence-based education teachers have? 


Paper Intended to Write
I would be interested in expanding on the process of Europeanization connected with the socialization of norms and values, particularly from the point of view of social competences which could be regarded as a combination of the concepts of socialization and of competence-based education (but also from other angles?). The subject could run from the building of an European identity to the need of harmonization of curricula in terms of social skills, civic awareness and cultural specificities. 


The Starting Knowledge-base (empirical materials, theory, methodology, etc.)
Here some knowledge I would be opened and willing to share: a) the theoretical framework and the references that regards a more “classic” sociology of education about formal socialization processes (from Durkheim to Luhmann and beyond?); b) the construction of European identity as a common union project (with references), the move from content-based to competence-based education (with references) and the issue of norms and values in the communicative model. Some empirical material of my PhD thesis could also be drawn from, if needed.

The Knowledge Needed to Complete the Paper
Contribution that goes in the direction of the creation of an European identity in the European educational space could be appropriate. Studies of the European documents issued in order to pursue the harmonization of norms and values through education. 
Material that describe processes that regard competence-based education and europeanization.