The course aims to develop in students the knowledge of the historical, sociological and ethical foundations of welfare, in a highly interdisciplinary and comparative context with particular attention to Italian events. To this end, the main concepts concerning the ultimate legitimation of the welfare state will be introduced, within an overall vision that supports the indispensable value of personal participation in the processes of constitution of subjective and community wellbeing and exploring the specific contribution of classical sociologists, which have outlined the main positions still supported today regarding this theme. In detail, the deepening of Italy will focus on the fruitful intertwining of the collective-local, corporate and municipal levels revealed by an empirical survey in 24 cases, with a focus on the rebirth of mutualism and on some thematic areas (pensions, health, home, work, social assistance and education) that delineate the content of today's welfare, without exhausting it, ruling lastly on the professional prospects of the operators and on the emergence of new figures and the related pedagogical-curricular implications.
Furthermore, a specific study will be dedicated to the fruitful interweaving of religious and lay concepts that have inspired some of the most significant moments of the Welfare State in its classic Western meaning, in a comparative dialogue with the sapiential roots of the main cultures of the world.