Learning outcomes

Western political thought has extensively concealed sexual differences behind the principle of the alleged equality of all individuals before the law. This course provides examples of critical philosophies that, on the contrary, have interrogated the relationship between politics and sexuality from the point of view of so-called ‘sexual minorities’, and have consequently developed new interpretative frames to understand the subject, collectivity, and political action.
At the end of the course, students will have to prove that they:
- accurately know the subjects of the program,
- are able to expose them in a consequential and concise way,
- have acquired independent judgement.

Program

Course title:
Freud's Drives: Sexualitry, Death, Self-shattering

Course contents:
1. From 1900 onwards, a by now broad tradition of critical thinking has been problematizing the relationship between politics and sexuality. Firstly, the course will focus on three theoretical approaches that, each in its way, have engaged with the concepts of drive, desire and identification, developing different visions of that relationship:
- Freudomarxist theories of sexual liberation,
- social constructivist theories of sexuality and gender,
- antisocial and affective queer theories.
2. Secondly, the course will take into exam Sigmund Freud's theory of the drives, through the anlaysis of three of his masteprieces; and will use this theory in order to comment some episodes of our political present.

Methods:
Seminar classes, topic discussions.

Examination Methods

For both attending and non-attending students: oral exam (from January to September 2019).
The students are required to bring the readings at the exam.

The evaluation will be based on:
- pertinence of the answers,
- consequentiality of the arguments,
- ability to think in a personal and independent way.