Teaching code

4S010551

Teacher

Lorenzo Bernini

Coordinator

Lorenzo Bernini

Credits

9

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

SPS/01 - POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Period

Sem. 2A, Sem. 2B

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course aims to prove examples of the contribution philosophy can give to the critical comprehension of political and social conflicts in the contemporary world. To that end, the students will learn:
- the main models of political philosophy: normativism, realism and critique;
- the main traditions of justification and critique of war: realistic approaches, theories of just war, pacifist theories and theories of nonviolence;
- the contribution of political philosophy to the understanding and resolution of conflicts based on sex, gender, sexuality, racialization, disablement, class and their intersections;
- the contribution of political philosophy to the understanding and resolution of colonial, postcolonial and decolonial conflicts.
By the end of the course, the students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge for a critical understanding of conflicts in the contemporary world.

Prerequisites and basic notions

The course is introductory and does not require any specific prerequisites.

Program

Course Title: Frantz Fanon: Towards a Anti-colonial Modernity
Course Content (for both attending and non-attending students):
1. The first module of the course will begin with an introduction to political philosophy, aiming to illustrate the critical method through which texts and authors in the program will be discussed. With the premodern understanding of politics (exemplified by Aristotle's philosophy) as a backdrop, it will present the main doctrines that have shaped politics in modernity (absolutism, liberalism, democracy, republicanism, socialism) through the thinking of four classical philosophers (Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx).
2. The second module of the course will present six interpretations of war and peace developed in modern political thought: realist conceptions (Thomas Hobbes, Carl Schmitt) and internationalist perspectives (Karl Marx, Nikolaj Lenin) on war, the theory of just war (Francisco de Vitoria) and regular war (Emer de Vattel), legal pacifism (Immanuel Kant) and radical pacifism (Erasmus of Rotterdam).
3. The third module of the course will present Frantz Fanon's anti-colonial thought, highlighting its complex and ambivalent relationship with modernity through selected readings from his major works (Black Skin, White Masks; A Dying Colonialism; The Wretched of the Earth).

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Lectures, discussions on the topics in the program.
The lectures will be held in person, recorded, and will remain available for one year.

Learning assessment procedures

Both for attending and non-attending students, the exam will consist of a written examination. In two hours, the student will have to answer five open-ended questions.
The program will remain in effect for one year, covering six exam sessions (from June 2024 to January 2025).

Evaluation criteria

The following aspects will be evaluated:
- relevance of the answers,
- coherence of the arguments,
- ability to reflect personally on the proposed topics.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

Each of the five questions will be evaluated for a maximum of six points. The partial scores obtained will then be added together.

Exam language

Italiano