Teaching code

4S012392

Teacher

Lorenzo Bernini

Coordinator

Lorenzo Bernini

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

SPS/02 - HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT

Period

1 A, 1 B

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course proposes an introduction to contemporary political debate through the reconstruction of the history of the theories, rhetorics and ideologies that have justified or challenged the existence of political institutions, drawing from the past and present concrete examples to illustrate how language has given and gives shape to reality. At the end of the course the student will have to demonstrate: - that he/she has acquired a precise knowledge of the topics on the syllabus; - that he/she is able to explain them in a structured and concise manner; - that he/she has acquired autonomy of judgement.

Prerequisites and basic notions

The course is introductory and has not prerequisites.

Program

Course Title:
Truth, Sex, and Politics: Toward a Queer Biology
Course Content (for attending and non-attending students):
1. Against the backdrop of the anti-gender, anti-LGBT, and anti-trans rhetoric that pervades contemporary political debate, the first part of the course will show how queer theories—far from constituting an ideology aimed at falsifying truth—form a field of contemporary critical theory in close dialogue with the practices of LGBTQIA+ movements, within which (at least) three distinct paradigms can be identified and critically engaged: Freudo-Marxist theories of sexual liberation, constructivist theories of sexuality and gender, and antisocial theories.
2. The second part of the course will examine Hannah Arendt’s reflections on the complex relationship between truth and politics, emphasizing her view that politics presupposes a common world of facts on the basis of which opinions can confront and clash with one another.
3. The third part of the course will contrast the defense of sexual binarism—which has also gained traction within certain strands of feminism—with the non-binary conception of sex advanced by contemporary biology, in order to show how anti-gender campaigns have generated conflicts not only over the political implications of biology, but also over who holds the authority to determine what counts as a biological fact.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

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

Learning assessment procedures

For both attending and non-attending students: oral exam, lasting twenty /thirty minutes. Students are required to bring the exam texts with them.
The program will remain in effect for one year, then for six exam sessions (from January to September 2027).
Students who do not take the exam by September 2027 must inform the professor in advance if they plan to register for a later exam session.

Evaluation criteria

To pass the exam, students must demonstrate that:
- have acquired a precise knowledge of the topics on the syllabus;
- be able to expound them in a structured and concise manner;
- have developed their own autonomy of judgment.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

To pass the exam, the student must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the three parts.

Exam language

Italiano For Erasmus students: English (subject to prior agreement with professor Bernini).