Learning outcomes

Obiettivi formativi: The course aims at introducing and discussing some of the major issues concerning political philosophy, especially those related to the contemporary global challenges that interest this field of research.
Prerequisiti: Basic knowledge in the History of Philosophy

Program

Contenuto del corso: Understanding and Communicating Evil in the Age of Mass Communication: Arendt in Jerusalem.
The course will analyze Hannah Arendt’s famous reportage on the trial of the nazist criminal Adolph Eichmann, which took place in Jerusalem in 1961. Some key issues thematized will be: the nature of nazi totalitarianism (how was genocide prepared and realized, what had been the role of the civilian population, bureaucratization of the extermination, ‘banality’ of the executioners and so on); the role of international criminal justice (Nurnberg trial, issue of the crimes against humanity, anomaly of the Eichmann trial, human rights issue then and today, efficacy of international criminal justice today). Furthermore, the course aims at analyzing Arendt’s reportage as an example of ‘philosophical-political journalism’, highlighting the dilemmas inherent in the mass-mediatic communication of complex concepts. Audiovisual material will integrate the analysis of texts.

Testi in programma:
H. Arendt, La banalità del male. Eichmann a Gerusalemme, Milano, Feltrinelli 2001.
O. Guaraldo, Hannah Arendt, Collana Grandangolo, Milano, RCS libri 2013 (AVAILABLE ONLY online (also as e-book ) from the website:
http://store.corriere.it/saggistica/grandangolo/9sSsEWcVYekAAAFGeWkQp5Wp/ct
O. Guaraldo, (a cura di), Il Novecento di Hannah Arendt, Verona, ombre corte 2008.
S. Zappalà, La giustizia penale internazionale, Bologna, il Mulino 2005.

Films : Hannah Arendt, di M. Von Trotta, 2013.
Uno specialista, di Eyal Sivan, 1999.

Examination Methods

Written examination with open questions. There is the possibility to write an essay as substitute of the exam, but it has to be agreed upon with the Professor.