Teaching code

4S007347

Credits

6

Coordinator

Olivia Guaraldo

Language

Italian

Also offered in courses:

• Political philosophy I [Sede VR] - Esercitazione of the course Master’s degree in Historical Studies (interuniversity)
• Political philosophy I [Sede VR] - Lezione of the course Master’s degree in Historical Studies (interuniversity)

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

SPS/01 - POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Courses Single

Authorized

Moodle Seminars 0

The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning objectives

Politics and Theories of the Human The course aims at an in-depth analysis - through an analytical readings of texts – of relevant themes in modern and contemporary political philosophy. Main focus of the analysis will be the relationship between modes of configuring subjectivity (of thinking the subject) and modes of political organization (of thinking the political). This investigation, which is at once political, epistemological and ontological, will put its focus on the relationship modern and contemporary philosophy establishes between concepts and experiences. Expected results will be: - capacity to carry out an analytical and critical reading of complex philosophical texts; - ability to individually elaborate an oral critical-argumentative parcours on the specific issues discussed; - ability to individually elaborate a written critical-argumentative text based on the mandatory readings, discussion in class, personal original elaboration; - conceptual ability to autonomously face philosophico-political problems and dilemmas of our present (i.e.: equality/difference, subjects/power, individual freedom/political order).

Prerequisites and basic notions

General notions of political philosophy, basic notions of modern and contemporary history.

Program

Freedom, contract, equality: modern contractualism and feminist criticism. The course intends to analyze in detail the characteristics of modern contractualist thought, through the reading of one of its main exponents, John Locke. The forms and methods of modern politics will be examined starting from their disruptive formulation in 17th century English political thought. The course will then proceed to analyze the limits, the 'amnesia', the exclusion strategies implicit in the social contract, insisting in particular on the rigid exclusion of women from the emancipatory promise of equality and freedom that characterizes the modern political lexicon. The social contract, in the words of Carole Pateman, is a contract of brotherhood, based on the invisibility of female subjectivity and its subordination to the paternal/patriarchal order, which modernity, far from dissipating, reformulates on the basis of 'male brotherhood' making it more effective than traditional 'despotic' paternalism. During the exercises, texts of contemporary feminism will be read for a further in-depth study of the themes analyzed in the lectures. Students will be asked to participate actively by presenting short reports in class.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course comprises
- a general part that will take place in frontal mode, in which the teacher will introduce the general concepts and methodology in the reading of texts.
- a seminar part in which we will analyze in depth some texts and discuss them in class; students will be required to actively participate in class work through oral presentations on assigned topics/texts. In order to be considered attending students it is necessary to be present at both parts of the course. For those who do not attend, the teaching bibliography will be supplemented upon appropriate request to the teacher by the non-attending student.

Learning assessment procedures

Final examination will consist in an oral discussion on the themes of the course. Students will be asked to start with a presentation of a topic individually chosen from those discussed in class (or present in the texts). After this individual presentation the student will be asked about the major theoretical problems dealt with during the course (class discussion and texts). Final evaluation will consider historical-philosophical and historical-political knowledge of the context treated in the course as well as ability to autonomously face philosophical-political dilemmas related to the reality of public life (public debates, public emergencies, public opinion).
The seminar part, which should be attended regularly and actively, will determine 40% of final evaluation. This part will involve students directly, who will be asked to present and discuss in class texts suggested by the Professor and texts or case-studies proposed by them.

Evaluation criteria

To pass the exam, students must demonstrate that: - they have understood the theories, paradigms, concepts of modern and contemporary political theory;
- that they know how to clearly and consequently expose the acquired knowledge
- that they know how to apply the concepts, the theories to the different historical-political contexts, demonstrating the ability to autonomously elaborate the acquired knowledge, with particular attention to the challenges of contemporaneity

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

60%: verification of the knowledge acquired from the study of the texts in the program and from the analyzes carried out in class by the teacher
40%: active participation in the seminar part (discussion, presentation of reports in class)
Not attending students: 100% verification of knowledge acquired from the study of texts in program (including supplementary material provided by the teacher upon request for non-attending students).
NB: those who do not participate in the seminar part and at least 70% in the lectures part cannot take the exam as an attending student.

Exam language

Italiano Inglese per studenti internazionali

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