Teaching code

4S012392

Teacher

Lorenzo Bernini

Coordinator

Lorenzo Bernini

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

SPS/02 - HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT

Period

CuCi 1 A, CuCi 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:
Queer Theories and Gender Ideology: Between Political Praxis, Rhetoric, and Propaganda
Course Content (for attending and non-attending students):
1. The first part of the course will explore the origins of the concepts through which modernity has theorized politics—such as the individual, individual rights, representation, and sovereignty—by analyzing the thought of classical political philosophers (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx). It will also present the main political doctrines that have shaped the political practice in modernity: absolutism, liberalism, democracy, and socialism.
2. The second part of the course will respond to the anti-gender, anti-LGBT, and anti-trans rhetorics that dominate contemporary political debate. It will demonstrate how queer theories—far from constituting an ideology—form a field of critical philosophy in close dialogue with LGBTQIA+ movements. Within this field, at least three different paradigms engage with one another: Freudo-Marxist theories of sexual liberation, constructivist theories of sexuality and gender, and antisocial theories.
3. The third part of the course will examine recent episodes that illustrate the impact of anti-gender, anti-LGBT, and anti-trans rhetorics on Italian public opinion, commenting on them from a queer positioning.

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 2026).

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