The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning objectives

The teaching aims to offer an eminently theoretical perspective on politics through a methodology that is both reconstructive and experimental. Indeed, political theory concerns both the study of politics from a historical-conceptual point of view - that is, how human beings have theorized the forms of their coexistence, from the Greek polis to the modern state, to liberal democracies - , and the research around possible new political configurations, in an era characterized by profound changes. Students will be guided in the historical-conceptual analysis of philosophical texts dealing with the relationship between ways of configuring subjectivity (of thinking the subject) and ways of political organization (critical-reconstructive methodology). They will also be required to know how to handle such political concepts in order to test their resilience or obsolescence in our contemporary times, while also testing innovative theoretical-political hypotheses (experimental methodology). Students will be accompanied on a path of analysis and critique of the texts, which will be followed by the individual elaboration of a critical-argumentative work (written and oral) on the topics covered. The preparation offered will be able to provide the following knowledge: 1) Knowledge and understanding of the main political concepts in their historical development from antiquity to modernity; 2) Knowledge and understanding of the main theoretical dilemmas of politics between ancient and modern, modern and contemporary. The preparation offered will be able to provide the following skills: 1) Ability to situate historically and conceptually the knowledge acquired, to relate it to coeval phenomena of a religious, social, and economic nature; 2) Ability to apply the theoretical-political skills acquired to be able to autonomously deal with problems of a philosophical-political nature of our present (dilemmas related to the relationship between equality and difference, subjects and powers, individual freedom and political order); 3) Ability to formulate reasoning and judgments autonomously, in relation to the issues of political theory and their applicability in the context of social interrelation; 4) Development of communication and argumentative skills through the ability to participate in a balanced and reasoned way in class discussions; 5) Development of autonomous learning skills through an appropriate methodology of study and interpretation of texts; 6) Development of the ability to relate the results of the study with one's own personal experience in relation to the specific topic covered by the course, with particular attention to the awareness of the gap between historically different situations and contexts.

Program

The Plural Power of the Beginning: Revolution and Foundation in Hannah Arendt.
As Roberto Esposito states, «all the thinker's research converges in the commitment to build political institutions capable of resisting the impact of time». Given the impossibility of the philosophical foundation – this seems to be the Arendtian question par excellence – is it possible for there to be a genuinely political foundation? Or perhaps can the truly political foundation only exist outside of any philosophical foundation? A political foundation that, precisely because it is preceded by the refusal of a philosophical questioning of human nature, does without absolutes, is able to escape from the theological-political mortgage of the modern model of sovereignty by insisting on the plurality of human beings and their common inhabitation of the world. The question of political foundation is in short crucial because in the entire Arendtian work the dismantling of metaphysics goes hand in hand with the never-finished project of the constitutio libertatis, the political institution of freedom. The course will analyze this possible interpretation of Hannah Arendt's work in light of her text On Revolution (1963) and the essay recently translated into Italian, Totalitarian Imperialism and the Hungarian Revolution (1958).

Learning assessment procedures

The exam will be oral. The exam discussion will begin with a presentation by the student of a topic chosen individually from those covered in class or - for those who do not attend - freely chosen and prepared by relying on the texts in the program. The student may then be asked questions regarding the main theoretical problems addressed in the course (and in the texts). The evaluation will concern, in addition to the historical-philosophical and historical-political knowledge of the context covered, the ability of each student to independently deal with dilemmas of a philosophical-political nature regarding the reality of associated living as they emerge in the public debate regarding the emergencies of our present. For the seminar part - attendance of which is mandatory and will influence the final grade by 40% - it will take place in collaboration with the students who will be asked to present and discuss in class texts proposed by the teacher and texts or case studies chosen by the students themselves