98922 - Political Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

This course focuses on the major topics, ideas, problems and authors of Western Political Philosophy and its history. Students will be introduced to an advanced level of reading, analysing and deep understanding of key themes and concepts in the Western tradition of political philosophy. They will develop strong skills as critical readers, capable of describing and analysing the conceptual framework of and the specific historiographical debates on some of the major texts in the field, in their historical and cultural context

Course contents

The course, conducted entirely in English, explores the major philosophical and political themes of Greek tragedy and their cinematic representation and adaptation, combining analytical and creative work in equal measure.

Each class is divided into two parts. The first is critical and theoretical: we will examine the political significance of tragedy in the classical world, its relationship to philosophy, psychology, and anthropology, and the ways in which contemporary filmmakers have reinterpreted tragic texts and themes in specific historical and political contexts. This will be developed through the close reading of primary sources, guided film viewings, and discussion of the secondary literature included in the syllabus. The second part is a seminar in which students — individually or in groups — present and discuss the development of their own video project.

The video project is the creative and critical core of the course. Students will work in groups throughout the semester to develop, discuss, and refine their ideas; the seminar sessions are the space for this collective work. However, each student will produce and submit an individual short film (5-10 minutes) that develops an original argument about the political meaning of Greek tragedy, drawing exclusively on images and sequences from the films viewed together in class. No original footage is required: the work consists in selecting, assembling, and recontextualizing existing cinematic material — still images, screenshots, or brief sequences — to construct a new critical argument. Students will be expected to justify their choices in relation to the texts and films discussed in class, treating the editing and juxtaposition of images as argumentative and political acts.

No prior experience in filmmaking is required. No knowledge of ancient Greek or of film theory is required to attend this course.

Readings/Bibliography

Primary sources:

1. A text of your choice from the following:

· Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes and Prometheus.

· Sophocles, Antigone.

· Euripides, Electra, Iphigenia in Tauris, Medea, The Trojan Women.

NB : Any scholarly edition is suitable, preferably with the original text facing.

Secondary sources:

2. For everyone:

· Giannetti, L. (1999). Understanding Movies. Upper Saddle River NJ: Prentice Hall.

3. A text of your choice from the following:

· Loraux, N. (2002). The Mourning Voices: An Essay on Greek Tragedy. Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press.

· Meier, C. (1993). The Political Art of Greek Tragedy. London: Polity Press.

4. A text of your choice from the following:

· MacKinnon, K. (2016). Greek Tragedy into Film. London: Routledge.

· Michelakis, P. (2013). Greek Tragedy on Screen. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

5. A text of your choice from the following:

· Aristotle (1995). Poetics. Translated by S. Halliwell. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press

· Nietzsche (2008). The Birth of Tragedy. Translated by D. Smith. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Working tools:

· Harsh, P. W. (1944). A Handbook of Classical Drama. Stanford CA: Stanford University Press.

· Segal, E. ed. (1983). Oxford Readings in Greek Tragedy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

· Gantz, T. (1993). Early Greek Myths: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

· Roisman, H. M. ed. (2014). The Encyclopedia of Greek Tragedy. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

In class, we will refer to the following films:

· Cacoyannis, M. Iphigenia (1977)

· Cacoyannis, M. The Trojan Women (1971)

· Cacoyannis, M. Electra (1961)

· Cavani, L. I cannibali [The Year of the Cannibals] (1970)

· Dassin, J. Kravgi gynaikon [A Dream of Passion] (1978)

· Deraspe, S. Antigone (2019)

· Harrison, T. Prometheus (1998)

· Jancso, M. Szerelmem, Elektra [Electra, My Love] (1974)

· Martone, M. Teatro di guerra [Rehearsals for War] (1998)

· Mokammel, T. Rabeya (2008)

· Pasolini, P. P. Medea (1969)

· Pasolini, P. P. Appunti per un’orestiade africana [Notes Toward an African Orestes] (1970)

· Tzavellas, Y. Antigone (1961)

· Von Trier, L. Medea (1988)

NB: In addition to texts from groups (1), (2) and (5), students who do NOT attend classes must also read both texts under (3) and both texts under (4).

Teaching methods

This course combines the close reading and philosophical commentary of primary sources, the guided viewing and critical analysis of film adaptations, and an intensive seminar format structured around collaborative group work. Theoretical and analytical content — drawn from the primary texts, secondary literature, and films listed in the syllabus — is developed in dialogue with a practical creative dimension: from the second class onwards, each session includes a one-hour seminar dedicated to the development of students' group video projects. Students are expected to engage actively in both dimensions throughout the course. The course is taught entirely in English.

Assessment methods

Assessment (attending students)

Regular attendance at both parts of each class — the lecture and the seminar — is required to be assessed as an attending student.

The final evaluation of attending students is based on an individual short film (5-10 minutes), to be submitted at least two weeks before the exam date. The short film develops an original argument about the political meaning of Greek tragedy, drawing on images and sequences from the films viewed together in class. No original footage is required: the work consists in selecting, assembling, and recontextualizing existing cinematic material — still images, screenshots, or brief sequences — to construct a new critical argument. No specific technical skills or equipment are required; free editing software such as DaVinci Resolve, CapCut, or iMovie is sufficient. Students are encouraged to share technical skills within and across groups, and to make use of the numerous free tutorials available online.

Although the final submission is individual, students will work in groups throughout the semester to develop, discuss, and refine their ideas. Groups are formed by the second class. From that point on, every class includes a one-hour seminar session dedicated to group work: discussion of ideas, development of the project, and collective viewing and commentary of work in progress. The progression of the work is an integral part of the evaluation: groups are expected to present concrete materials — ideas, storyboards, selected sequences, partial edits — during the seminar sessions throughout the semester.

The individual film is not the product of isolated work: its quality depends entirely on the depth of the student's engagement with the group process. A student who has contributed actively — through ideas, decisions, disagreements, and revisions — will produce a richer and more convincing argument than one who has not. There is no substitute for genuine participation.

Assessment (non-attending students)

Students who are unable to attend the course may take the exam through a traditional oral examination. Please note that, unlike in previous years, a written essay is no longer accepted as an alternative: the oral exam is the only option available to non-attending students.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

PC-connected projector and text visualiser.

Office hours

See the website of Filippo Del Lucchese