- Docente: Andrea L. P. Pirro
- Credits: 8
- SSD: GSPS-02/A
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: In-person learning (entirely or partially)
- Campus: Forli
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Corso:
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
East European and Eurasian Studies (cod. 6751)
Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in International relations and diplomatic affairs (cod. 6750)
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in International Politics and Economics (cod. 6763)
Learning outcomes
Very few political entrepreneurs attract the same level of attention as those championing far-right ideas. Often tangled with a heavy legacy of authoritarianism, the far right emerged as a strong political contender once it managed to replace, or conceal, its biological racism with ‘ethnopluralist’ views. The contemporary far right has now moved from the margins to the mainstream, and its ideas resonate widely across politics and societies around the globe. The course examines one of the pressing phenomena of our time and presents the main concepts, theories, and aspects surrounding far-right mobilisation across contexts and arenas. Major goals include providing the student with the necessary tools to analyse far-right politics, both theoretically and empirically; decipher its organisation; understand its relationship with activism and participation; and its overall implications for the quality of liberal democracy. Particular attention will be devoted to some of the issues elaborated by far-right actors and the challenges or stimuli they may pose to the workings of advanced democracies.
Course contents
This course examines the contemporary far right from a comparative perspective. It explores its ideological foundations, organisational forms, and consequences for democracy. Combining research on political parties, social movements, and democracy, the course introduces students to the main theoretical approaches and current debates in the literature.
The first part of the course develops the conceptual and analytical tools necessary to study the far right. The second part applies these frameworks to major regional and national case studies.
Readings/Bibliography
The course is based on a selection of readings (i.e., journal articles and/or book chapters), which will be made available through the Virtuale platform. Core readings are mandatory for all students.
A detailed schedule of seminar sessions and the corresponding readings will be published before the start of the course.
Teaching methods
The course is organised as a series of seminars, and attendance is mandatory. Each session is student-centred and consists primarily of peer discussion rather than lectures. For each meeting, students are expected to participate actively on the basis of the assigned readings listed in the syllabus. They will present and critically discuss the readings, examining their arguments, and findings. Each session will conclude with a general discussion.
Assessment methods
- Seminar participation (20%): Active engagement with the readings and discussion.
- In-class presentation (20%): A presentation critically reviewing one national/regional case.
- Final in-class paper (60%): An in-class paper in which students apply one or more theoretical approaches covered in the course. The paper should demonstrate students’ ability to engage critically with the scholarly literature and apply relevant theoretical perspectives to the analysis of a contemporary far-right phenomenon.
Office hours
See the website of Andrea L. P. Pirro