98812 - INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Learning outcomes

The course aims to give theoretical tools for the study of history of Western modern and contemporary political thought, to highlight the milestone political concepts and its traditions, to analyse the relationship between the development of political theory and the building of political institutions and social processes. At the end of the course, students are expected to (a) acquire knowledge of the milestone concepts and doctrines worked out in the history of political thought; (b) develop abilities to analytically read a text, by situating political concepts in the historical and linguistic context of different ages; (c) develop capacities to identify aspects of continuity and discontinuity between different political doctrines across the centuries.

Course contents

The specificity of political philosophy will be the first object of inquiry.

In our study of political philosophy we will adopt the perspective of the history of ideas and of constitutional history, as they have been developed by such authors as Quentin Skinner and Reinhart Koselleck.

We will then examine the main concepts in the vocabulary of politics, such as State, sovereignty, liberty, equality. These concepts will be studied with reference to the thought of the great political philosophers in the tradition of Western political thought: Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Tocqueville, Mosca, Weber, Schmitt, Arendt and Rawls.

Readings/Bibliography

Steven B. Smith, Political Philosophy (New Haven-London: Yale University Press, 2012).

Leo Strauss, What is Political Philosophy? (Chicago-London: University of Chicago Press, 1988).

Teaching methods

15 classes of 2 hours each for a total of 30 hours.

The course is offered in the second semester and will begin in February 2024.

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist in an oral discussion at the end of the course. During this discussion the instructor will evaluate the student's ability to identify the central notions of a text, to examine them critically and to argue consistently.

Students who attend the classes have the option to write a paper on a subject agreed with the instructor: in this case, students are not required to take the oral exam. The guidelines for writing the paper are on Virtuale.

People with disabilities and SLD

People with disabilities or specific learning disorders are entitled to special adaptations in relation to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the teacher, but contact the Service for an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine which adaptations are appropriate. More information on page site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Giorgini