90493 - Political Philosophy LM

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing students with the conceptual tools required to analyze questions of effectiveness and fairness in public policies, citizenship rights, (universal) human rights as well as global justice.

Course contents

The course aims at providing students with the tools to approach the main topics at stake in contemporary debates in political theory. Each year a single question or author is selected. This year the course will specifically focus on the current conjuncuture of disorder and war at the global level. This conjuncture challenges not only the so-called "rules-based" international order, but also some of the key concepts of political theory, e.g. sovereignty and democracy. To come to grips with these developments, we will focus on the concept of imperialism. We will examin the history of this concept throughout the 20th century and assess its critical relevance in light of current processes of concentration of capital and power, particularly in the domain of Big Tech.

Readings/Bibliography

Books required for the exam:

A. S. Mezzadra - B. Neilson, The Rest and the West. Capital and Power in a Multipolar World, London - New York, Verso, 2024.

D. Guarascio, Imperialismo digitale. Economia e guerra ai tempi delle piattaforme e dell'IA, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2026.

Students attending classes may substitute one of the two required books with a classic twentieth-century work on imperialism (J. Hobson, R. Luxemburg, R. Hilferding, V.I. Lenin, H. Arendt, P. Baran - P. Sweezy etc).

Further readings will be suggested during the course.

Teaching methods

Lectures will be combined with seminars, with direct involvement of students and possible participation of external guests.

Assessment methods

Students attending classes will have two options: an oral or a written exam. The written exam will consist of three questions to be answered in 50 minutes.

The option to write a paper (around 4000 words, to be delivered one week before the exam) is reserved to highly motivated students, who will discuss the topic with the instructor and will submitt a 1000 words abstract.

For students not attending classes the exam is oral.

Please note that AI can be a useful tool to support individual study through in-depth analysis, summaries, and self-assessment pathways. As for the assessment of learning, during in-person written exams the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity. In the drafting of a paper, a limited, declared, and non-substantial use of AI is permitted. The use of AI is not allowed during the written exam.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the instructor, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

The course presupposes a basic knowledge of the history of modern and contemporary political theory. Students who do not have such knowledge in their curriculum can refer to one of the following texts:

S.S. Wolin, Politics and Vision. Continuity and Innovation in Western Political Thought, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2006

A. Negri, Insurgencies. Constituent Power and the Modern State, Minneapolis, MI, University of Minnesota Press, 1999

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the instructor in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Links to further information

http://unibo.academia.edu/SandroMezzadra

Office hours

See the website of Sandro Mezzadra