78003 - Political Philosophy

Academic Year 2019/2020

Learning outcomes

Political Philosophy is conceived as the application of philosophical investigation to politics and thus as a study of the contribution that philosophy may give to political practice. This implies both a clarification of the terms used in our everyday political vocabulary and an attempt at designing models of a just society. The course intends to provide the students with the following abilities: a) notions on methodology in historical investigation; b) ability to analytically read a text while at the same time situating it into the historical and linguistic context of the age; c) knowledge of the perennial tasks of political philosophy; d) an examination of a specific topic: the orgins of democracy.

Course contents

Three Masters of Political Realism: Thucydides, Machiavelli, Carl Schmitt

The course is devoted to the examination of three masters of political realism, namely the Greek historian Thucydides, the Renaissance writer Niccolo' Machiavelli and the twentieth century constitutional theorist Carl Schmitt.

We will examine the main features of this powerful strand in political theory and then delve into the works of three of its main representatives, belonging to very different ages.

The first classes will be devoted to a clarification of the notion of 'political philosophy' and to an account of the methodology in the history of political thought.

Readings/Bibliography

Required readings

Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. R. Warner (New York: Penguin, 2010) ISBN 0140440399; and L. Strauss, The City and Man (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978): chapter 3 on Thucydides.

N. Machiavelli, The Prince, trans. H.C. Mansfield (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998, 2nd edition) ISBN 0226500446; and Q. Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN 0192854070.

C. Schmitt, The Concept of the Political, trans. G. Schwab, expanded edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007) ISBN 0226738922; and H. Meier, The Lesson of Carl Schmitt: Four Chapters on the Distinction between Political Theology and Political Philosophy, Expanded Edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011) ISBN 0226518868.

Teaching methods

30 classes of two hours each for a total of 60 hours.

The course is taught in the second semester and classes will start in February 2020.

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. The final exam will be in English; however, students who prefer to take it in Italian are welcome to do so.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Giorgini