00983 - History of Political Doctrines (A-E)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students: - know the fundamental moments in the history of modern and contemporary political thought, - learn the forms of political communication and understand the problematic relationship and the reciprocal influence between ideas and facts, - know the main political theories and knows how to interpret and contextualize them correctly, - can read the most important political and institutional changes in Western history

Course contents

The main concepts of the lexicon of politics will be examined, such as State, sovereignty, freedom, equality, and power, as well as the political meanings of the ideas of war and peace developed during the modern age. The course will focus, in particular, on the principal authors of the history of Western political thought, such as Machiavelli, Bodin, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Kant, Burke, Sieyès, Hegel, Constant, Tocqueville, Marx, Mill, Weber, Schmitt, Kelsen, Arendt, and Rawls. The lessons will be characterized by a general introduction to each author's thoughts and a direct reading of the most significant sections of their texts. A monographic section will be dedicated to a historical-critical study of Machiavelli's thought during the course.

Readings/Bibliography

A MANDATORY text for ATTENDING and NON-ATTENDING students:

R. Gherardi (ed. by), La politica e gli Stati. Problemi e figure del pensiero occidentale, 3° edizione, Roma, Carocci, 2022.


NON-ATTENDING students will add the following text:


E. Cutinelli-Rendina - R. Ruggiero (ed. by), Machiavelli, Roma, Carocci, 2018.

Teaching methods

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


The course will be held in the second semester of 2024/25.

Assessment methods

For ATTENDING students, there is an intermediate written test on the course's first institutional part, which will include a monographic part illustrated during the lessons and a final written test on the second institutional part.
The final grade is given by the average grades obtained in the two tests.


In the case of an insufficient average or absence from one of the two tests, attending students will have to take a comprehensive written test again on the two fundamental parts of the program in one of the exam sessions of the summer/autumn session.


During the course, there are NO make-up exams.


The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the topics covered, combined with their critical use and the demonstration of possession of a mastery of expressiveness and specific language, will be evaluated with a grade of excellence. Any lack of one or more of these aspects will determine a gradation in the grade, up to a negative evaluation if insufficient preparation and training gaps are found.


NON-ATTENDING students will have to take the overall exam in a single test to be taken during the summer/autumn session, consisting of a written test and an oral test, which will take place on the exam date. The test will cover both the institutional part of the course (R. Gherardi, ed., La politica e gli Stati, 3d edition, Roma, Carocci, 2022) and the monographic part (E. Cutinelli-Rendina - R. Ruggiero, ed., Machiavelli, Roma, Carocci, 2018).

Teaching tools

For attending students, numerous materials will be available on the Virtuale platform during the course, which will be considered an integral part of the exam program.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Guidi