88094 - Political Theories Of Peace And War

Course contents

The course is dedicated to the analysis of the concepts of war and peace in the history of Western political thought, with particular attention to how these issues have been addressed by leading modern and contemporary authors.
The course will examine the following political theories:
The fundamental categories of political reflection have been addressed, with particular reference to war and peace.
An investigation has been conducted into the structural and contingent causes of armed conflicts and pacification processes.
The role of war in the formation and transformation of political institutions has been thoroughly explored.
An analysis of the relationship between war and peace, and forms of government, has been conducted, with particular attention paid to liberal and democratic regimes, especially in revolutionary contexts (from the American Revolution to the French Revolution, from national revolutions to the Bolshevik Revolution).
The approach to be adopted is primarily theoretical and textual. The programme of lectures will be based on the reading, interpretation and critical commentary of fundamental works of Western political thought, from the most ancient (Aristotle, Plato, Cicero and St Augustine) to those of the Middle Ages (St Thomas, Vitoria, Las Casas and Sepulveda) and early modern theorists (such as Grotius, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Kant, Constant and Tocqueville) to the leading authors of the 20th century (including Schmitt and Aron).
The objective of this study is to furnish students with the conceptual and methodological instruments necessary to comprehend the historical and theoretical dynamics that interconnect war with the establishment of political order, and to contemplate peace as a normative and institutional undertaking.

Readings/Bibliography

F. Raschi, Un liberalismo (quasi) introvabile, Le Monnier, 2025;

A. Campi, M. Chiaruzzi (a cura di), Pensiero politico e relazioni internazionali. dalla modernità al mondo globale, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, in corso di pubblicazione;

P. Butti de Lima, F. Tuccari (a cura di), Forme e culture della guerra, Il Mulino 2025 ;

C. Schmitt, Le categorie de 'il politico', Mulino, 1970 (2014) (solo 'Il concetto di politico', pp. 101-166);

C. Schmitt, Il nomos della terra, Adelphi 1991 (104-140; 163-206; 287-305; 335-355; 429-431);

R. Aron, Pace e guerra tra le nazioni, Mondadori, 1970 (124-157; 187-219; 659-693).

Further bibliographical references will be provided during the lectures.
Non-attending students must add the following text:

R. Aron, Teorie dell'azione politica, Marsilio, 2023.

 

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching methods

The course consists of 20 two-hour lessons and is mainly taught through lectures (aimed at providing students with the conceptual tools to investigate and critically understand the relationship between peace and war in Western political thought).

Assessment methods

In-class exam. The exam is aimed at assessing the student’s level of knowledge of some of the most important topics addressed by the course, as well as her/his ability to critically analyse and verbally articulate them and her/his level of understanding of the texts.The ability of the student to achieve a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the topics addressed by the course, to critically assess them and to use an appropriate language will be evaluated with the highest grades.Any shortcomings in one or more of these aspects will determine a grading grade, up to and including a negative grade if insufficient preparation and educational gaps are found.

Teaching tools

Readings from classical texts; Power Point presentations

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Raschi