28248 - Political Theory (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will acquire a deep knowledge of the theoretical and historical coordinated of a critical analysis of political concepts. By applying the fundamental tools of the history of political thought and of political theory, the course will make possible for students to critically assess the analyzed authors and to grasp both the specificity of each text and the theoretical and historical framework in which they are placed.

Course contents

Theories and critiques of social reproduction

The term "social reproduction" has assumed a central role in political theory since the 1970s, driven by the feminist movement and the need to analyze labor and the position of women within capitalist societies. Recognizing this centrality, the course examines the history of theories and critiques of social reproduction through the perspectives of Marx and Marxist thought (Luxemburg, Althusser), French sociology (Bourdieu), cultural studies (Stuart Hall), and feminist political theory (Dalla Costa, Guillaumin, Social Reproduction Theory). The course aims to investigate how the relationship between production and reproduction has been articulated, addressing issues of time, space, and institutions (family, school and university, State, law, media) in social reproduction; the political productivity and legitimizing function of ideology and cultural representations; and the interconnectedness of racial and patriarchal oppression with exploitation. This module is part of the integrated course (IC) on Political History and Theory.

Readings/Bibliography

— Althusser L., Lo Stato e i suoi apparati, Roma, Editori Riuniti, 1997.

— Bhattacharya T. (a cura di), Social Reproduction Theory. Remapping Class, Recentering Oppression, Pluto Press, London, 2017.

— Bourdieu P., Passeron J.C., La riproduzione. Elementi per una teoria del sistema scolastico, Rimini, Guaraldi, 1972 (risorsa online:

https://monoskop.org/images/f/f4/Bourdieu_Pierre_Passeron_Jean_Claude_La_riproduzione_Elementi_per_una_teoria_del_sistema_scolastico_1972.pdf )

— C. Guillaumin, L’ideologia razzista. Genesi e linguaggio attuale, Genova, il nuovo melangolo, 2023.

— Dalla Costa M., Potere femminile e sovversione sociale, Venezia, Marsilio, 1972

together with

Fortunati, L., L'arcano della riproduzione: casalinghe, prostitute, operai e capitale, Venezia, Marsilio, 1981.

— Hall S., Il soggetto e la differenza. Per un’archeologia degli studi culturali e postcoloniali, Roma, Meltemi, 2006.

— Luxemburg R., L’accumulazione del capitale, Milano, PGreco, 2021, parte prima, Il problema della riproduzione; parte terza, Le condizioni storiche dell’accumulazione.

— Marx K., Il capitale, vol. I, Torino, UTET, 2017 (o altre edizioni), cap. XIII, Macchine e grande industria.

together with

Marx K., Il capitale, vol. II, Torino, UTET, 2017 (o altre edizioni), sezione terza, La riproduzione e circolazione del capitale sociale totale.

Teaching methods

Teaching methods are based on instructor's lectures, and the reading and commentary on texts. The instructor introduces the topic and author of each class by historically contextualizing and critically reading selected texts. Students are encouraged to comment and ask questions.

Assessment methods

If the course is a component of the Integrated Course (C.I.) "Storia e teoria politica" in the student's syllabus, the examination of the two component courses of the C.I. must be taken on a single date and the final grade will be the arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in the two components.

Attending students [students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending]

Attending students may write a term paper (minimum 3000, maximum 5000 words, including notes and bibliography) based on one text or group of texts chosen from the reading list. The paper is aimed at testing the skills and knowledge acquired by students, with particular attention to the ability to focus on the theoretical-conceptual links between the thought of the authors studied. All texts - both the compulsory included in section A and the ones selected from section B - must be cited in the paper. The paper should be emailed to the lecturer one week before the exam. There is no oral interview; students will be notified of the grade and evaluation of the paper via e-mail. The paper should contain on the front page the name of the student/s, the student's roll number, the email address studio.unibo, and the date of the exam call. Any editorial criteria is valid as long as it is applied evenly and neatly.

Non attending students [students who attend less than the 75% of the lessons are considered non attending students]

Students who do not attend will have to take an oral exam based on two texts or groups of texts chosen from the reading list.

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the student in handling the sources and material in the exam bibliography and his ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course and discussed during the frontal lectures (only for attending students). It will be also assessed the capacity of a student to display an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

— factual knowledge of the subject;

— ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;

— familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Proper language, factual knowledge of the subject and the ability to both expose synthetically and critically speak about the choosen topic or the contents of the chosen texts will lead to a good/excellent final grade

Acceptable language and the ability to resume the contents of the chosen texts will lead to a sufficient/fair grade.

Insufficient linguistic proficiency and fragmentary knowledge of the chosen topic or the contents of the chosen texts will lead to a failure in passing the exam.

For students in the integrated course (History of Political Doctrines LM + Political Theory), the final grade will coincide with the average of the marks achieved for each module.

 

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the academic year (one session per month):

- January, February, March, May, June, July, September, October, November.

Exam sessions are open for all students.

 

Teaching tools

Power point (uploaded on Virtuale)

 

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.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Rudan