B8315 - STORIA DEL PENSIERO POLITICO (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

The objective of the course is to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the theoretical and practical issues that have shaped the history of Western political thought in the modern and contemporary periods. Upon completion of the course, students will have acquired: a thorough knowledge of the processes through which the principal traditions of political thought have emerged, along with their fundamental conceptual and structural features; the analytical tools necessary to interpret the interconnections between the development of political doctrines and the historical evolution of social dynamics and political institutions, both at the national and international levels; and the ability to critically assess the historical and doctrinal dimensions of the relationship between war and politics

Course contents

The course covers the history of modern political thought as a field of knowledge transmitted through the works of the main European political thinkers, starting with Machiavelli.
Amid breaks and continuities, comprehensiveness and selectivity, each historical context offers theories and doctrines aimed at understanding the internal life of political units and their external relations, as well as the ways of conceiving and practicing them.
The state and the relations between states—both in their historical, practical, and theoretical development—are therefore central, and the concepts of political order represent a key point of focus

Readings/Bibliography

Attending Students

R. Gherardi (a cura di), La politica e gli Stati, Roma, Carocci, 2022; M. Chiaruzzi, Una trama del mondo, Milano, Mondadori, 2022.

Non-Attending Students

R. Gherardi (a cura di), La politica e gli Stati, Roma, Carocci, 2022; M. Chiaruzzi, Una trama del mondo, Milano, Mondadori, 2022; C. Galli (a cura di), Il pensiero politico moderno, Bologna, il Mulino, 2017.

Optional Supplementary Texts for Individual Support

Enciclopedia del pensiero politico, diretta da R. Esposito e C. Galli, Bari, Editori Laterza, 2000 e ss; Dizionario delle opere filosofiche (rifacimento del Lexikon der philosophischen Werke), a cura di F. Volpi, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2000 e ss.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures and seminars, with handwritten notes and no devices.
After the first class, attending students must register on the student-teacher mailing list named michele.chiaruzzi.ri within the first week of classes. The list will be closed after the first week, with no exceptions.

Students who are not registered on the list or who are absent without justification for more than three classes will be considered non-attending.

All course-related announcements will be made during class, except in the case of unforeseen events, which will be communicated via the aforementioned mailing list.

For any questions—especially regarding exams—students may contact the course tutor.

Assessment methods

Exam Procedures for Attending Students

The course includes three written exams, each lasting 45 minutes with open-ended questions. These exams are scheduled to coincide with the 20th, 40th, and 60th hour of instruction, subject to the availability of the main lecture hall.

The final grade for the course is the weighted average of the completed exams. If the final grade is insufficient or rejected, the student will take a written exam with open-ended questions (45 minutes), during the official exam sessions, under the same conditions as non-attending students.

Each exam is held on a single fixed date and cannot be rescheduled or repeated under any circumstances. Outside of these dates, exams may only be taken as a non-attending student.

Participation in the exams is reserved for attending students who registered for the teacher-student mailing list named michele.chiaruzzi.sd within the first week of class.

Within 48 hours of completing the last exam, the student must register on Almaesami under the list titled Verbale Storia del pensiero politico to have the final grade officially recorded.

Students who do not register will be considered to have rejected the grade and must take the exam during the regular sessions, following the procedures for non-attending students.

Exam Sessions

All students registered for an exam session will take a 45-minute written exam with open-ended questions, based on the reading list for non-attending students.

It is the student’s responsibility to appear punctually at the exam. If unable to attend, the student must remove their name from the Almaesami list in advance.

Failure to cancel a registration will result in a recorded absence, marked as "withdrawn" ("ritirato") and may have consequences.

Consecutive exam sittings are not allowed.

Exam results will be recorded in accordance with university regulations.

Teaching tools

Announcements and information regarding the course and exams will be communicated during class and/or via the teacher-student mailing list named michele.chiaruzzi.sd.

For any issues—especially those concerning exams—students may contact the course tutor.

Office hours

See the website of Michele Chiaruzzi