Political science and international relations

ERNESTO CALOGERO SFERRAZZA PAPA

The aim of the course is to lead students to a theoretical perspective in the political sphere, in order to offer them the capacity to develop a critical look in this field. Even those who have never approached the study of philosophy and general theory will benefit from the approach to a different and more general perspective that allows them to get close to other and different epistemic approaches in the political studies with greater awareness, thus achieving to establish useful correlations with them.
Essential for each course in the philosophical and general theory is the discussion and active participation of students, which will be offered the opportunity to elaborate, on an autonomous proposal, papers for further studies.
At the end of the course the student will have acquired not only historical-political-philosophical knowledge, but also a greater ability to frame what has already been acquired in previous studies and a more marked critical ability not only with regard to reading past political events, but also to current and most relevant events in Italian, European and worldwide political life.

At the end of the course, the student will have learnt the fundamental lines of the philosophical-political debate and acquired the capability of critically analysing philosophical arguments.

Good command of the italian language. A previous knowledge of the history of philosophy is not required.

The course introduces some fundamental themes and authors in contemporary philosophical-political debate. Topics include: political realism, normativism, contractualism, human rights, torture, the death penalty, war, the refugee question, political philosophy and feminism, environmental politics.

1) S. Petrucciani, "Modelli di filosofia politica", Einaudi, Torino, 2003

2) P.P. Portinaro, "Il lessico del potere. L'arte di governo dall'antichità alla globalizzazione", Carocci, Roma, 2021

3) A text chosen from the following:

- Platone, La Repubblica
- Aristotele, Politica
- Agostino, La città di Dio
- N. Machiavelli, Il Principe
- Th. Hobbes, Il Leviatano (Libri I e II)
- J. Locke, Il secondo trattato sul governo
- J.-J. Rousseau, Il contratto sociale
- I. Kant, Scritti politici, a cura di N. Bobbio, L. Firpo, V. Mathieu, Utet, Torino, 2010 (parti I e II)
- K. Marx, Antologia. Capitalismo, istruzioni per l'uso, a cura di E. Donaggio e P. Kammerer, Feltrinelli, Milano, 2007
- C. Schmitt, Le categorie del 'politico', a cura di G. Miglio e P. Schiera, il Mulino, Bologna, 2013
- H. Kelsen, La democrazia, il Mulino, Bologna, 2021 (uno a scelta tra "Essenza e valore della democrazia" e "I fondamenti della democrazia")
- M. Horkheimer & T.W. Adorno, Dialettica dell'illuminismo (le seguenti sezioni: "Concetto di illuminismo"; "Excursus I - Odisseo, o mito e illuminismo"; "L'industria culturale")
- H. Marcuse, L'uomo a una dimensione
- H. Arendt, Le origini del totalitarismo
- J. Rawls, Una teoria della giustizia (limitatamente alla parte I)
- M. Foucault, Sorvegliare e punire. Nascita della prigione
- M. Foucault, Sicurezza, territorio, popolazione. Corso al Collège de France (1977-1978)
- H. Jonas, Il principio responsabilità. Un'etica per la civiltà tecnologica
- E. Missana (a cura di), Donne si diventa. Antologia del pensiero femminista, Feltrinelli, Milano, 2014

Lectures given by the teacher and discussion with the students.

Optional but strongly recommended

Evaluation will consist of an oral examination at the end of the course. Attended students will have the opportunity to take a mid-course examination. In addition, in the second part of the course it will be possible to present papers on topics discussed with the professor.

The questions will focus on the syllabus. Here are some examples: what are the formulations of the categorical imperative according to Kant?; why, according to Rawls, does the veil of ignorance allow the specification of universal principles of justice?; what is the relationship between politics and philosophy in Plato?; what are the main critiques of human rights in the Marxist tradition?