Political Sciences and International Security

ENRICO GRAZIANI

The course aims to analyze, from a politological standpoint, the metamorphosis in perspective of the main political paradigms that interface the West with the rest of the world. In particular, we focus on the relationship between liberal-democratic models and autocratic models. Central to the course is the analysis of discourse in politics, according to the method of polytolinguistics. At the end of the course, students will have the methodological tools to analyze the complex relationship between language and politics, to understand the changes of our time.

The course, in addition to providing methodological tools to students, will allow them to acquire a critical arsenal to understand the lexicon of politics.

Good knowledge of political science topics and of the history of political thought.

The course, through the lens of polytolinguistics, analyzes the relationship between language and politics. Following this methodology, the main aspects of the political lexicon will be highlighted in relation to: language and context, ideology, analytical categories of polytolinguistics, analysis of written texts and speeches given by political leaders from different geographical areas. In particular we will focus on the illiberal Putinian model of sovereign democracy and the Shiite Islamic model proposed by Ayatollah Khamenei.

L. CEDRONI, Politolinguistica. L’analisi del discorso politico, Carocci, Roma, 2014.
E. GRAZIANI, Fondamenti per una teoria della democrazia sovrana: la guerra di Putin tra autocrazia, ortodossia e nazionalità, Heliopolis, Numero 1-2022 (scaricabile online).
A. Applebaum, Autocrazie, Mondadori, Milano, 2024.

The teaching modalities will be divided on three levels: frontal lesson, intermediate examination, seminars and flipped classroom.

Preferably in person, with a considerable number of lesson hours attended.

The final exam will consist in the writing of a paper and an interview of three questions related to the program.

Meaning of the distinction between politics, polity and policy. Relationship between discourse and ideology. Methodological principles of politolinguistics. Ideological foundations of Putin's rhetoric.