Course 2019-2020 a.y.

30331 - POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 23
BIG (6 credits - II sem. - OB  |  SPS/01)
Course Director:
GIUNIA VALERIA GATTA

Classes: 23 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 23: GIUNIA VALERIA GATTA


Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

There are infinite ways to structure a course on political philosophy. The material for this one is loosely organized around the notion of the boundaries of states and political communities in general. We interrogate each author we read on what kind of boundaries and political communities are implicit in their theories, and ask ourselves whether those boundaries are justified and if so, on what basis.

CONTENT SUMMARY

We address the usual questions that have kept political thinkers busy for the past two and a half millennia:

  • How free should human beings be?
  • How equal?
  • What kind of freedom and equality are worth having?
  • How powerful should states be, and what form should they take?
  • When and how might we want to resist them?
  • Who should rule?
  • What is democracy?
  • What is good, and what might not be good, about democracy?
  • What is justice?

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Define the fundamental concepts in political philosophy, identifying their historical development and the main debates surrounding them.
  • Explain the relationship among authors and the differences in their approaches.
  • Identify relevant connections between the texts studied and contemporary political events.
  • Defend their opinion on political issues on the basis of the material studied.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Intervene with competence in political debates about the concepts studied, identifying the normative implications of the different political choices.
  • Use basic political science concepts and language and interpret political events in light of the main political theories.
  • Evaluate the distinctive contribution of political philosophy to political science.

Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Individual assignments
  • Group assignments
  • Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

DETAILS

Students have the option of earning extra credit for engagement by working on papers to be written individually or as a group on a topic of their choice that are covered in class. There are frequent group activities to facilitate exchange of opinions on the topic of the course.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
   x x
  • Individual assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
   x  
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
   x  

Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, A Discourse on the Origins of Inequality, Hackett Publishing Company

Nicolò Machiavelli, The Prince, Cambridge University Press

Last change 30/05/2019 09:27