Aim of the course is the acquisition of the knowledge of the Western history of political thought by the students, with increasing level of depth, from the origins to contemporary age. The History of Political Thought is an heritage from which to draw interpretative tools in order to better understand our age. Moreover, it is important for the student, who is also a citizen, to acquire a critical attitude and the consciousness that no conquest in the field of justice, freedom and social life can be taken for granted, but must be defended and nourished.
Curriculum
teacher profile teaching materials
- Utopia and dystopian thought
- Machiavelli
– Modern state and absolutism
– Absolutism and sovereignty in Jean Bodin
- Thomas Hobbes
– The origins of classical liberalism: John Locke
- Montesquieu
– Lights and shadows of Enlightment: Rousseau and the general will
- Theoretical aspects of the American Revolution
- Theoretical aspects of the French Revolution
– The debate on the American democracy: Tocqueville
– Socialism and Karl Marx.
– The élite theorists: Mosca, Pareto and Michels.
– Totalitarianism
– Against totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt, Friedrick von Hayek, Karl Popper.
– Classical liberalism in the Twentieth century: the Austrian School of Economics: Menger, Mises, Hayek
- The contemporary debate on justice:Rawls, Rothbard, Nozick
– Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum
- Il pensiero politico contemporaneo, a cura di C. Galli, il Mulino, Bologna, 2011 (capitoli: II;VI;VIII)
- P. GRILLI DI CORTONA, R. A. MODUGNO, Le trame della democrazia. Riflessioni tra politologia e storia del pensiero politico, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2020.
Programme
The first classes will be dedicated to the analysis of the main concepts and categories of political thought: moderna state, natural law and natural rights, contract theory, constitutionalism, representation, sovereignty, democracy. Then classics political thinkers and topics will be examined.- Utopia and dystopian thought
- Machiavelli
– Modern state and absolutism
– Absolutism and sovereignty in Jean Bodin
- Thomas Hobbes
– The origins of classical liberalism: John Locke
- Montesquieu
– Lights and shadows of Enlightment: Rousseau and the general will
- Theoretical aspects of the American Revolution
- Theoretical aspects of the French Revolution
– The debate on the American democracy: Tocqueville
– Socialism and Karl Marx.
– The élite theorists: Mosca, Pareto and Michels.
– Totalitarianism
– Against totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt, Friedrick von Hayek, Karl Popper.
– Classical liberalism in the Twentieth century: the Austrian School of Economics: Menger, Mises, Hayek
- The contemporary debate on justice:Rawls, Rothbard, Nozick
– Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum
Core Documentation
- L.M. BASSANI – A. MINGARDI, Dalla polis allo Stato. Introduzione alla Storia del pensiero politico, Giappichelli, Torino, 2017- Il pensiero politico contemporaneo, a cura di C. Galli, il Mulino, Bologna, 2011 (capitoli: II;VI;VIII)
- P. GRILLI DI CORTONA, R. A. MODUGNO, Le trame della democrazia. Riflessioni tra politologia e storia del pensiero politico, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2020.
Reference Bibliography
No additional bibliografic referenceType of delivery of the course
LecturesAttendance
Attendance is not mandatoryType of evaluation
Oral exam teacher profile teaching materials
- Utopia and dystopian thought
- Machiavelli
– Modern state and absolutism
– Absolutism and sovereignty in Jean Bodin
- Thomas Hobbes
– The origins of classical liberalism: John Locke
- Montesquieu
– Lights and shadows of Enlightment: Rousseau and the general will
- Theoretical aspects of the American Revolution
- Theoretical aspects of the French Revolution
– The debate on the American democracy: Tocqueville
– Socialism and Karl Marx.
– The élite theorists: Mosca, Pareto and Michels.
– Totalitarianism
– Against totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt, Friedrick von Hayek, Karl Popper.
– Classical liberalism in the Twentieth century: the Austrian School of Economics: Menger, Mises, Hayek
- The contemporary debate on justice:Rawls, Rothbard, Nozick
– Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum
- Il pensiero politico contemporaneo, a cura di C. Galli, il Mulino, Bologna, 2011 (capitoli: II;VI;VIII)
- P. GRILLI DI CORTONA, R. A. MODUGNO, Le trame della democrazia. Riflessioni tra politologia e storia del pensiero politico, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2020.
Programme
The first classes will be dedicated to the analysis of the main concepts and categories of political thought: moderna state, natural law and natural rights, contract theory, constitutionalism, representation, sovereignty, democracy. Then classics political thinkers and topics will be examined.- Utopia and dystopian thought
- Machiavelli
– Modern state and absolutism
– Absolutism and sovereignty in Jean Bodin
- Thomas Hobbes
– The origins of classical liberalism: John Locke
- Montesquieu
– Lights and shadows of Enlightment: Rousseau and the general will
- Theoretical aspects of the American Revolution
- Theoretical aspects of the French Revolution
– The debate on the American democracy: Tocqueville
– Socialism and Karl Marx.
– The élite theorists: Mosca, Pareto and Michels.
– Totalitarianism
– Against totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt, Friedrick von Hayek, Karl Popper.
– Classical liberalism in the Twentieth century: the Austrian School of Economics: Menger, Mises, Hayek
- The contemporary debate on justice:Rawls, Rothbard, Nozick
– Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum
Core Documentation
- L.M. BASSANI – A. MINGARDI, Dalla polis allo Stato. Introduzione alla Storia del pensiero politico, Giappichelli, Torino, 2017- Il pensiero politico contemporaneo, a cura di C. Galli, il Mulino, Bologna, 2011 (capitoli: II;VI;VIII)
- P. GRILLI DI CORTONA, R. A. MODUGNO, Le trame della democrazia. Riflessioni tra politologia e storia del pensiero politico, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2020.
Reference Bibliography
No additional bibliografic referenceType of delivery of the course
LecturesAttendance
Attendance is not mandatoryType of evaluation
Oral exam teacher profile teaching materials
- Utopia and dystopian thought
- Machiavelli
– Modern state and absolutism
– Absolutism and sovereignty in Jean Bodin
- Thomas Hobbes
– The origins of classical liberalism: John Locke
- Montesquieu
– Lights and shadows of Enlightment: Rousseau and the general will
- Theoretical aspects of the American Revolution
- Theoretical aspects of the French Revolution
– The debate on the American democracy: Tocqueville
– Socialism and Karl Marx.
– The élite theorists: Mosca, Pareto and Michels.
– Totalitarianism
– Against totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt, Friedrick von Hayek, Karl Popper.
– Classical liberalism in the Twentieth century: the Austrian School of Economics: Menger, Mises, Hayek
- The contemporary debate on justice:Rawls, Rothbard, Nozick
– Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum
- Il pensiero politico contemporaneo, a cura di C. Galli, il Mulino, Bologna, 2011 (capitoli: II;VI;VIII)
- P. GRILLI DI CORTONA, R. A. MODUGNO, Le trame della democrazia. Riflessioni tra politologia e storia del pensiero politico, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2020.
Programme
The first classes will be dedicated to the analysis of the main concepts and categories of political thought: moderna state, natural law and natural rights, contract theory, constitutionalism, representation, sovereignty, democracy. Then classics political thinkers and topics will be examined.- Utopia and dystopian thought
- Machiavelli
– Modern state and absolutism
– Absolutism and sovereignty in Jean Bodin
- Thomas Hobbes
– The origins of classical liberalism: John Locke
- Montesquieu
– Lights and shadows of Enlightment: Rousseau and the general will
- Theoretical aspects of the American Revolution
- Theoretical aspects of the French Revolution
– The debate on the American democracy: Tocqueville
– Socialism and Karl Marx.
– The élite theorists: Mosca, Pareto and Michels.
– Totalitarianism
– Against totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt, Friedrick von Hayek, Karl Popper.
– Classical liberalism in the Twentieth century: the Austrian School of Economics: Menger, Mises, Hayek
- The contemporary debate on justice:Rawls, Rothbard, Nozick
– Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum
Core Documentation
- L.M. BASSANI – A. MINGARDI, Dalla polis allo Stato. Introduzione alla Storia del pensiero politico, Giappichelli, Torino, 2017- Il pensiero politico contemporaneo, a cura di C. Galli, il Mulino, Bologna, 2011 (capitoli: II;VI;VIII)
- P. GRILLI DI CORTONA, R. A. MODUGNO, Le trame della democrazia. Riflessioni tra politologia e storia del pensiero politico, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2020.
Reference Bibliography
No additional bibliografic referenceType of delivery of the course
LecturesAttendance
Attendance is not mandatoryType of evaluation
Oral exam