POLITICAL CONCEPTS AND METHODS

The course is a "characterizing" one in the domain of Political Science of the MA program in Comparative International Relations (RIC) for the curricula in America, East Asia studies, and Eastern European studies. It aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of political theory. Nonetheless, the course has not only the goal to provide students with an understanding of the primary and secondary bibliography related to the subject-matters, because it also aims to frame the social, political and cultural changes in the modern and contemporary world in the light of the fundamental political concepts.

By the end of the course, the students should be able to 1) understand the meaning and the scope of the concepts discussed during the course; 2) get a snapshot of the modern and contemporary political vocabulary; 3) understand the methods by which these concepts have been obtained; 4) reflect critically and autonomously about them; 5) apply them to the different economic, political and cultural issues that animate our contemporary world. In order to achieve this result, the students will be familiarized with the basic aspects of the philosophico-political field and the main theoretical and interpretive traditions which have accompanied it.

Admission criteria are those required by the study programme LM60.

Course Topic:
Does a Nomos of the Earth exist?

Over the last two decades, since the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the apparently unipolar world that had emerged from the end of the Cold War has undergone a dramatic collapse. According to some scholars, this apparently unipolar world is being replaced by a multipolar one, for the theoretical illustration of which one of the primary references is the legal and political doctrine of Carl Schmitt, particularly in its "internationalist" phase. In The Nomos of the Earth (1950), Schmitt argues, against the then bipolar world threatened by techno-economic and juridical unification, for the importance of "large spaces" (Großräume) — concrete legal orders grounded in the distinctiveness of their political principles. To what extent, however, can Schmitt's vision be accepted? What is its relationship to the processes of economic and cultural globalization that have accompanied modernity since its very origins? What is the relationship between Schmitt's position and other frameworks for interpreting global economic and political relations — Marxism, realism, and others? This course will be devoted to the examination of these problems.

Textbooks:
Carl Schmitt, Il nomos della terra nel diritto internazionale dello "jus publicum europaeum", Adelphi, Milano 2011.
Stefano Pietropaoli, Schmitt, Carocci, Roma 2012.

Textbooks:
Carl Schmitt, Il nomos della terra nel diritto internazionale dello "jus publicum europaeum", Adelphi, Milano 2011.
Stefano Pietropaoli, Schmitt, Carocci, Roma 2012.

The following list does not cover the textbooks. It covers some texts I could mention during the lectures.

J. Habermas, Solidarietà fra estranei, trad. it. di L. Ceppa, Guerini, Milano 1997.
J. Habermas, Teoria dell'agire comunicativo, trad. it di P. Rinaudo, il Mulino, Bologna 1986, 2 voll.
Th. Hobbes, Leviatano, ed. it. di A. Pacchi, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2014.
H. Kelsen, Lineamenti di dottrina pura del diritto, ed. it. a cura di M. G. Losano, Einaudi, Torino 1966.
N. Luhmann, Potere e complessità sociale, trad. it. di R. Schmidt e D. Zolo, il Saggiatore, Milano 2010.
J. Rawls, Una teoria della giustizia, ed. it. di S. Maffettone, Feltrinelli, Milano 1983.
J.J. Rousseau, Contratto sociale, in Id., Scritti politici, ed. it. a cura di M. Garin, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1994.
M. Weber, Economia e società, ed. it. a cura di P. Rossi, Edizioni di Comunità, Torino 1986.

As in the previous academic years, the exam will be oral. It will be structured in the following manner: students are required to answer four questions related to the contents developed within the course and the textbooks. Furthermore, the questions will be aimed to test the understanding of the conceptual contents and to develop the capacity to reflect critically on them. In order to pass the exam, at least three questions must be answered. The exam takes about twenty-five minutes.
The textbooks and the assessment methods are not different for non attending students. The latter are, though, invited to contact me (via email) in order to get an overview of the course.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Regarding the grading scale for the oral exam:

A. Scores in the range of 18-22 will be assigned for:

- Sufficient knowledge of the textbooks and related topics

- Limited ability to use data and form independent judgments

- Sufficient communication skills.

B. Scores in the range of 23-26 will be assigned for:

- Fair knowledge of the textbooks and related topics

- Fair ability to use data and form independent judgments

- Fair communication skills.

C. Scores in the range of 27-30 will be assigned for:

- Good or excellent knowledge of the textbooks and related topics

- Good or excellent ability to use data and form independent judgments

- Fully appropriate communication skills.

D. The “laude” will be awarded to students with excellent knowledge and comprehension of the textbooks and related topics.

The teaching will be delivered in a frontal style, but the student participation will be encouraged and an interactive classroom strategy will be developed.

At the end of the course, I will be available to provide students with a list of instructions about how to write an essay or an MA thesis.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development