POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY 2

The course fits into the degree course, because it aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the major philosophical-political issues today. Nonetheless, the course has not only the goal to provide an understanding of the primary and secondary bibliography related to the subject-matters, but also to frame the contemporary social, political and cultural changes in the light of the fundamental philosophical-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) reflect critically about them; 3) apply them to the different political issues that animate our contemporary world.

Students must have a good level of general education.

Course topic:
The Critical Theory of Society of the Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School developed, across its principal authors, a series of reflections on advanced capitalist society that can still be usefully drawn upon today to understand contemporary society. The specifically political reflection of the Frankfurt School likewise retains its importance: the inquiries into the relationship between psychology and politics, into the emergence of new economic and political phenomena such as fascism and state capitalism, and into the form of ideological domination remain central even today. In the course, we will focus in particular on these aspects, without however disregarding the overall philosophical significance arising from the attempt to found a critical theory of society.

Textbooks:
Selection of Texts on the Frankfurt School (available on moodle);

Textbooks:
Selection of Texts on the Frankfurt School (available on moodle);

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

M. Foucault, The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the College De France, 1978-1979, New York: Picador, 2008.
G.W.F. Hegel, Elements of the Philosophy of Right, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
Th. Hobbes, Leviathan, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
K. Marx, Capital, London: Penguin, 1994.
J.J. Rousseau, The Social Contract and Other Political Writings, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
M. Weber, Economy and Society. An Outline of Interpretive Sociology, Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California Press, 2013.

The oral exam will be structured in the following way: I will ask 4 questions (each time different for each student) on the Frankfurt School. Each exam takes about 20-25 minutes.
In order to pass the exam, at least 3 out of 4 questions must be answered correctly. Each of the four answers therefore corresponds to 25% of the final grade. However, one must always bear in mind, beyond the percentage scheme, that the assessment of an examination always involves a unitary understanding of the examination, an overall assessment of your abilities.
By a correct answer, I mean both the correct rendition of the contents of the textbooks and your ability to explain them in a rich and precise manner, using philosophical terminology. All your historical and philosophical knowledge relevant to the questions asked can, of course, be used to answer them.
The textbooks and the assessment methods are not different for non attending students.

orale

Il/la docente ha il dovere di vigilare affinché siano rispettate le regole di autenticità e originalità delle prove d'esame. Di conseguenza, nei casi in cui vi sia il sospetto di un comportamento irregolare, l'esame può prevedere un ulteriore approfondimento, contestuale alla prova d'esame, che potrà essere realizzato anche in modalità differente rispetto alle modalità sopra riportate.

Scala di valutazione per gli esami:

A. Saranno assegnati voti nella fascia 18-22 per:

sufficiente conoscenza e comprensione dei testi in programma d'esame e degli argomenti correlati
ridotta capacità di utilizzare i dati rilevanti e di formulare giudizi indipendenti
Abilità comunicative sufficienti.

B. Saranno assegnati voti nella fascia 23-26 per:

Conoscenza discreta dei testi in programma d'esame e degli argomenti correlati
Discreta capacità di utilizzare i dati rilevanti e di formulare giudizi indipendenti
Abilità comunicative discrete.

C. Saranno assegnati punteggi nella fascia 27-30 per:

Buona o eccellente conoscenza e comprensione dei testi in programma d'esame e degli argomenti correlati
Buona o eccellente capacità di utilizzare i dati rilevanti e di formulare giudizi indipendenti
Abilità comunicative pienamente adeguate.

D. La “lode” sarà attribuita agli studenti con eccellente conoscenza e comprensione dei testi in programma d'esame e degli argomenti correlati.

The course will be realized by using the frontal lecture as teaching method. However, the student participation will be encouraged.