Political Science

Political Science

The political science track introduces the student to the complex and multifaceted world of political theories both in a historical and contemporary perspective. Commonly used concepts such as democracy, liberalism, socialism, freedom, populism, and many others are sometimes not correctly understood in their proper meaning. The courses will provide the student with the intellectual tools necessary to go beyond the surface of the current political debate so that they can inquire into the subjects of politics and power with a stronger theoretical background.

The analysis of both classics of political though, such as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Marx, and others on the one hand, the understanding of contemporary trends in the political discourse such as feminism, Marxism, critical theory, postmodernism, neoliberalisim on the other, will give the student a general outlook over both the traditional and current debate in the theoretical political environment. 

The track offer level 100 introductory classes with overviews of classic, modern, and contemporary political thought, also with a special focus on the Italian contribution to this subject:

PS101) Overview on classics of Political Thought, from Plato to Marx.

PS102) Overview on classic and contemporary Critical Theory, from Marxism to Foucault, from Postmodernism to Feminism.

PS103) Overview on Italian Political Thought, from Machiavelli to Gramsci. 

Level 200 advanced courses will deal with a deeper, analytical approach to the works of relevant classics and treat specific themes.

PS201) A critical reconstruction of the concept of Neoliberalism. The class will analyse its general theoretical standpoint, and consider the discontent around it, both from a conservative and progressive perspective.

PS202) Analytical reading of the work of one of the most important Italian theorist and political activist of the 20th century: Antonio Gramsci's Prison Notebooks. The categories developed by him go far beyond the context in which they were formulated. The understanding of that context but also the capacity to use those concepts in a different one such as the investigations of contemporary social issues will show how it is possible to use the past in the present.

PS203) Analytical reading of a masterpiece of classic political thought such as Marx's Capital. Its criticism of capitalism still provide the student with important categories that can be used to interpret the current trends in the development of cotemporary world society.