History of Political Philosophy (MA)

The aim of the course is to provide students with the theoretical and methodological tools of the history of political philosophy. The student will be able to deal with the texts of the history of political philosophy in a rigorous and critical way; s/he will be able to recognize the main rhetorical devices and the conceptual structures at work in them; s/he will master those interdisciplinary skills necessary for the formulation of an autonomous critical judgment on the texts and their interpretation. The student will acquire the ability to apply the knowledge gained in the study of the history of political philosophy to the rethinking of contemporary political problems.

Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student:
1. masters in-depth knowledge of the theories and the themes dealt in the history of political philosophy, and can identify and discuss their crucial points;
2. surely masters the argumentative forms, concepts, and theoretical meaning of the texts in the history of political philosophy;
3. understands the diversity of interpretations to which texts in political philosophy are subjected in different historical, cultural and linguistic contexts;

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student:
1. Can critically apply the knowledge acquired studying specific texts and authors to the historical understanding and philosophical contextualization of other works and thinkers;
2. Can confidently and autonomously apply the acquired understanding of interpretations to texts and problems different from those previously studied;
3. Can surely master the methodological resources and bibliographic tools of political-philosophical research and s/he is able to produce original research, to discuss the results acquired.