Laboratory:the Faces of Injustice
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The University of Milan is committed to ensuring the right to university education for individuals in detention and, in general, to improving their living conditions through cultural initiatives and scientific promotion activities. This commitment is realized through a Convention with the Regional Penitentiary Administration (PRAP), first signed in December 2015 and renewed in 2018 and 2021.
Individuals residing in regional correctional institutions who wish to pursue a university education can:
· Enroll in one of the courses available at favourable economic conditions.
· Participate in workshops and educational modules within correctional facilities.
· Benefit from tutoring activities for study assistance.
· Access library services at the university with favourable loan conditions.
· Take exams and graduate within the prison facility if they are unable to obtain permission to leave.
Starting from 2016, as part of the activities outlined in the Convention with the PRAP, the University of Milan conducts workshops and educational modules of 20 hours (3 ECTS) each academic year within the correctional facilities of Opera and Bollate, as well as the San Vittore prison. These involve the joint participation of both external students and those in detention
Individuals residing in regional correctional institutions who wish to pursue a university education can:
· Enroll in one of the courses available at favourable economic conditions.
· Participate in workshops and educational modules within correctional facilities.
· Benefit from tutoring activities for study assistance.
· Access library services at the university with favourable loan conditions.
· Take exams and graduate within the prison facility if they are unable to obtain permission to leave.
Starting from 2016, as part of the activities outlined in the Convention with the PRAP, the University of Milan conducts workshops and educational modules of 20 hours (3 ECTS) each academic year within the correctional facilities of Opera and Bollate, as well as the San Vittore prison. These involve the joint participation of both external students and those in detention
Expected learning outcomes
These modules and workshops not only provide essential study opportunities for individuals in detention, who cannot attend university lectures externally, but also offer a chance for personal and cultural growth for all students. This interaction requires active engagement with a human and contextual reality significantly different from the ordinary.
The workshop "The Faces of Injustice" aims to impart knowledge and skills for understanding the concepts of justice and injustice, especially in the context of freedom deprivation. The workshop enables participants to:
· Understand the concept of freedom and autonomy in the medium to long-term detainee: its limitation, projection, and individual and collective imagination of it.
· Investigate the concept of freedom as a self-perceived image in public space and within a confinement context.
Thanks to the extraordinary contribution of students, the University of Milan has established a network of tutors dedicated to encouraging, facilitating, and supporting the initiation and continuation of university education for individuals confined in city and nearby penitentiary structures. Participation in the workshop is the first step towards becoming a tutor in the Unimi Prison Project.
At the conclusion of the workshop, it is hoped that there will be an improvement in understanding an institution that is often difficult to penetrate and insufficiently investigated, such as the prison, to identify the main issues that frequently hinder a positive outcome of educational intervention, whether in the form of a school or training program.
The workshop "The Faces of Injustice" aims to impart knowledge and skills for understanding the concepts of justice and injustice, especially in the context of freedom deprivation. The workshop enables participants to:
· Understand the concept of freedom and autonomy in the medium to long-term detainee: its limitation, projection, and individual and collective imagination of it.
· Investigate the concept of freedom as a self-perceived image in public space and within a confinement context.
Thanks to the extraordinary contribution of students, the University of Milan has established a network of tutors dedicated to encouraging, facilitating, and supporting the initiation and continuation of university education for individuals confined in city and nearby penitentiary structures. Participation in the workshop is the first step towards becoming a tutor in the Unimi Prison Project.
At the conclusion of the workshop, it is hoped that there will be an improvement in understanding an institution that is often difficult to penetrate and insufficiently investigated, such as the prison, to identify the main issues that frequently hinder a positive outcome of educational intervention, whether in the form of a school or training program.
Lesson period: Second trimester
Assessment methods: Giudizio di approvazione
Assessment result: superato/non superato
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second trimester
Course syllabus
ETHICS OF MEMORY.
REMEMBERING TO UNDERSTAND?
Memory is not a simple repository of past events: it is a living, selective process that shapes individual and collective identities. Talking about an ethics of memory means asking not only what we remember, but how we remember it, why we remember it, and what responsibilities we have toward the past.
This laboratory offers a path of reflection and dialogue around three fundamental questions:
Does an ethics of memory exist?
Who decides what must be remembered? Do we really have a duty to remember? We will explore the mechanisms through which societies, institutions, and media construct shared narratives and memories.
What is our responsibility toward the most traumatic historical memories? Is there a duty of "rectification" (reparation)?
We will examine the value of testimony, the role of victims, the risks of forgetting or trivializing, and the possibilities of considering memory as a resource, a trap, or a danger.
How does memory orient the present and future of individuals and societies?
Do forgetting and forgiveness belong to an ethics of memory? Is it truly necessary to remember everything? Is it realistic to expect "all of humanity" to share the same memories? Is a community's shared memory neutral?
We will analyze how remembrance can become a tool for active citizenship, conflict prevention, and the protection of rights. We will examine the figure of the "moral witness," someone who gives voice to those who can no longer speak.
The approach guiding the laboratory is based on the "for example" method (Margalit 2006)*: we will begin with real events, historical cases, or personal stories in order to reflect on moral, political, and social concepts. Grounded in the conviction that art, literature, monuments, and testimonies are fundamental instruments for nourishing and preserving collective memory—and through participatory activities, analysis of historical materials, and moments of dialogue and discussion—we will try to understand whether valid reasons exist to recognize memory as an ethical and political act, capable of transforming personal awareness and collective responsibility.
* A. Margalit, The Ethics of Memory, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2006.
REMEMBERING TO UNDERSTAND?
Memory is not a simple repository of past events: it is a living, selective process that shapes individual and collective identities. Talking about an ethics of memory means asking not only what we remember, but how we remember it, why we remember it, and what responsibilities we have toward the past.
This laboratory offers a path of reflection and dialogue around three fundamental questions:
Does an ethics of memory exist?
Who decides what must be remembered? Do we really have a duty to remember? We will explore the mechanisms through which societies, institutions, and media construct shared narratives and memories.
What is our responsibility toward the most traumatic historical memories? Is there a duty of "rectification" (reparation)?
We will examine the value of testimony, the role of victims, the risks of forgetting or trivializing, and the possibilities of considering memory as a resource, a trap, or a danger.
How does memory orient the present and future of individuals and societies?
Do forgetting and forgiveness belong to an ethics of memory? Is it truly necessary to remember everything? Is it realistic to expect "all of humanity" to share the same memories? Is a community's shared memory neutral?
We will analyze how remembrance can become a tool for active citizenship, conflict prevention, and the protection of rights. We will examine the figure of the "moral witness," someone who gives voice to those who can no longer speak.
The approach guiding the laboratory is based on the "for example" method (Margalit 2006)*: we will begin with real events, historical cases, or personal stories in order to reflect on moral, political, and social concepts. Grounded in the conviction that art, literature, monuments, and testimonies are fundamental instruments for nourishing and preserving collective memory—and through participatory activities, analysis of historical materials, and moments of dialogue and discussion—we will try to understand whether valid reasons exist to recognize memory as an ethical and political act, capable of transforming personal awareness and collective responsibility.
* A. Margalit, The Ethics of Memory, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2006.
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites are required to participate in the laboratory. It is recommended to check with the coordinator of your degree program whether the laboratory is included in your program's course offerings
Teaching methods
Starting in 2016, as part of the activities outlined in the Agreement signed with the Regional Directorate of the Penitentiary Administration, every academic year the University of Milan offers 20-hour (3 ECTS) laboratories and teaching modules inside the prisons of Opera and Bollate, as well as the San Vittore detention center. These activities involve the joint participation of students from outside the prison and incarcerated individuals.
These modules and laboratories not only represent an essential opportunity for study and in-depth learning for people in detention—who cannot attend university courses outside the prison—but also provide a valuable occasion for personal and cultural growth for all students, who are asked to engage actively with a human and contextual reality very different from their everyday one.
The "Ethics of Memory" laboratory will enable participants to acquire knowledge and skills for understanding the concept and practices of memory, as well as their expression in contexts of deprivation of liberty.
In particular, this laboratory will make it possible to:
Understand the concept of an ethics of memory and the role of remembrance in shaping personal and collective identity;
Recognize how society constructs and selects its memories, and how these influence the way events and people are interpreted;
Identify the ethical and social implications of traumatic memories, including themes such as testimony, reparation, and forgetting;
Acquire tools to critically examine one's personal history and that of the community, without reductionism or ready-made judgments;
Learn to identify narratives that trivialize or distort the past, developing a vigilant attitude toward manipulation or oversimplification;
Connect real events, stories, artistic works, and testimonies, understanding how they contribute to shared memory;
Use memory as a resource for guiding future choices, both personal and collective;
Relate what is learned in the laboratory to everyday life (inside and outside prison), identifying useful tools for coexistence, responsibility, and individual and collective well-being;
Recognize the possibility of constructing new narratives about oneself, including with a view to social reintegration or long-term educational projects.
These modules and laboratories not only represent an essential opportunity for study and in-depth learning for people in detention—who cannot attend university courses outside the prison—but also provide a valuable occasion for personal and cultural growth for all students, who are asked to engage actively with a human and contextual reality very different from their everyday one.
The "Ethics of Memory" laboratory will enable participants to acquire knowledge and skills for understanding the concept and practices of memory, as well as their expression in contexts of deprivation of liberty.
In particular, this laboratory will make it possible to:
Understand the concept of an ethics of memory and the role of remembrance in shaping personal and collective identity;
Recognize how society constructs and selects its memories, and how these influence the way events and people are interpreted;
Identify the ethical and social implications of traumatic memories, including themes such as testimony, reparation, and forgetting;
Acquire tools to critically examine one's personal history and that of the community, without reductionism or ready-made judgments;
Learn to identify narratives that trivialize or distort the past, developing a vigilant attitude toward manipulation or oversimplification;
Connect real events, stories, artistic works, and testimonies, understanding how they contribute to shared memory;
Use memory as a resource for guiding future choices, both personal and collective;
Relate what is learned in the laboratory to everyday life (inside and outside prison), identifying useful tools for coexistence, responsibility, and individual and collective well-being;
Recognize the possibility of constructing new narratives about oneself, including with a view to social reintegration or long-term educational projects.
Teaching Resources
The reference assignments will be communicated later by the coordinator.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The assessment methods include mandatory attendance (the laboratory takes place in a prison) and a final, well-argued summary of the lessons.
SPS/01 - POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 3
Laboratories: 20 hours
Professor:
Magni Beatrice
Professor(s)