International political thought

The course aims at providing an advanced understanding of contemporary world politics, building on a prior knowledge of traditional International Relations Theory. The overall objective is to enable students to map the key issues concerning the way in which international politics is studied and interpreted. The approach adopted is twofold: on the one hand, the course offers a critical assessment of international political thought through the analysis of some prominent Western thinkers; on the other hand, the course introduces students to the debate on the so-called non-Western International Relations Theories. This will help students to strengthen their awareness of the theoretical lenses that orient the way in which scholars, analysts and decision-makers understand international politics. In doing this, the course will provide students with advanced theoretical tools for the analysis of current political processes at the global and regional level, thus contributing to the learning objectives of the "International Politics and Regional Dynamics" curriculum of the Master's programme in International Relations.

By the end of the course, students will have consolidated their theoretical understanding of some of the most important issues in the current debates on international politics. In addition, they will have familiarized with the pluralization that increasingly characterizes international political thought, with the contestation of the Western-centric tradition of International Relations Theory, and with attempts at establishing alternative theoretical traditions. Finally, students will have further refined soft skills coherent with the wider objectives of the Master's programme: they will have consolidated their command of the special language of International Relations Theory, familiarized with the role that different historical and cultural backgrounds play in orienting the interpretation of international political phenomena, and developed their ability to critically present and discuss complex theoretical issues.