Political Ideas from the Early Modern Age to the Digital Revolution

Transcription

1 Political Ideas from the Early Modern Age to the Digital Revolution Language of instruction: English Professor: CAMIL UNGUREANU Coordinator of the MA in Political Philosophy Contact and office hours: Thursday (Room: ) Course contact hours: 45 Recommended credit: 3 US credits-5 ECTS credits Course prerequisites: There are no special prerequisites for this course Language requirements: English Course focus and description: The course is a systematic and critical introduction to the major political ideas that have been developed from the emergence of modernity to the current digital revolution. We will tackle fundamental questions such as: - What is freedom, and how does it square with state authority? - What is equality, and what kind of equality should we strive for in a democratic state? - How to rethink politics in plural world? Issues related to Hinduism, Islam, Confucianism, etc. - What s the relation between religion and the democratic state? - Are capitalism and democracy mutually sustaining or in conflict? - How does technology change war? What are ethical implications? - What is the impact of the digital revolution on democracy (e.g. Internet, big data, robots, etc.)? 1 We will debate these questions by analyzing major political ideas and arguments of representative authors such as A. Smith, E. Burke, A. de Tocqueville, J. S. Mill, K. Marx, F. Nietzsche, H. Arendt, J. Rawls, S. M. Okin, and A. Sen. The presentation of their views will be accessible. Concrete cases (historical, economic-political and legal) will be introduced in order to illustrate and test their ideas. Relevant documentaries and films will be discussed in order to better grasp the historical context and the power of ideas in shaping political, economic and cultural events. Students will be strongly encouraged to discuss specific texts in the class, propose their own themes, and write the class essay by drawing on their specific background and interests. Learning objectives: 1. The systematic knowledge of political ideas in their context and focusing on their relevance for the current debates. 2. Improvement of the capacity to build informed arguments concerning political ideas and conflicts. 1

2 3. Improvement of the capacity to debate arguments concerning legal-political cases in their cultural and historical context. 4. Analyze political ideas and events by means of works of art. 5. Improvement of the academic writing. Course workload: - As a general rule, every week students will have to read a page text selected from representative authors. - For some sessions students will have to watch some films/documentaries that are relevant for this class (e.g. M. von Trotta s Hannah Arendt that deals with the question of the collective responsibility and the banality of evil ) - In November we will make a Barcelona tour in order to see how different political visions (conservative, liberal, anarchist, intercultural, etc.) shaped the city. Teaching methodology: The course is interactive; it will be based on the presentation and debate of general ideas and specific cases. Students will receive feedback on their ideas and written work. Assessment criteria: 1. Midterm exam: 20% (Students will have to answer two questions out of three related to the readings and class discussions). 2. Final exam: 30% (Students will have to answer two questions out of three related to the readings and class discussions). 3. Class participation: 20%. 4. Term paper: 30% (an essay of 2000 words). Students are encouraged to write essays by using their background knowledge (in law, economics, international relations, business, history, philosophy, art, etc.). Students are also encouraged to consult the tutor about their ideas, essay writing, and bibliographical tips. The clarity of argument, structure, and critical capacity are the chief criteria of evaluation. 2 PROGRAM Introduction: modernity and the transformation of politics Readings: Galilei, Galileo. [Discourses on the] Two New Sciences D. Miller from Introduction to Political Philosophy. PART 1. Political ideas from the emergence of modernity to the modern revolutions I. The Birth of Liberalism 2

3 T. Hobbes, Leviathan (excerpts) J. Locke, The Second Treatise of Civil Government (exerpts) II. Modern republicanism N. Machiavelli, Il Principe (excerpts) III. The Enlightenment and its Varieties A. Smith, The Wealth of Nations (excerpts) IV. The French and the American Revolution: a Comparative Analysis The Federalist (excerpts) Optional: Burke from Reflections on the Revolution in France Documentary David by Schama (YouTube). Optional: C. Ungureanu, Introduction to Burke, Reflection on the Revolution in France. PART 2. Political ideas in the 19 th century: development and crisis of the modern project I. Romanticism and the development of liberalism 3 J. S. Mill, On Liberty Optional: Kant, from Grundwork Reading: Walzer from Emergency ethics II. Socialism and Communism: Democratic or anti-democratic? Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto Marx The Civil War in France (excerpts) III. Nationalism and democracy: an ambivalent relation E. Renan, What is a nation? M. Weber, Economy and Society IV. Fin-de-siècle political thought: Nietzsche on freedom as self-creation F. Nietzsche, The Genealogy of Morals(excerpts) Documentary (BBC): Human, all-too-human (YouTube) V. Europe in Collapse: WWI and WWII 3

4 C. Schmitt, from The Concept of the Political (excerpts) Documentary: L. Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will (YouTube) Optional: Reading: from H. Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism PART 3. CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THOUGHT I. War, New Technologies, and Morality Film: Apocalypse Now by Coppola Treschler, The ethical dilemmas of drones II. Radical evil, transitional justice, and forgiveness Film: Hannah Arendt by von Trotta. Arendt, H. Epilogue to Eichmann in Jerusalem. A study of the banality of evil III. Gender equality or cultural recognition? S. M. Okin Is multiculturalism bad for women? IV. Freedom of conscience, law and religion Nussbaum, Martha, Liberty of Conscience, Introduction: A tradition under threat. The Wisconsin v. Yoder case. (US Supreme Court). 4 V. Justice beyond frontiers: decolonization and duties towards the others Franz Fanon, The damned of the earth (excerpts) Waldron On the road: Good Samaritans and Compelling Duties VI. Democratic crisis and the rise of populism: Latin American and European experiences. I. Errejon and C. Mouffe, Constructing a New Politics (excerpts) VII. Economic crisis and the transformation of capitalist democracy M. Sandel, from What Money can t buy Interview with T. Piketty (YouTube) VIII. The digital revolution towards a new society? Rifkin, J. The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The internet of things, the collaborative commons, and the eclipse of capitalism (excerpts) Additional bibliography 4

5 Blanning, T.C.W The Oxford History of Modern Europe. Davies, Norman, Europe. A History. Judt, Tony Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 Rawls, J Political Liberalism Sen, A., 2009, The Idea of Justice Skinner, Q Visions of Politics, vol. III Tocqueville, Alexis de, The Democracy in America, I & II Ungureanu, C., E. Burke s Foundation of Modern Conservatism, Introduction to E. Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France Ungureanu, C Republic, in Encyclopedia of Social Sciences Ungureanu, C. & al. (eds) 2011, J. Habermas. From the nation-state to the post-national constellation (2 vols). 5 5