POLITICAL SCIENCE
Oral and written exams. Written exams are only allowed to the students attending the course.
The course of Political Science aims to illustrate the conceptual tools and the main theoretical and methodological guidelines on which political analysis is based. The course aims, in particular, to provide the basic skills by which analyze critically both past and contemporary political phenomena, with specific reference to the changes of political regimes, to the institutional dynamics and decision-making processes, to the characteristics of democracy and representative assemblies.
The course is divided into two parts. The first part deals with some of the classic themes of political science, handling necessary theoretical skills and methodological issues: the phenomenology of power and authority, the empirical analysis of political power in nation states and local communities, the relevance of ideology and violence in the relationship between the rulers and the ruled. In the second part, the course focuses on a deep analysis of modern political regimes, with particular reference to the development of democracies. More specifically, it focuses on three areas: the first area examines the main organizative actors of political participation (political parties, interest groups, collective movements); the second area outlines the relationship among parliamentary institutions, cabinets and bureaucracies in different forms of government; the third area describes the processes of formulation and implementation of public policies.
M. Cotta, D. della Porta, L. Morlino, Fondamenti di scienza politica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2004, eccetto cap. IV;
M. Stoppino, Potere e teoria politica, Genova, Ecig, 1996 (Solo la parte prima: fenomenologia del potere).
M. Tebaldi, M. Calaresu, Valutare la democrazia. Introduzione all’analisi della qualità democratica, Roma, Aracne (capitoli I, II, IV paragrafo I).
Face-to-face lectures and seminars
Reception hours:
At the end of every lesson and every Thursday of even weeks, from 10.30 to 12.30; other days by appointment with the teacher