aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

FLORENCE
School of Arts & Sciences
Political Science and
International Studies
Introduction to Political Science
POL 150 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course will introduce you to the formal study of politics. You
will become familiar with the basic vocabulary of the discipline,
learn about the different ways that political issues are studied
and develop critical reading and thinking. Furthermore, this
course will define basic concepts such as politics, government,
nation, state, types of political systems and development of
political institutions.
Globalization and its Consequences
POL 250 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
“Globalization” has been a very popular term in recent years.
Technological change, business strategies, cultural interactions
and other aspects of human activity are occurring more and
more on a planetary scale. The course aims at providing
students with a basic understanding of the complexity of the
phenomenon, by taking a historical approach covering the
entire 20th century, and then focusing on the most recent
political, social and economic processes of the late 20th and
early 21st centuries. The course starts by defining the concept
of globalization and then offers a brief but clear reconstruction
of the trends towards globalization in previous phases of human
history. It will then focus on specific questions: is economic
globalization an inevitable phenomenon or, rather, a reversible
one? Is economic globalization necessarily tied to western
capitalism? Has globalization taken in the past, and could it take
in the present, other forms than the laissez-faire capitalist one?
What are the origins and the present role of global institutions
such as the IMF and the World Bank? What role is played by
nation states? The conclusive part of the course will address
specific issues that have been the subject of heavy debate in
recent times, such as the “global protests” of the late 1990s,
the relationship between globalization and poverty and that
between globalization and global warming.
From Plato to Machiavelli: Classical Political
Thought
POL 260 F; Dual listed: PHR 260 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The course examines the evolution of that branch of
philosophical thought that gave birth to the modern concept of
political science and political thinking, exploring major periods
and personalities in the development of political thought. It
thus covers a very long historical period from the time of the
“dawn” of Western philosophy to the most relevant issues of
the modern era. Emphasis will be placed first on the Golden
Age of Greek-Athenian democracy, through the analysis of
thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle; then, the course will move
on to the main philosophical schools of the Middle Ages (the
Scholastics) through the analysis of authors such as Thomas
Aquinas, Dante and Ockham. Students will then encounter
the extraordinarily rich period of the Italian and European
Renaissance, both as a vast cultural revolution and as a cradle
of new ideas and thought systems: the personalities and works
of Thomas More, Machiavelli and Erasmus will be carefully
studied, without underestimating the importance of the rising
ideas of Luther and Calvin. Finally, the course will investigate
the early modern adaptations of these thought systems as
manifested in the rationalism of Hobbes.
Prerequisites: PHR 130 Western Philosophy, or POL 150
Introduction to Political Science, or equivalents, or sophomore
standing
From Machiavelli to the present: Modern
Political Thought
POL 265 F; Dual listed: PHR 265 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course will analyze some landmarks of the western
philosophical tradition. Its aim is to discuss concisely the views
of some major Western political thinkers in order to demonstrate
how their ideas about politics and society are critical to
understanding the politics of our time. The course aims to
analyze on the one hand the philosophies and ideas that have
been sustaining our present world view, and on the other hand
the roots of some recurrent key themes in these philosophies,
such as the idea of utopia, as well as the anti-utopian vision
whose originator can be considered Niccolò Machiavelli. This
last theme thus introduces students to the reaction against
the so-called ‘Platonic ideal’ that has taken place during the
twentieth century. The concept of totalitarianism is related to
these pivotal philosophical perspectives and this concept will
also be studied with particular attention. More specifically,
special emphasis will be placed on the analysis of a series of
concepts connected to one another, including the concept
of liberty; relativism versus pluralism; freedom, equality and
fraternity. The course is structured as a chronological analysis
of the most important periods and personalities in the evolution
of political philosophy with special attention to the Age of
Enlightenment and Romanticism.
Prerequisites: PHR 130 Western Philosophy, or POL 150
Introduction to Political Science, or equivalents, or sophomore
standing
Human Rights
POL 270 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The course provides a general overview of human rights by
looking at the subject from different disciplines. These include
law, political and social sciences, history and philosophy, which
have all dealt with the “human” and/or the “rights” element of
the concept. The “rights” element had its first comprehensive
elaboration in the UN International Bill of Human Rights. Human
rights have been also developed at the regional - European,
American, African, and Arab – level. The “human” element
of the concept has been scrutinized by anthropologists and
philosophers, who have discussed the universal character
of the values that underpin the “rights”, and the issue of
difference in such value systems. In a sociological perspective,
issues of difference and universality have emerged in respect to
the recognition of the specific rights of groups and minorities
defined along racial, ethnic and sexual cleavages. The course
will propose exercises that will put students in the position to
discuss some interesting theoretical aspects of human rights
in relation to concrete cases and events. This practical work is
meant to give students the opportunity to use human rights
documents and concepts to frame and debate controversial
issues in today’s societies and world politics.
Italy and the EU
POL 272 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The relationship between European integration and Italy is
an odd one. Italians are widely known as the most convinced
supporters of European integration. On the other hand, the
EC/EU is at times used by Italian politicians to legitimize
their own actions. European constraints were in fact often
recalled in order to justify otherwise unpopular fiscal and
monetary measures. The EC began to be perceived as the only
possibility of bringing order to the national system. Thus, the
demand of supranational structures became also a demand
for repair of the inefficiency of the Italian system. Italy’s nonimplementation
of EC legislation and lack of respect for the
obligations imposed by EC treaties are well known. Even when
EC norms are implemented, this does not mean that they are
necessarily enforced. Is it “a question of culture”, as defined
by The Economist? Now that a new political class has come
to power, will the disintegrative tendency of Italy creep back
in, or will the country continue as an unambiguous champion
of integration? Which variables affect the Italian input in the
EU? In order to better understand the Italian integrative and
disintegrative forces toward European integration, the course
is divided into two parts: in the first part, attention is given to
the Italian system – its origins and how it functions – while in
the second part, the relationship between Italy and the EU - the
main participants and their policies – will be examined.
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LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014