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  1. Insegnamenti

510393 - CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC THEORY

insegnamento
ID:
510393
Durata (ore):
40
CFU:
6
SSD:
FILOSOFIA POLITICA
Anno:
2024
  • Dati Generali
  • Syllabus
  • Corsi
  • Persone

Dati Generali

Periodo di attività

Primo Semestre (30/09/2024 - 13/12/2024)

Syllabus

Obiettivi Formativi

The course aims to help students to achieve a basic understanding of some of the most important controversies in contemporary political philosophy, an improved ability to apply abstract principles to specific public issues, and an improved ability to argue effectively in political debates.
In addition, students will acquire more general skills in interpreting texts and analyzing abstract concepts and a specialist understanding of democratic theory, with a specific focus on the values of freedom and equality, procedural justice, the concept of democratic legitimacy, and contemporary challenges to democratic societies.

Prerequisiti

All students, attending and non-attending (frequentanti e non frequentanti) must be able to read all the texts in English. Attending students (frequentanti) must be fluent in speaking and listening comprehension (at least B2 level).
There are no other formal requirements for taking this course. However, students will find useful a prior acquaintance with some themes from political science, such as the comparison of different regime types or electoral systems, and/or from the history of political thought, such as the idea of the social contract and the problem of political obligation.

Metodi didattici

The first two parts of the course will include introductory lectures on each of the main topics, whereas the third part will consist in seminar classes in which the students will engage in discussions and debates, applying abstract concepts to the specific issues and case studies listed in the course program.

Verifica Apprendimento

Assessment will be by written exam.

The criteria for evaluating the exam scripts will be the following: comprehension of the concepts and arguments presented in the exam texts; application and critical discussion of those concepts and arguments; clarity of exposition. Further guidelines on the exam will be posted on the KIRO course page.

Testi

Part 1 – Foundational Values
- Carter Ian, “Liberty” in C. McKinnon, P. Tomlin and R. Jubb (eds) Issues in Political Theory, 4th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), pp. 26-29, 33-36.
- Hayek Friedrich, The Constitution of Liberty (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1960), ch. 1, secs 1 and 2.
- Pettit Philip, Republicanism. A Theory of Freedom and Government (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 51-66, 183-90
- White Stuart, Equality (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007), pp. 33-47, 78-97.
- Christiano Thomas, “Democracy as Equality”, in D. Estlund (ed.) Democracy (Blackwell Readings in Philosophy, 2002), pp. 31–50.


Part 2 - Theories of Democratic Legitimacy
- Swift Adam, “Democracy”, in Political Philosophy: A Beginners’ Guide for Students and Politicians (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2019), pp. 284-310; 319-347.
- Anderson Elizabeth, “Democracy: Instrumental vs. Non-Instrumental Value”, in T. Christiano and J. Christman (eds.) Contemporary Debates in Political Philosophy (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), pp. 213–228.
- Cohen Joshua, “Deliberation and Democratic legitimacy”, in D. Estlund (ed.) Democracy (Blackwell Readings in Philosophy, 2002), pp. 87-106.
- Valentini Laura, “Justice, Disagreement and Democracy”, British Journal of Political Science, 2013, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 177-199

Part 3 – Seminars Readings
- Seminar 1: Beitz Charles, Political Equality: An Essay in Democratic Theory (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1989), Ch. 6 “Proportional Representation”, pp. 123–140.
- Seminar 2: Brennan Jason, The Ethics of Voting (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2001) Ch. 3, “Wrongful Voting”, pp. 68–94.
- Seminar 3: Abizadeh Arash, “Democratic Theory and Border Coercion: No Right to Unilaterally Control Your Own Borders”, Political Theory, 2008, 36 (1), pp. 37-65.
- Seminar 4: Dobson Andrew, “Representative Democracy and the Environment”, in Lafferty W. and Meadowcroft J. (eds.), Democracy and the Environment (Edward Elgar Publishing, 1998), pp. 124–139.
- Seminar 5: Van Parijs Philippe, “The Disfranchisement of the Elderly, and Other Attempts to Secure Intergenerational Justice”, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1998, 27 (4), pp. 292-333.

Contenuti

The course introduces students to fundamental debates in contemporary political philosophy surrounding the nature and justification of democracy. The course is taught exclusively in English, and is open both to Pavia-based students and to international exchange students.
The course is divided into three parts treating (i) foundational values, (ii) theories of democratic legitimacy, and (iii) specific challenges for democracies.
In the first part of the course, we will focus on two grounding values of democracy: freedom and equality. We will investigate the meanings of these ideals, and ask in what way they might ground democracy. In the case of freedom, we will consider justifications of democracy based on the idea of freedom as non-interference, and rival justifications based on the ideas of self-determination and non-domination. In the case of equality, we will focus on the differences between distributive and relational equality, and on the foundational problem of ‘basic equality’. In what sense should citizens be thought to have an equal moral status, such that they ought to enjoy equal political rights rather than unequal ones? What goods (voting power, basic liberties, access to certain resources, and so on), need to be equalized among citizens in order for a society to qualify as democratic?
In the second part of the course, we will apply some of the above reasoning to the task of examining, and assessing, different theories of democratic legitimacy. In particular, we will compare procedural and outcome-oriented accounts of the validity of democratic decisions. Does democratic legitimacy depend on the fact of democratic decision-making having intrinsic value? This idea might be defended by reference to values that are inherent in democratic procedures (for example, there might be something inherently fair about making democratic decisions on matters on which people disagree). Or does democratic legitimacy depend on the goals that might be achieved through democratic decision-making, and in this sense on its instrumental value? Such goals might include maximizing the probability of reaching the “correct” collective decisions, assuring peaceful coexistence, promoting economic welfare, or robustly protecting liberal rights.
In the third and final part of the course we will consider some of the specific theoretical challenges faced by contemporary democracies. This part of the course is likely to cover at least the following issues: how to deal with dissent and conflict through democratic processes; the pros and cons of different electoral systems; criteria for defining the demos (including the so-called “boundary problem”); the status of non-voters (e,g children; animal; future generations); the proposal to lower the voting age and/or disenfranchise the elderly; the ethics of voting (whether citizens have a moral duty to vote, or to abstain if they are not well informed).

Lingua Insegnamento

INGLESE

Altre informazioni

For inquiries write to Prof. Federica Liveriero: federica.liveriero@unipv.it

Corsi

Corsi

SCIENZE POLITICHE E DELLE RELAZIONI INTERNAZIONALI 
Laurea
3 anni
No Results Found

Persone

Persone (2)

CARTER IAN FRANK
AREA MIN. 14 - Scienze politiche e sociali
Gruppo 14/GSPS-01 - FILOSOFIA POLITICA
Settore GSPS-01/A - Filosofia politica
Professore Ordinario
LIVERIERO FEDERICA
AREA MIN. 14 - Scienze politiche e sociali
Gruppo 14/GSPS-01 - FILOSOFIA POLITICA
Settore GSPS-01/A - Filosofia politica
Professore associato
No Results Found
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