ID:
500007
Duration (hours):
40
CFU:
6
SSD:
FILOSOFIA POLITICA
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (29/09/2025 - 12/12/2025)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to provide students with in-depth knowledge of the problems of some of the main problems of contemporary normative political theory, in particular concerning theories of justice, their application in making ethical evaluations of public policies, and the underlying philosophical problems. The course also aims to develop students' capacities for criticism and argumentation, for the interpretation and analysis of abstract texts, and for the clear and orderly exposition of one's own ideas.
Course Prerequisites
There are no formal requirements for embarking on this course. However, students will find useful a prior acquaintance with the forms of power and the differences between types of political regime, with the basic concepts of political economy, and/or with some of the classic authors in the history of political thought -- in particular, contractualists such as Locke, Rousseau and Kant, and utilitarians such as Bentham and Mill.
Teaching Methods
The course consists mostly in lectures. However, many of the classes will require participation on the students' part, aimed at developing the capacity for critical thought and argumentation.
For students who are unable to participate in classes, the teacher will orgnize two zoom meetings. See the KIRO page for details.
For students with certified confirmation that they fall into one of the special catetories set out in the University rules (https://portale.unipv.it/it/didattica/servizi-lo-studente/modalita-didattiche-inclusive), arrangements will be made to facilitate their autonomous study for the exam, including a weekly online office hour during the period in which classes are held.
For students who are unable to participate in classes, the teacher will orgnize two zoom meetings. See the KIRO page for details.
For students with certified confirmation that they fall into one of the special catetories set out in the University rules (https://portale.unipv.it/it/didattica/servizi-lo-studente/modalita-didattiche-inclusive), arrangements will be made to facilitate their autonomous study for the exam, including a weekly online office hour during the period in which classes are held.
Assessment Methods
Assessment is by a written exam of two hours. Students need to sign up to take the exam on one of the available dates (appelli) visible online.
In the exam, students answer two open questions.
The criteria for evaluating the exam scripts will be the following: comprehension of the concepts and arguments presented in the exam texts; the capacity to apply and critically discuss those concepts and arguments. Further guidelines on the exam will be posted on the KIRO course page.
Non-italian students may choose to write their exam scripts in English instead of Italian. Exam questions can be translated on request at the beginning of the exam.
In the exam, students answer two open questions.
The criteria for evaluating the exam scripts will be the following: comprehension of the concepts and arguments presented in the exam texts; the capacity to apply and critically discuss those concepts and arguments. Further guidelines on the exam will be posted on the KIRO course page.
Non-italian students may choose to write their exam scripts in English instead of Italian. Exam questions can be translated on request at the beginning of the exam.
Texts
The exam will be based on a set of texts (articles, book chapters, and briefer extracts). These texts (in their Italian versions) are collected together as photocopies and can be purchased from "unicopy Pavia" shop, Via San Fermo 7a, Pavia. Ask for: “Dispensa di Filosofia politica, anno accademico 2025/26”.
Non-italian students may choose to substitute these readings with their English-language versions, or with suitablly similar readings, as listed below.
Readings in English that can be used as substitutes for the Italian exam texts:
1. W. Kymlicka, Introduzione alla filosofia politica contemporanea (Feltrinelli, 1996), cap. 1, “Utilitarismo”, pp. 19-62.
English original:
Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction (OUP, any edition), Chapter entitled “utilitarianism”.
2. M. Sandel, Giustizia. Il nostro bene comune (Feltrinelli, 2010), cap. 6: “John Rawls", pp. 160-187.
English equivalents:
Before reading Rawls, it is best to do some some introductory reading on Rawls. This was the purpose of the chapter from Michael Sandel’s introductory book, Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do (Harvard University Press). Alternative introductory books that have good chapters on Rawls are:
- Kymlicka (cited above), Chapter entitled “Liberal Equality”.
- Adam Swift, Political Philosophy. A beginners’ guide for students and politicians (Polity, 2001).
- Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (OUP, 1996)
3. C. Arnsperger e P. Van Parijs, Quanta diseguaglianza possiamo accettare? Etica economica e sociale, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2003, cap. 2: "Il libertarismo".
This is an Italian translation of a French text. The French original is called “Ethique économique e sociale” (Paris, La Découverte, 2000).
If you prefer an English text, see the chapter on libertarianism in Kymlicka (cited above) or the chapter on liberty in Swift (cited above).
4. J. Rawls, Una teoria della giustizia (Feltrinelli, 1982), sections 1-5, and
5. J. Rawls, estratti, in: V. Ottonelli, (a cura di), Leggere Rawls, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2010, pp. 85-117, 137-43.
These are mostly taken from John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Harvard University Press, 1971, 2nd ed. 1995), Part I, especially chapters 1 and 2. See in particular: sections 1-5 (which are in chapter 1) of A Theory of Justice. The book edited by Ottonelli is an anthology of Rawls’s writings, and the relevant parts included in the Italian exam texts correspond roughly to the following sections of Rawls’s book "A Theory of Justice": the two principles of justice and the notion of primary goods, secs 11 and 15; the concept of liberty, sec. 32; the priority of liberty, secs 39 and 82; the second principle, secs 12 and 13; the reasoning behind the two principles, sec. 26; formal constraints on the concept of right, sec. 23; the rejection of desert as a criterion of justice, sec. 48.
6. R. Nozick, Anarchia, stato e utopia, Il Saggiatore, Milano 2000, pp. 48-56, 63-65, 163-194.
Original version:
Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia (Basic books, 1974), chapter 3 (but leaving out the section on animals), and part 1 of chapter 7.
7. A. Sen, La diseguaglianza (estratti), in N. Riva (a cura di), Eguaglianza (Laterza, 2017), cap. XXVII, pp 201-207.
This is a series of short extracts from the Italian translation of: A. Sen, Inequality Reexamined (Oxford: Oxford University press, 1992). In the original English version of the book, see in particular sections 1.1-1.7, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 5.3.
8. G.A. Cohen, “Capitalismo, libertà e proletariato”, in I. Carter e M. Ricciardi (a cura di), L’idea di libertà, Feltrinelli, Milano 1996, pp. 161-181.
Original English version: G.A. Cohen, "Capitalism, Freedom and the Proletariat", in A. Ryan (ed.) The Idea of Freedom (Oxford: OUP 1979), reprinted in D. Miller (ed.) The Liberty Reader (Edinburgh University Press, 2006).
9. G.A. Cohen, Per l'eguaglianza e la giustizia, L'Asino d'Oro, Roma 2016, cap. 1 sez. I: "L'argomento degli incentivi", pp. 35-59.
Original Version: G.A. Cohen, Rescuing Justice and Equality (Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2008), ch. 1 sec. 1.
10. S. Maffettone, Introduzione a Rawls, Laterza, Roma, 2010, Cap. IV: Il diritto dei popoli, pp. 137-60.
This is an Italian introdutory text and the relevant chapter introduces Rawls's book The Law of Peoples. You can find relevant extracts of Rawls's book The Law of Peoples in T. Brooks (ed.) The Global Justice Reader (Oxford: Blackwell, 2008), ch. 11, pp.217-31.
11. P. Singer, "One World. L'etica della globalizzazione" (Einaudi 2003), cap. 5, limitato alle pp. 172-203
English original:
Peter Singer, One World: The Ethics of Globalization (Yale University Press 2002), chapter 5, only pp. 150-180.
12. T. Pogge, “Povertà mondiale e diritti umani. Responsabilità e riforme cosmopolite” (Laterza 2010), cap. 8.
English original:
Thomas Pogge, World Poverty and Human Rights (Polity Press, 2002), chapter 8, pp. 196-214.
NB The works of most of the above authors have been translated into many languages other than Italian, including French and German.
Non-italian students may choose to substitute these readings with their English-language versions, or with suitablly similar readings, as listed below.
Readings in English that can be used as substitutes for the Italian exam texts:
1. W. Kymlicka, Introduzione alla filosofia politica contemporanea (Feltrinelli, 1996), cap. 1, “Utilitarismo”, pp. 19-62.
English original:
Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction (OUP, any edition), Chapter entitled “utilitarianism”.
2. M. Sandel, Giustizia. Il nostro bene comune (Feltrinelli, 2010), cap. 6: “John Rawls", pp. 160-187.
English equivalents:
Before reading Rawls, it is best to do some some introductory reading on Rawls. This was the purpose of the chapter from Michael Sandel’s introductory book, Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do (Harvard University Press). Alternative introductory books that have good chapters on Rawls are:
- Kymlicka (cited above), Chapter entitled “Liberal Equality”.
- Adam Swift, Political Philosophy. A beginners’ guide for students and politicians (Polity, 2001).
- Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (OUP, 1996)
3. C. Arnsperger e P. Van Parijs, Quanta diseguaglianza possiamo accettare? Etica economica e sociale, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2003, cap. 2: "Il libertarismo".
This is an Italian translation of a French text. The French original is called “Ethique économique e sociale” (Paris, La Découverte, 2000).
If you prefer an English text, see the chapter on libertarianism in Kymlicka (cited above) or the chapter on liberty in Swift (cited above).
4. J. Rawls, Una teoria della giustizia (Feltrinelli, 1982), sections 1-5, and
5. J. Rawls, estratti, in: V. Ottonelli, (a cura di), Leggere Rawls, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2010, pp. 85-117, 137-43.
These are mostly taken from John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Harvard University Press, 1971, 2nd ed. 1995), Part I, especially chapters 1 and 2. See in particular: sections 1-5 (which are in chapter 1) of A Theory of Justice. The book edited by Ottonelli is an anthology of Rawls’s writings, and the relevant parts included in the Italian exam texts correspond roughly to the following sections of Rawls’s book "A Theory of Justice": the two principles of justice and the notion of primary goods, secs 11 and 15; the concept of liberty, sec. 32; the priority of liberty, secs 39 and 82; the second principle, secs 12 and 13; the reasoning behind the two principles, sec. 26; formal constraints on the concept of right, sec. 23; the rejection of desert as a criterion of justice, sec. 48.
6. R. Nozick, Anarchia, stato e utopia, Il Saggiatore, Milano 2000, pp. 48-56, 63-65, 163-194.
Original version:
Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia (Basic books, 1974), chapter 3 (but leaving out the section on animals), and part 1 of chapter 7.
7. A. Sen, La diseguaglianza (estratti), in N. Riva (a cura di), Eguaglianza (Laterza, 2017), cap. XXVII, pp 201-207.
This is a series of short extracts from the Italian translation of: A. Sen, Inequality Reexamined (Oxford: Oxford University press, 1992). In the original English version of the book, see in particular sections 1.1-1.7, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 5.3.
8. G.A. Cohen, “Capitalismo, libertà e proletariato”, in I. Carter e M. Ricciardi (a cura di), L’idea di libertà, Feltrinelli, Milano 1996, pp. 161-181.
Original English version: G.A. Cohen, "Capitalism, Freedom and the Proletariat", in A. Ryan (ed.) The Idea of Freedom (Oxford: OUP 1979), reprinted in D. Miller (ed.) The Liberty Reader (Edinburgh University Press, 2006).
9. G.A. Cohen, Per l'eguaglianza e la giustizia, L'Asino d'Oro, Roma 2016, cap. 1 sez. I: "L'argomento degli incentivi", pp. 35-59.
Original Version: G.A. Cohen, Rescuing Justice and Equality (Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2008), ch. 1 sec. 1.
10. S. Maffettone, Introduzione a Rawls, Laterza, Roma, 2010, Cap. IV: Il diritto dei popoli, pp. 137-60.
This is an Italian introdutory text and the relevant chapter introduces Rawls's book The Law of Peoples. You can find relevant extracts of Rawls's book The Law of Peoples in T. Brooks (ed.) The Global Justice Reader (Oxford: Blackwell, 2008), ch. 11, pp.217-31.
11. P. Singer, "One World. L'etica della globalizzazione" (Einaudi 2003), cap. 5, limitato alle pp. 172-203
English original:
Peter Singer, One World: The Ethics of Globalization (Yale University Press 2002), chapter 5, only pp. 150-180.
12. T. Pogge, “Povertà mondiale e diritti umani. Responsabilità e riforme cosmopolite” (Laterza 2010), cap. 8.
English original:
Thomas Pogge, World Poverty and Human Rights (Polity Press, 2002), chapter 8, pp. 196-214.
NB The works of most of the above authors have been translated into many languages other than Italian, including French and German.
Contents
The course will introduce, and provide comparative analysis of, some of the main contemporary theories of justice -- in particular utilitarianism, egalitarianism (focusing especially on its contractualist variant), and libertarianism. It will also focus on some socialist critiques of these theories. The different positions provide conflicting answers to questions such as the following: How far, and for what reasons, may a state limit the liberty of its citizens? What, if anything, justifies a state in redistributing wealth between citizens? How are property rights justified? Are those rights absolute and inviolable? What might it mean to treat citizens equally? In a final part of the course, the different theories will be applied to the problem of internaitonal justice, addressing questions such as: Do richer countries have duties to poorer ones? If so, what kinds of duties, and why?
Course Language
Italian
More information
Note per gli studenti fuori corso:
Fino a, e inclusa, la sessione di settembre 2026, sarà possibile sostenere l’esame anche sui programmi 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 e 2024/25. All’inizio dell’appello verrà chiesto su quale bibliografia lo studente intende svolgere l’esame.
Gli studenti che hanno studiato una bibliografia precedente a quella dell'anno 2021/22 sono pregati di contattare il docente prima di sostenere l'esame.
Fino a, e inclusa, la sessione di settembre 2026, sarà possibile sostenere l’esame anche sui programmi 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 e 2024/25. All’inizio dell’appello verrà chiesto su quale bibliografia lo studente intende svolgere l’esame.
Gli studenti che hanno studiato una bibliografia precedente a quella dell'anno 2021/22 sono pregati di contattare il docente prima di sostenere l'esame.
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POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
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