Scuola Universitaria Interdipartimentale in Scienze Strategiche (SUISS)

It is not required any propaedeutic knowledge.

On the one hand, the course aims to provide students with the basic theoretical and methodological tools of political science, in order to enable them to critically analyze political phenomena, and properly understand the essential aspects of the functioning and the transformation of contemporary political systems; on the other hand, the course aims to make students familiar with the serious problems facing democracies in an era characterized by new forms of armed conflicts and new security threats.

By the end of the course it is expected that students have become familiar with the basic conceptual, theoretical and methodological tools of political science, and have acquired the ability to properly understand and critically analyze political phenomena, with particular reference to the essential aspects of the functioning and the transformation of contemporary political systems, as well as to the serious problems facing democracies in an era characterized by new forms of armed conflicts and new security threats.

Lectures and guided class discussions.

The final examination will consist of a written test (with open questions and multiple choice questions) on the whole course program. It is designed to assess the knowledge of the main topics covered during the course. In the evaluation of answers to open question the teacher will take into account both the appropriateness and completeness of the content and the consistency and clarity of explanation.

A mid-course written test (with open questions and multiple choice questions) on the first part of the program [see textbook 1 and 2] is an option offered only to students regularly attending the course. For students who will report in this test a score of not less than 18/30 the final written test will cover only the remaining part of the program. The final score will be the average of the two results. Instead, for students who will report in the mid-course written test a score of less than 18/30 (or will refuse the vote), as well as for students who will not take this test, the final examination will consist of a single written test.

For all students who will request it, and will have reported in the written test (or tests) a score (or an average score) of not less than 18/30, there will be the possibility of a supplementary oral exam on the whole course program. The mark of oral examination (up to + 3/30, or - 1/30) will be integrated into the final mark.

There will be reports from experts (academic and otherwise) on issues related to the course content.

The course program is divided into two parts.

The first part, after reviewing the main approaches to the study of politics, will discuss the typical issues of discipline: political participation, interest groups, political parties and party systems, elections and electoral systems, parliaments and political representation, government and forms of government, public policy analysis, and political regimes (democratic or not).

The second part will examine the most serious problems facing democracies in an era characterized by new forms of armed conflicts and new security threats.

For students attending or not the course:

1. The materials made available by the teacher on the course website.
2. G. Pasquino, Nuovo corso di scienza politica, il Mulino, Bologna 2009, 4th ed. (excluding chapters 2 and 12).
3. V. Coralluzzo, L. Ozzano (eds.), Religioni tra pace e guerra. Il sacro nelle relazioni internazionali del XXI secolo, UTET, Torino 2012 (chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5) .