PO/HS/PH 355 - Politics and Philosophy of Power in the Land of Machiavelli

Politics and Philosophy of power in the Land of Machiavelli is the study of the history of the ideas and reflections on power and political morality from 15th century Italy to the present, intended also as an investigation on Italy’s social and cultural identity in historical perspective. The first part of the course focuses on Renaissance Italy, with special attention to The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. The second part of the course addresses some major themes of political theory that are deeply rooted in the Machiavellian tradition of political realism, through the perspectives of political philosophy, history, political science and political psychology. Actual case studies will be considered as examples of the use of the mechanisms of power in historical and everyday situations.