Understaning the approaches, analytical models and key concepts in Political Theory. Getting familiar to the key themes and main features of the most relevant ideological traditions, particulary the classic traditions. Understanding why political ideologies have a deep impact on past and present political and social movements.

UNIT I: METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE ANALYSIS OF THE HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT AND NORMATIVE POLITICAL THEORY Concept of Ideology Political Ideologies: Fundamental Features Ideologies and Political activism Approaches to Political Theory Functions of Political Theory Research fields on current Political Theory UNIT II: LIBERALISM Origins and Development. Historical Overview Classical Liberalism: Central Themes and Political Thinkers Contemporary Liberalism: Central Themes and Political Thinkers UNIT III. CONSERVATISM Origins and Development. Historical Overview. Classical Conservatism: Central Themes and Political Thinkers Neo-Conservatism and Contemporary Conservatism: Central Themes and Political Thinkers UNIT IV: SOCIALISM AND IDEOLOGICAL VARIANTS Origins and Development. Historical Overview. Classical socialism: Central Themes and Political Thinkers Marxism: Fundamental Features Ideological variants: Central Themes and Political Thinkers Contemporary Socialism: Central Themes and Political Thinkers UNIT V: OTHER IDEOLOGIES Racialism, Colonialism, Imperialism, Totalitarism Origins and Development. Historical Overview.

The subject will consist on both plenary lectures and seminar sessions. The main aim is to provide conceptual tools the students in order to develop their own learning process. Critical and conceptually consistent argumentations, on the basis of the subject themes and lectures, will be most than welcome. Students are expected to constantly compare and cross-check the different ideologies and authors presented throughout the Plenary Lectures. Classical works will be directly read and analyzed. Great importance will be paid to the historical, political and social context that gave birth to these texts. Students are expected to study in depth one particular ideology. The subject will consists on the following activities and tasks: Plenary Lectures Surgery hours to solve potential questions to supervise the Research project Both individual and group work, including compulsory readings and presentation of a group (delimitation of the scope of the analysis, organization of contents, critical selection of bibliography, draft elaboration and final writing and public defense)