Class History of Political Ideas and Theories

The social, cultural, geopolitical, and ideological turbulence that affects peaceful relations between citizens of (complex) contemporary societies requires that Political Science and International Relations students develop the capacity for critical and informed thinking about the political quality of ideas, doctrines, and ideologies disseminated in the public sphere. In this context, the knowledge provided by the curricular unit of History and Theory of Political Ideas, from Classical Antiquity to Contemporaneity, can contribute to mitigating the effects of ideas, theories, and doctrines that threaten the well-being of the citizens of these (complex) societies.

Not applicable

  1. Brief introduction to the History of Ideas   2. Government of laws (human, divine, natural and spontaneous) and government of men.      2.1. Government of free humans vs. government of human slaves.      2.2.  Who should govern?         2.2.1. One: monarchy, tyranny, authoritarianism, totalitarianism.        2.2.2. Some: oligarchy, aristocracy, kakistocracy.         2.2.3. All: Democracy (direct, representative, participatory, deliberative).  3.  The role and place of freedom: individual vs. collective liberties; freedom of the ancients vs. freedom of moderns; positive freedom. vs negative freedom.  4. State of Nature vs. Political Society: Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau's versions.     5. The distribution of property: nature and problems of distributive justice  6. Contemporary political problems: minority rights; rights of nature and future generations; the impact of artificial intelligence.  

Theoretical classes with the presentation of syllabus contents through excerpts from texts from the bibliography. Theoretical classes will be organized by thematic content according to the program, with the direct involvement of students expected through debate on those contents. The preparation of reading sheets is an integral part of the final evaluation. This reading sheet can be about an article or a book related to the contents of the UC. The evaluation process comprises two alternative modalities: continuous or through an exam. In the continuous assessment, the weighting value of the three elements is as follows: 50% - written test. 35% - creating a reading sheet for an article or book chapter   15% - class participation: this includes preparing short written comments on the content taught in each class. The exam will consist of a written test.

Goldhill, S. Amor, sexo e tragédia, a contemporaneidade do classicismo. Trad. Maria da Graça Caldeira, Aletheia Editores: Lisboa, 2006, ISBN: 989-622-033-6. Platz, J. Theories of Distributive Justice. Who Gets What and Why. New York: Routledge, 2020. Queiroz, R. Liberdade. Lisboa: Almedina, 2024.  Ryan, A. On Politics. A History of Political Thought from Herodotus to the Present. Allen Lane: United Kingdom, 2020.   Walzer, Michael. A luta por Uma política Decente. “Liberal” como adjetivo. Lisboa: Gradiva, 2023.