OVERVIEW

Political speech: definition, problems, aspirations

What is political speech? To what extent can we delimit the 'political' character of public communication? How do we explain the rhetorical choices of public figures, activists, and institutions? This course will analyze the political side of language, its configurations in contemporary democracies, and different normative criteria to evaluate the discursive moves of representatives and other actors. Through a direct engagement with pressing issues and important texts in Western political philosophy, the course introduces different ways of conceptualizing the relationship between language and out socio-political reality.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing students with conceptual and applicative tools to analyse political language in the light of recent technological and communicative transformations. By the end of the course, students will have acquired an awareness of the main theories concerning political language, will have analysed in detail some political speeches representative of different approaches (through interactive lessons and exercises) and will have learned the basics of the debate on public reason.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, students

·      will be aware of the main tools of philosophy of ordinary language;

·      will be aware of the relationship between language and political consensus;

·      will be able to critically approach different types of speech;

·      will master the vocabulary to examine the quality of public debates in contemporary democracies;

·      will master examples and normative problems at the heart of contemporary disputes about the quality of public rhetoric in contemporary democracy;

·      will know how to discuss and analyze political speeches;

·      will have the coordinates to navigate public debates on topics, such as the role of experts in democracies, fake news, and populisms;

·      will have enhanced important social skills, such as the ability to respect others and their needs, the willingness to overcome prejudices, to express and understand different points of view, and the ability to manage one's own social interactions.

TEACHING METHODS

In the first part of the course, we will critically discuss texts and concepts. The second part of the course, which is structured to enhance students’ advanced social skills, such as the ability to communicate constructively in different environments, the willingness to overcome prejudices, and the ability to express and understand points of view, will consist of several types of horizontal discussions (debate, role playing, peer review) on applied and methodological aspects concerning the contents of the first lessons.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will be divided into two parts. In the first part, we will define the political character of political speech. In the second part, by looking at public speeches made by prominent political actors, we will discuss some case studies and applied issues, such as populism, fake news, experts and democracy, and fallacies.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

READING FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS

L. Althusser, Ideologia e apparati ideologici di Stato

J. Habermas, Teoria dell’agire comunicativo (vol.1, ch. 3)

S. Haslanger, Culture and Critique, in Aristotelian Society Supplementary, Vol. xci, pp. 149-72

J. Rawls, Liberalismo politico (selected passages)

E. Laclau, La ragione populista, ch. 4.

READING LIST FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

L. Althusser, Ideologia e apparati ideologici di Stato

E. Laclau, La ragione populista, cap. 4-5-6.

J. Rawls, Liberalismo politico (please do get in touch with us to know more about the selected passages)

G. Cosenza, Semiotica e comunicazione politica, Laterza, 2018, ch. 1-4, 7-8

*** all readings can be read in English and/or in the original language *** 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

FEDERICO ZUOLO (President)

VALERIA OTTONELLI

CORRADO FUMAGALLI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

TBC

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam. Seminars (for those who attend the classes) will count as half of the final mark. Students who cannot attend the classes will be assigned an additional reading.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Oral exam will test the students’ capacity to critically understand politicians’ speeches through the lens of the conceptual tools of the first part of the course. Besides clarity in exposition and mastery of the theories analyzed during the course, the oral exam will test the students’ capacity to autonomously and creatively deal with new examples provided by current and past political communication.

Exam schedule