The course aims at making the students familiar with many concepts crucial for the
 Western political systems and with the features of the main Western
insitutional settings and models, their historical developments and theoretical
premises.
By studying the historical cases of Western political institutions, their intellectual
foundation and historical evolution the course aims at helping the students gain a
deeper undestanding of contemporary politics

Overall, by studying the historical cases of Western political institutions, their intellectual foundation and their historical evolution the course will help the students gain a deeper understanding of European politics.

Knowledge and understanding of the political institutions periodizations and concepts; applying historical knowledge and understating in giving presentations and class discussion; making judgements in class debate and presentations; communications of views and interpretations of historical facts;

The course analyses the birth and development of the modern State,
both from a historical perspective and a theoretical perspective.
The first part of the course deals with the main issues related to the origins and
developments of the modern and contemporary political institutions.
The second part of the course concentrates on the history of the political evolutions
in the UK, the US, France, and Italy, from the ancien régime to WWI.
The third part of the course focuses on political institutions of the Italian Republic as well as on the institutions of the US.
The course develops an in-depth analysis of connections and mutual moulding
between institutions, political actors and cultural transformations.

- Bruce D. Porter, War and the rise of the State. The military foundations of modern politics, Free Press, 2002. • Additional materials distributed during the course classes
 • Class notes and slides are part and parcel of the course work.

Lectures by the Professor; Debate with students;

The assessment method is: written exam with open-end questions. a) Mid-term exam: 50%; b) Final exam: 50%; If mid-term failed, refused or absent: final exam with 4 questions in 2 hours rather than 2 questions in 2 hours.

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