| Dozent/in |
Dr. Olivier Ruchet |
| Veranstaltungsart |
Masterseminar |
| Code |
HS261646 |
| Semester |
Herbstsemester 2026 |
| Durchführender Fachbereich |
Politikwissenschaft |
| Studienstufe |
Bachelor
Master |
| Termin/e |
wöchentlich (Mo), ab 14.09.2026, 10:15 - 12:00 Uhr, HS 2 |
| Umfang |
2 Semesterwochenstunden |
| Turnus |
Wöchentlich |
| Inhalt |
This seminar explores classical and contemporary debates about the state, its raison d’être, its prerogatives, and its relations to the citizens or subjects placed under its jurisdiction. In a first part, the seminar revisits essential definitions of the state in the political theory literature, from Aristotle and Hobbes to Machiavelli and Weber. Then, the course turns to debates around state formation, tracing the origins of modern states and their evolution around the idea of modernization. In this second section, the seminar mobilizes the works of ethnographers, economists, and comparativists, such as Clastres, Strayer, Marx, Tilly, Moore, and Skocpol. Finally, the seminar gives voice to a series of critical perspectives on modern states and their power through the study of texts by Arendt, Foucault, Brown, Scott, and contemporary IR theorists. By way of its focus on the state, the seminar invites broader reflections on some essential questions of politics, such as authority, obligation, participation, freedom, and power. |
| Schlagworte |
Gender/Diversity |
| Lernziele |
By following this course, the students will:
- Gain a broad understanding of competing political conceptions of the state and its attributes, and an understanding of the debates surrounding the historical interpretation, reception, and contemporary relevance of these conceptions.
- Further develop their grasp of political science in general, by delving in depth into the role and functions of one of its primary objects of study.
- Develop critical reading skills and the ability to engage in the criticism of multiple kinds of texts, ancient and contemporary.
- Develop written and oral communication skills.
|
| Sprache |
Englisch |
| Anmeldung |
***Wichtig*** Um Credits zu erwerben ist die Anmeldung zur Lehrveranstaltung über das UniPortal zwingend erforderlich. Die Anmeldung ist ab zwei Wochen vor bis zwei Wochen nach Beginn des Semesters möglich. An- und Abmeldungen sind nach diesem Zeitraum nicht mehr möglich. Die genauen Anmeldedaten finden Sie hier: http://www.unilu.ch/ksf/semesterdaten |
| Leistungsnachweis |
Active participation, Oral presentation / 4 Credits |
| Abschlussform / Credits |
Aktive Teilnahme (Essay) / 4 Credits
|
| Hörer-/innen |
Nach Vereinbarung |
| Kontakt |
olivier.ruchet@doz.unilu.ch |
| Literatur |
- Aristotle, The Politics, Cairns Edition
- Th. Hobbes, Leviathan
- Machiavelli, The Prince and The Discourses
- M. Weber, The Profession and Vocation of Politics
- M. Foucault, Society Must be Defended
- H. Pitkin, The Attack oft he Blob
- W. Brown, Manhood and Politics
- J. Scott, Seeing Like a State
- Th. Skocpol et al., Bringing the State Back In
- J. Strayer, The Medieval Origins oft he Modern State
- Ch. Tilly, Coercion, Capital, and European States
- P. Clastres, Society Against the State
- B. Moore, Jr., The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy
- R. Dahl, After the Revolution? Authority in a Good Society
- M. Carnoy, The State and Political Theory |