Ateneo - UPO

The course will analyze the main themes of the crisis of democracy and society in the current context of the image and digital society. Through the study of a fictional legal case and a real case on the topic of independent living of a person with autism, students will be introduced to methodologies that can interact from a critical perspective with public services in the area. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The course distinguishes between attending and non-attending students. Attending: 1) A. Mulieri, Contro la democrazia illiberale. Storia e critica di un’idea populista, Donzelli, Roma 2024 or A. Mulieri, Democrazia totalitaria. Una storia controversa del governo popolare, Donzelli, Roma 2019 2) P. Heritier, Lo schermo del diritto. Visioni dalla caverna, vol. 1 or vol. 2., Mimesis, Milano 2024; 3) L. Fuller, Il caso degli speleologi di Lon Fuller e alcuni nuovi punti di vista, a cura di A. Porciello, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2012(The text of the case and the text of Fuller's other case covered in the course, The Case of the Grudge Informers, will be provided); 4) Lecture notes on disability and voluntary servitude, concept map creations, and and use of AI tools Not attending students: 1) A. Mulieri, Contro la democrazia illiberale. Storia e critica di un’idea populista, Donzelli, Roma 2024 or A. Mulieri, Democrazia totalitaria. Una storia controversa del governo popolare, Donzelli, Roma 2019 2) P. Heritier, Lo schermo del diritto. Visioni dalla caverna, vol. 1 or vol. 2., Mimesis, Milano 2024; 3) L. Fuller, Il caso degli speleologi di Lon Fuller e alcuni nuovi punti di vista, a cura di A. Porciello, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2012; 4) K. Popper, Cattiva maestra televisione, Feltrinelli, Milano 2019 5) E. de la Boétie, Discorso sulla servitù volontaria, Feltrinelli, Milano 2014. 6) G. Latti, Autonomia e relazione. Conoscere la disabilità per conoscere noi stessi, Mimesis, Milano 2022 or A. Lovece, M. Verga, La vita indipendente per le persone con disabilità. Un diritto fondamentale, LEDIZIONI, Milano 2024..

Knowledge and understanding skills. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to understand the interrelationships among society, politics and economics contemporary complex societies, with special reference to the action of public services in the problems of inclusion Ability to apply knowledge and understanding At the end of the course, students will be enabled to the main problems of evolution of digital society, in their interaction with the crisis of democracy. Autonomy of judgment Students will be led to develop critical competence concerning the ongoing process of globalization and the crisis of democracies in a global context (concerning political communication, marketing, social networks). Communication skills Students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of: (a) the ability to argue in oral form the content learned (b) the ability to construct critical connections between topics. Learning skills Students will also be made capable of knowing how to carry out a simple written text on legal content using a rhetorical method. c) For attending students: the construction of concept maps and principles of interaction with public services 5) Learning skills Students will also be made capable of being able to independently develop critical thinking in relation to a social justice issue.

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Alongside traditional lectures, the course includes, participation in seminar activities and real research activities aimed at developing critical reasoning skills. The course includes the use and production during the course of images and video materials.
Linked to the course will be participation in the Summer School in Law Politics and Humanities to be held in Nice-Cannes in July 2026 and the legal-political clinic on disability in the 2026-27 academic year. Further information will be provided by the lecturer upon request.

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The exam is oral, for attending students also with concept map making.
The oral examination is aimed at ascertaining the acquisition of critical (not merely mnemonic) reading skills of the philosophical-legal contents of the course.
Best students can present a critical oral analysis related to courses's topics.
There will be scheduled checkpoints to ascertain understanding of the course content during the class period.

1) Part I
The course includes an introduction to the basic concepts of political philosophy in relation to the crisis of political representation, separation of powers and the emergence of populism in digital society at the time of globalization.
This part will briefly provide basic theoretical tools that appear relevant to the critical understanding of the evolution of the legal phenomenon in contemporary complex society. Guiding hints will be provided in relation to the following problem areas: the relationship between politics and law, science and economics; hermeneutics and legal aesthetics in relation to contemporary theory of democracy and the political and normative use of the image in the media; theories of justice and the foundation of law; and disability and immigration law.
2) Part Two: Application to a concrete case.
Beginning with the famous fictional case of the spelunkers and the rancorous whistleblower (Fuller), the possibilities of critical intervention of law and administration for the protection of individual rights will be examined. The next step will be the analysis of a real case, with implications for territorial public services.

The main objectives of the course are:

- Critically analyze the state of crisis in contemporary democracy and its effects on the interpretation of the law, separation of powers, and the defense of rights, including at the local level;

- critical elaboration of philosophical-political problems analyzed in relation to a specific case on the issues of disability, immigration, use of digital technologies;
- developing a oral expression skills appropriate to university education.
- The use of technological tools (AI, VR 360°, concept maps applied to problem solving.
Applying knowledge and understanding:

--The concepts and methods learned will be applied in relation to the critical analysis of a concrete case on disability and immigration issues and the role played by public services in protecting rights;