Course contents
The topics of solidarity, risk management, public and private guarantees in front of the uncertainty of the future, at the basis of Western democratic institutions, are recently the subject of a growing debate, connected also with the spread of digital technologies and new ways of building public spaces. It becomes then even more important to explore the history and foundations of these notions, and the course proposes to do so in the form of an in-depth reading of Francois Ewald's classic text L'Etat Providence, published in French in 1986 and appeared in 2020 in English translation. The reading of the text will be supplemented with a few chapters of the book Embracing Risk edited by Tom Baker and Jonathan Simon in 2001, which takes up Ewald's themes in the perspective of the subsequent debate.
Learning outcomes
Course participants will familiarize with the issues of solidarity, risk and the role of insurance in modern and contemporary society in contemporary society. They will acquire the skills required to observe and critically comment on the diffusion of technological innovations in the field of insurance and public policy. This competence will enable them to examine issues such as social and technological bias, challenges to the established forms of social solidarity and the shared management of future uncertainty.
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The binding module descriptions contain further information, including specifications on the "types of assignments" students need to complete. In cases where a module description mentions more than one kind of assignment, the respective member of the teaching staff will decide which task(s) they assign the students.
Teaching methods
Participants are expected to read the materials in advance and actively contribute to the discussion. They must prepare two questions for each meeting, that can be presented and debated during the sessions. After each session, they will deliver a short memo (e.g. several bullet points) summarizing their understanding of the outcome of the meeting in terms of the issues they find most relevant.
Assessment methods
Studienleistung: Presentations of a length of 20-30 minutes
Prüfungsleistung: At the end of the semester, participants will write a Hausarbeit on one of the texts discussed in class.
A corresponding course offer for this course already exists in the e-learning system. Teaching staff can store materials relating to teaching courses there: