English

This course provides a survey of the conflict between literary creativity and control by society, in a wide historical, European context. A series of case studies on controversial texts and authors are discussed in connection with the regulations imposed to suppress or regulate the distribution of these works. Official secular and religious censorship, the development of copyright, and protests against “inflammatory”, “blasphemic”, or “amoral” texts are studied through authors like Erasmus, Montaigne, Vondel, Spinoza, Stuart Mill, Nabokov, and Rushdie who used literary strategies to avoid censorship and repression, such as the use of metaphor, humor, satire, or hiding their name.

This course begins c. 600 C.E. when Arab Muslims emerged to establish a new religion and empire at the intersection of Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian faiths, and the Roman and Sasanian Empires in the Middle East. Over the semester, the course studies the construction of Muslim empires, the dynamics of life in Islamic societies during the classical and medieval periods, the fragmentation of Islamic civilization in the 1000s, and the constitution of new empires in the early modern period. This course ends in the late-1700s when a new era of Christian European power permanently changed the Islamic world. Assessment: Attendance (5%), exam on geography (5%), exam on historical terms (15%), exam on reading passages (25%), two short essays (20%) participation in class discussions (15%), final essay (25%).

This course explores the principles of phonology, the sound patterns of languages. The course addresses tools of phonological analysis, description, and application. The course provides an understanding of phonological patterns and systems of languages and skill development in phonological data analysis. 

This course explores some of the major themes in the history of nonwestern Christianity by giving special emphasis on the role played by nonwestern missionaries, indigenous Christian leaders, and European missionaries. It focuses on the history of Christianity in the nonwestern world by exploring Christianity that evolved from the first century in Jerusalem and how it has developed and functions in the contemporary world. The course also examines Christianity that has its roots in western Christianity and looks at how it has translated itself into nonwestern world by exploring how the transition has taken place, informed by specific local contexts, cultures and specific experiences of people.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course discusses the main lines of development of English Literature and drama, in relation to European culture. The course topic changes each term. The fall 2021 topic focuses on the development of the myth of Hamlet, from its pre-Shakespearian Scandinavian origins, to earlier Elizabethan versions of the drama, to the three Shakespeare texts of HAMLET and beyond, to later adaptations, rewritings and film versions. Refer to the University of Bologna course catalog for the topic and description for the specific term this course is taken in.

This course introduces students to the theoretical and empirical research in behavioral economics and discusses how the use of methods and evidence in behavioral economics has changed both economics as a discipline and policymaking processes in the past few decades.

This course examines Korean culture and its current societal issues. It looks at Korea’s path to its recent success and developments from the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural perspectives. Topics covered include the top-down economic development until the 1980s, transfer from authoritarian to democratic governments, post-industrial innovative strategies including technology, entertainment, and tourism, and continuing geopolitical tensions with North Korea and neighboring superpowers.

This course explores sleep and its impact on wellbeing. It covers topics such as the biological underpinnings of sleep, sleep across the lifespan, sleep and cognition, and sleep disorders among others. The potential implications of lifestyle and sleep habits on sleep and health are also discussed. Various types of animal and human research studies are reviewed in order to enhance understanding of the current research in the area of sleep.