English

This special topics course covers everything from TikTok trends to influencer politics, this course examines social media as both technological systems and cultural forces that reshape how people communicate, form identities, build communities, and engage in public life. The course explores the interplay between platform design, user behavior, and broader social structures, developing critical frameworks to analyze digital culture's impact on contemporary society.

Ordinarily, we blame people for doing wrong and praise them for doing the right thing. But what is it to blame someone or praise them? And under what conditions is someone worthy of blame or praise for their actions or attitudes? This course looks at the nature of blame and what it is to be blameworthy, as well as how one ought to act under conditions of ignorance or uncertainty. It seems that ignorance sometimes excuses wrong-doing. For instance, one might break a promise to pick up a friend from the airport and yet be blameless, due to ignorance (say because one's friend misinformed one which airport she's arriving at). Under what conditions does ignorance excuse and what type of ignorance excuses (factual vs. formative)? Further, how should one act when one is not sure what is the correct morality?

In Fundamental Cognitive Neuroscience, learn about these processes as well as other complex phenomena such as consciousness, brain structure, and how we change as we age. The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject of cognitive neuroscience and is aimed at both students and professionals in, for example, healthcare, or education. The course covers perception, attention, how memory works, emotions, higher cognitive function, communication and our view of others.  All based on what we know about the brain today.

This course examines the history of modern terrorism; its methods, motives, aims, and state responses stretching from its origins in the wake of the French Revolution (when the 'infernal machine' of 'terrorism' is first labeled), through the anarchists of the 1880s and 1890s to the left- and right-wing clashes of the 20th century and the multinational operations of Islamic groups today. Guided by talks from our expert tutor and discussion with classmates, students have the opportunity to examine primary sources from these events and evaluate conflicting historical perspectives to understand better how modern terrorism relentlessly evolved while still caught in the old cliché that 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course focuses on the most influential theories regarding the causes of war. Drawing on literature from political anthropology, social psychology, strategic studies, diplomatic history, sociology, political theory, and international relations, it identifies key variables and causal pathways that illuminate war as a recurring phenomenon, as well as specific conflicts. Historical examples are used throughout to illustrate the theoretical material and help students develop critical perspectives. The course equips students with a comprehensive "toolbox" of applied knowledge, enabling them to conduct their own analyses of international conflicts.

The course includes content such as: deciding for war; political institutions and war; interest groups and lobbies; diversion and war; capitalism and war; strategic interaction and bargaining; military technology; international anarchy and the security dilemma; polarity and stability; power transition and hegemonic war; the liberal international order and its crisis; the rise of China and the end of unipolarity; and the Ukrainian War.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The objectives of the unit are to gain a clear understanding of: why road safety is important, how we can achieve improvements and who is doing the work; the multidisciplinary nature of road safety and why we need to use a combination of engineering, education, and enforcement to be successful; the behavior of road users and ways in which the road environment can be designed/improved to cater for their needs; the complexity of the human/vehicle/road system and how the interrelationships work to influence the level of safety; what are the legal responsibilities of road authorities and decision makers and how they can fulfil them; how to undertake accident investigations; how to collect accident data and what to look for in quality data; how to analyze accident data, turn it into information and develop cost effective, practical counter measures; what needs to be done after treating a site and how to do it; how to be proactive in preventing accidents before they occur. Specific skill sets developed in the class are: Analysis of traffic collision and injury data; Analysis of collision risk in a road network (network screening); Identifying crash causal factors; Identifying and evaluating countermeasures; Principles of Road Safety Management; What is the Road safety Audit procedure, and what are aims and objectives, roles and responsibility; history of road safety audit, road safety audit and design standards, road safety audit tasks, various stages of safety audits; common identifiable problems; How to structure a road safety audit report, identify common problems; and case studies and site visits; what to look for on site visits.

The course explores the fundamentals and role of road safety engineering theory and practice. An appreciation of the design of traffic elements on the road network and a rigorous detective approach to investigating road crash data are developed. Participants learn applied skills to find road crash data and analyze it to determine the nature and extent of road crash problems at any given site. An ability to translate road crash data into meaningful information, determine counter measure options from thorough analysis of information and prioritize and evaluate counter measure implementation programs is cultivated. Students become aware of key issues in road safety policy, techniques for accident analysis, and prevention and road safety audit procedures. Other topics include the Highway Safety Manual, screening methods for identifying high collection concentrations, and proactive improvements to traffic safety.

The course examines principles of engineering and behavioral science relevant to preventing traffic collisions and subsequent injury. Human behavior, vehicle design, and roadway design are considered as interacting approaches to preventing traffic crashes and injuries. Safety of vulnerable road users (primarily pedestrians and bicyclists) is covered extensively.

Behavior is a unique trait in animals that allows them to respond rapidly to a changing environment. Most of the exciting, fast-moving phenomena associated with living organisms – fighting, flying, flocking, swimming, sensing, mating, communicating, spreading disease, and more – fall under the umbrella of behavior. As well as being important to understand in natural contexts, all of these traits and processes also have correlates or analogues in human behavior and society, adding further motivation to understanding them deeply and on a fundamental level. Ultimately, taking this perspective, the study of behavior is the study of rapid responses and interacting agents in all forms. This course introduces to the fundamental mechanisms and theories underlying behavioral processes and taught how to think like a behavioral scientist. The course discusses what behavior is and how it works across all possible scales, conveying the groundwork in the underlying structure of nervous systems and building through physiology, learning, communication, collective behavior, and social systems, up to responses to environmental stress. Drawing these lessons together, it discusses the role that behavioral science plays in understanding and managing animal populations and species in a rapidly changing world.

The course contains description of those planets and those among their moons in the solar system that can be envisioned to have physical and/or chemical preconditions to develop life. The development of the earliest lifeforms on Earth, and extreme environments for present-day life on the bottom of the oceans, around hot springs, deep underground, in permafrost, or in radioactive environments. Design of space probes, as well as experiments to study biologically relevant environments on other planets. Analysis of extraterrestrial material in the laboratory, and risks for spreading organisms between different planets. Current and planned instruments and methods to find and to study planets around other stars. Development over geological ages of different planets together with their host star and the development of their atmospheres and climates. The search for intelligent life in the Universe, and possible philosophic and other consequences of a possible discovery thereof. The prerequisites required for admission to the course are at least 60 credits of approved courses within the faculties of either science, technology and/or medicine.

Health issues are highly politicised (domestically and diplomatically), and health governance has been complicated by involving diverse actors with different agendas and approaches. This course considers the questions: How "global" is global health? What are its normative implications? Therefore, this course explores the role of law and ethics in global health governance, including but not limited to the work of related multilateral institutions, policy implementations, research activities, and political processes.
 

The course is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the normative dimension of global health, particularly reflecting on the contestation and application of core concepts, theories, and analytical frameworks. Part II turns to its empirical dimension to identify the legal and ethical accounts of different global health issues. 

In recent years, academic misconduct has occurred frequently, partly due to a lack of understanding of relevant ethics and norms among researchers. To address this, Fudan University has launched a specialized course on bioethics, filling a gap in this field in mainland China. The course aims to help students plan their research paths, adhere to fundamental ethical principles, and become honest, responsible, and creative researchers who enjoy their work. It also teaches them how to contribute to human civilization while protecting their intellectual achievements. The course is divided into nine main sections and employs a teaching approach that combines case studies, discussions, and instructor summaries to guide students in deeply understanding and practically applying the course content.