English

This course aims to explore some static and dynamic aspects of the legal system in a globalized world and examines the function and application of international law in the settlement of disputes between actors (including states).  Basic knowledge both of law and of international relations (IR) is necessary for participants to follow this class effectively. Both 'Introduction to International Relations (IR)' and 'Introduction to Legal Studies'(or similar equivalents) are strongly recommended as prerequisite subjects of study for this course.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The objective of the course is to present the most effective techniques for the solution of complex decisional problems arising in the optimal planning and management of large-scale systems concerning both the public and the private sectors. Mathematical models and heuristic algorithms for the practical solution of the corresponding optimization problems are described. Particular attention is given to the algorithmic and implementation aspects. Applications of the proposed techniques to real-world problems are presented and analyzed. The course discusses topics including: basic integer programming optimization: integer programming models, formulations, relaxations; basic heuristic approaches: constructive algorithms and local search procedures, examples for KP01 and TSP; worst-case performance analysis; metaheuristics: Multistart, Tabu Search, Simulated Annealing, Genetic Algorithms, Iterated Local Search, Variable Neighborhood Search, Large Neighborhood Search, Ruin and Recreate, and Ant Systems; optimization on graphs: shortest path, minimum spanning tree, and maximum flow; heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms for difficult combinatorial optimization problems; and real-world applications. Prerequisites for this course are: basic knowledge of Operations Research, as well as the implementation of computer codes and complexity theory.

Design is often regarded as the central creative activity of engineering. This course develops a foundation for the skills of analysis, synthesis, and communication required to develop solutions to open-ended problems. It focuses on three things: (1) understanding an engineering problem, (2) finding a solution to it, (3) communicating that solution to others. This course is predominantly taught through interactive team-based design studio sessions with support from lectures on topics including the philosophy, history, and ethics of engineering design. A series of group activities with mini assessments will cover key skills like research, problem solving, and the graphic, verbal, or written communication of engineering concepts.

This course introduces a basic understanding of what leadership actually is and how that understanding depends on time and context. Students take a closer look at what enables individuals to lead in an entrepreneurial way and why an entrepreneurial mindset is more than ever important among today’s leaders. The European Commission developed a reference framework (“EntreComp”) to establish an understanding of entrepreneurship as a competence that results in social, cultural, or financial value for others. The basic idea of this framework is that the necessary skills and attitudes can be learned and applied by anyone. However, the outcome in practice regarding entrepreneurial diversity looks different. Women and ethnic minorities, for instance, remain significantly underrepresented in startup ecosystems worldwide. The course touches upon the causes and discusses possible solutions. It also emphasizes learning about the diversity of the Berlin startup ecosystem; to this end, guests from local startups and impact communities visit or are visited. Through participation in the course, students gain a basic understanding of entrepreneurial leadership in its diversity with a focus on Berlin and Europe. Integrated work with historical and modern role models help students adopt a critical perspective on good leadership. Moreover, students have the opportunity to reflect on and develop their own (entrepreneurial) leadership skills. For this purpose, the course is designed to be highly interactive and relies on innovative teaching methods.

A special session is a full day leadership coaching with horses (physical contact is voluntary!). Such an approach is relatively new to university education but is gaining popularity in Human Resources (HR) and leadership development. The beauty of equine interaction is that horses are not biased. They do not judge a person by status, gender, or skin color, but respond only to personal radiance when deciding whether or not to follow a human being. This way, students experience the value of diversity in leadership and ultimately learn about the importance of trustworthiness and communication. By receiving very honest individual feedback, students have the opportunity to further develop their personal leadership identity and skills.

Students explore, expose, and open up conversations around King's College London's historic associations with colonialism and racial injustices. It is open to students of different disciplinary backgrounds. Students do not need to have studied history before; over the course of the course, they learn the skills to become historians (or, at least, historians-in-training).

This course provides an opportunity to observe and analyze conduct and/or language usage in contemporary Japanese society. The course introduces the basics of qualitative research methods and provides an opportunity to utilize the methods through a group research project investigating socio-cultural aspects of Japan identified in a student's daily life.

This course discusses the basic concepts and methods of information retrieval including capturing, representing, storing, organizing, and retrieving unstructured or loosely structured information. 

The world today faces immense challenges. Climate emergency, global inequality, pandemics, racial oppression, migration and mobility crises and conflict are just some of the complex issues that individuals and countries are required to manage. This course is to examine the roles and potential capacity of global, national, and local social movements and civil society organizations in promoting policy change, evaluating their abilities and limitations in constructing meaningful policy solutions.

The course introduces students to the nature and applications of classical and biblical texts and traditions in English literature. The main premises of the course are that writers are also readers, and that among the factors which contribute to a reader's construction of a text is previous experience of other literature; that people have read the same texts in different ways at different times and found different texts more meaningful at some times than others; that since the 1930s, or thereabouts, we have largely lost easy, personal access to a range of expectations and knowledge of classical literatures and the Bible, which were previously shared by many writers and their readers. The course provides opportunities for students to experience at first hand, from selected texts, some of the literary forms, themes, and characteristic sensibilities of ancient Greece, Rome, and Israel, which provide meaningful contexts for English literary texts.

This course discusses the concept of quality journalism and its contribution to democratic society. It analyzes the course of journalism through its various genres, interviews, chronicles, and reports. It offers a study of the works of Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Oriana Fallaci, John Hersey, etc. as examples of different types of journalism. Finally, this course explores the new digital narratives evolution.