English

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale Program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. This course offers an introduction to genetics. The course discusses topics including: the basis of heredity: Mendel's laws, monohybrid crosses (dominance and segregation), dihybrid crosses (independent assortment), and predicting the outcome of genetic crosses; structure and replication of DNA: DNA double helix; gene expression, the central dogma: from DNA to RNA, from RNA to protein, transcription, translation, and the genetic code; the eukaryotic cell cycle, cell division, mitosis, and meiosis and the transmission of chromosomes; chromosome theory of inheritance; sex determination and sex-linked inheritance, Dosage compensation in mammals; organization of the human genome: genome projects and sequencing; genetic variability, mutation and polymorphisms, types of genetic variants, point mutations and their consequences, structural genomic variation, copy number variation, and genotype/phenotype relationship; and genetic analysis of human traits: basic Mendelian pedigree patterns, complications to the basic pedigree patterns, and extensions and modifications of basic mendelian principles.

This course provides a physical understanding of phenomena and concepts in advanced water flows and introduces calculation methods to analyze a number of important hydraulic problems. The course deals mainly with free-surface flows with an emphasis on open-channel hydraulics.

This course covers both the theory and application of a number of techniques in analytical chemistry, as well as instruction in the general principles of sampling and analysis and in the statistical presentation and testing of data. Topics include different strategies for sampling; quality assurance procedures in support of an analytical measurement; calibration curves and statistical procedures to extract quantitative information from a measurement; basic parametric and non-parametric significance tests on data; different chromatographic techniques for an analysis involving separation; the principles of different types of ion sources; analytical methods which employ mass spectrometry to identify and quantify the abundance of molecular species; modern techniques for determination of isotopic elemental composition, including isotope ratio quantification and accelerator mass spectrometry, and their application to understanding environmental processes; and the principles of biosensor design from simple molecular recognition to transduction of binding events and be able to apply these in the context of detecting a variety of classes of target molecule.

In the year 600, Christianity was the dominant religion of both the Middle East and Europe. By the year 750, this had all changed. Instead, Islam was the main religion in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of southern Europe. So began relations and interactions between the two religions that would last throughout the medieval period, and up to today, see periods of both intense, fanatical, violence and close scientific and political collaboration. This course explores the history of relations between members of the two religions over the period of 900 years, from the rise of Islam in the early seventh century to the final defeat of the Muslims of Spain in 1492. It examines perceptions between the two sides in writings produced in a variety of languages, cultures, times and places. In so doing, the course will instruct not only the relations during the medieval period but will also uncover the roots of many of the tensions in the world today.

In this course, lectures will explore India’s approach to sustainable growth, resource conservation, social equity, and environmental stewardship. The discussions will highlight the impact of public policy and the efforts of purpose-driven businesses to tackle environmental and social challenges.

This course examines the place of Europe - its countries, and the institutions they have created in the global order from the end of the Second World War to the present day. Students study how Europe has articulated its interests on the international stage, how the EU has evolved as an actor in foreign and security policy, what characterizes the European perspective on key issues and on international politics more generally, and how the EU relates to other regions and powers, including the United States, China, and Russia. The course proceeds chronologically, beginning with the origins of the Cold War and European integration in the 1940s and 1950s, and proceeding to analyze Europe 'between the superpowers' as the Cold War unfolded, its place in the American-dominated 'unipolar moment', and where the continent stands now as the 'rise of the rest' leads to the emergence of a more diffuse international order. The course concludes with a strategic foresight exercise in which students depict divergent scenarios for Europe in the world over the coming decade.

Ireland’s symbolic and gendered construction as a musical nation offers a starting point for discussions of music, gender, and Ireland. Following that, the course surveys a range of genres, performers, and performance platforms from the 19th century onwards to explore the relationship between gender and music in the Irish context. Particular emphasis is given to traditional and popular music examples. 

This course aims to provide an introductory and comprehensive view of the history of diplomatic and cultural relations between Japan and the World in the latter half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. A basic knowledge of Japanese history is desirable, but no previous knowledge of this subject will be assumed. A small amount of reading will be expected each week.
 

Students are expected to attend the classes, to participate in discussions, to submit short assignments from time to time, to choose a research project of their own choosing and hand in a semester-end paper of about 2,500 (～ 3,000) words by the end of the semester. (The number of words excludes notes and bibliography, and the paper should be written in a formal style, with reference notes and a list of bibliography.)
 

Although optional, students are also encouraged to make a brief presentation during the semester. (Further details will be announced in class.)

This course introduces the study of development economics. The central aim of the course is to present key theoretical models and related empirical evidence that shape our thinking of economic interactions and policy-making in developing countries. The course begins by giving an overview of growth theory in order to identify potential drivers of economic growth and to provide a benchmark for analyzing the role of market imperfections. The course then analyzes markets and institutions in developing countries, with a focus on how they have developed to make up for market imperfections in developing countries. In particular, the structure of labor and credit markets in developing countries is introduced with a view towards understanding how imperfections in these markets affect the lives of the poor and the economy at large, and shape economic policy-making. The course also explores issues related to education and gender in development, with a particular focus on the methodology of field experiments to provide insights into these topics. The course has a strong applied focus. For each topic, simple theoretical models are introduced to derive testable predictions, followed by a review of the empirical results and their implications for policy. The course discusses topics including: facts about development and growth; growth via factor accumulation; inequality and growth; foreign aid, development, and corruption; impact evaluation; education; gender and ethnicity; informal institutions; financial markets and microcredit; private sector development and entrepreneurship; and labor markets. Students are expected to be comfortable with econometrics and microeconomics to feel at ease with this course.

This course aims to discuss the meaning of food and meals in various social situations. Based on a cultural analytical perspective, this course focuses on what and how we eat, how different products are incorporated into or excluded from daily meal practices, as well as how food habits are constantly influenced by new circumstances. The course also includes discussions on a variety of defining factors concerning food culture such as production and processes, trade and economy, migration, and housing. Based on traditions, both new and old, the cultural and social significance of food is discussed in different contexts: in everyday life and in festivities, at home, and in public. The historical development of food traditions and innovations, as well as contemporary change and possible future scenarios, are studied. A central perspective of this course is that food culture is a process that is constantly changing.