English

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. The course focuses on how economic thought has evolved over time and introduces students to a critical comparison of the contributions of the principal schools of economic thought: the classical, the marginalist revolution, and its application to the theories of general and partial equilibrium, and the current macroeconomic debate between the neo-classical and the Keynesian school. The course highlights specific theoretical contributions in the field of economic thought and key economists in the international economic debate. Economic thought is analyzed in relation to both its philosophical foundations and political implications and the contexts from which it emerged. The course is centered on the different visions and schools of economic thought that have evolved over time and their ties to the social, political, economic, and philosophical dimensions of their times.

The goal of this course is to provide rigorous theories and frameworks for understanding modern macroeconomic issues, debates, policies, and solutions. The course also aims to develop data analysis skills using macroeconomic data and MS Excel. 

Prerequisites: Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics and Calculus I.

The course covers the origins and development of various groups of people and their lifestyles during prehistoric times in West Africa against the background of a changing natural environment. Themes include hunter-gatherer and food-producing economies, prehistoric stone technology, prehistoric crafts and arts, indigenous farming systems, and the use of paleontology, geomorphology, and various dating schemes that pertain to archaeological research in West Africa.

This course introduces current issues relating to decision-making within corporations, increasingly important actors in global matters. The course includes an exploration of the basic corporate governance structure provided by corporate law, with a focus primarily on U.S. corporate law. The course also examines the effects on corporate governance dynamics of various real-world factors. The course begins with an introduction to the various sources of U.S. corporate law, including discussion of the question “what is a corporation” as distinct from other forms of business organization. Following this introductory discussion, the second part of the course includes a deeper exploration of the corporate governance structure: the rights of shareholders and the respective powers and duties of boards of directors and of officers. The discussion focuses on the relationships, both formal and informal, between these three primary actors in corporate governance. Using this understanding of corporate law and governance, the course then focuses on recent debates concerning corporate “personhood,” including whether corporations should be subject to criminal liability and prosecution and whether corporations should be required to operate in a socially responsible manner.