Accent, Rome

The course tracks the 150-year period, between the founding of Italy to the present day, analyzing the history, context, and political and philosophical theories which have vied not only for the identity of Italy and Italians, but collective humanity itself. Students study the context of these political movements, and the ideological creations used to justify and push their dominance, as well as those birthed to challenge this hegemony. 

The course provides students with a historical narrative that spans the birth of Italy to the modern day. Students engage with the political, economic, and philosophical contexts of four distinct periods. These consist of Risorgimento Italy and the dominance of Nationalism in the newborn state, Fascist Italy in the wake of the First World War, the resurgence of Communist politics post Second World War, and finally the Populism that emerged toward the end of the millennium.

The course develops a systematic understanding of the key areas of international economics: trade, investment and finance, and how they impact each other. In the first part of the semester, particular attention is given to theoretical analyses of trade. Linked to this core are several specific issues which are studied in the second part of the semester: international factor movements; income distribution and trade; economic integration; multinational enterprises; and environmental policies. The course pays special attention to the economy of the hosting country and the European Union and regularly refer to the economic, political and financial relationships between the latter and the USA. Lectures are complemented with field trips, guest lectures and workshops in which theories are applied to real case studies. Throughout the course there is a focus on Rome as a case study for International Economics, with study visits to Trajan’s Market, Bulgari, the working-class social housing of Garbatella, the Museum of the Bank of Italy and the European Union Centre. Guest lecturers from the FAO and WFP, and representatives from the EU are invited to share the role and place of sustainability in shaping the future economic organization.