Italy

The course discusses research on the dynamics of peer interactions, their impact on multiple aspects of social development, and the risk factors and consequences of peer difficulties in childhood and adolescence. In particular, the course emphasizes the importance of peer relationships for emotional competence, psychological well-being, and achievement. The course reviews how individual characteristics interact with family, group, and contextual factors throughout development to shape social behavior. Each topic is presented with a brief theoretical overview, measures and methods used in research, research findings and implications, and future directions. The course discusses topics including conceptual origins of peer research; overview of concepts and methods of assessment of peer relations; individual characteristics, contextual factors, and peer interactions; group dynamics and their effects on peer relations; and methodological issues in studying peer relations. The course requires students to have basic knowledge of developmental social psychology and research methods as a prerequisite.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. This course focuses on the awareness of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) and of their socio-economic impacts; awareness of main issues pertaining to the regulation of ICTS; knowledge of emerging aspects of European ICT Law; awareness the basic principles and issues on e-government, e-governance, and e-democracy; knowledge of the legal regulation of ICTs in the Europe; and awareness the Digital Agenda for Europe framework. The course discusses risks and opportunities of ICTs and addresses legal issues pertaining to ICTs in a European and comparative perspective. The course is divided into two parts. Part one is on Computable Law: legal retrieval systems, man-made models, and machine learning systems. Part two is on legal issues of AI and autonomous systems.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides advanced knowledge on US foreign policy from 1945 until the election of Donald Trump. Examining the role of the United States within the international system, at the end of the course students are able to: describe the different historical phases of US foreign policy; detect the multiple political, geopolitical, and economic factors that have affected the development of US foreign policy; analyze the transitional moments and the turning points in the evolution of US foreign policy; and understand the link between domestic and foreign policy. The course examines the history of United States foreign relations – broadly defined – from the end of second world war to the election of Donald Trump. Examining the US role and place in the world, specific questions are raised and discussed, including: what triggered the American hegemonic rise; how do we conceptualize the response to the deployment of America’s multifaceted global power; and how do we investigate the connection between domestic politics and foreign policy choices? The course considers the impact of the political, geopolitical, and economic transformations of the past century on the foreign policy choices and particular attention is paid to specific turning points and transition moments (i.e.: the modernization policy of the Sixties, the crisis of the Seventies, the end of the Cold War, 9/11, and the war on terrorism). After a broad introductory lecture on the origins of United States foreign policy, the course follows a chronological pattern. Historiographical debates and issues are also thoroughly discussed and examined, starting from the current debate on the end of the American century.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. There are two versions of this course; this course, UCEAP Course Number 152A and Bologna course number 90543, is associated with the LM in Sociology and Social Work degree programme. The other version, UCEAP Course Number 152B and Bologna course number 93217, is associated with the LM in Geography and Territorial Processes degree programme.

At the end of the course, students are able to: have a general overview of international migrations, their main interpretative models, and some related issues; and manage the main concepts for the study of migrations, without limiting to the classic economy and the demography ones, but paying attention also to some most recent approaches. The course provides the main conceptual and analytical tools for a sociological analysis of migrations, presenting the most accredited interpretation models, the most recent trends, and the social impact of this phenomenon in the Mediterranean area. The first part of this course considers the figure of the stranger and the interaction models with society as it emerges from the classical sociological debate (Simmel, Park, Thomas). The second part introduces the contemporary debate on international migrations and the interpretation models of this phenomenon from different disciplines. Special attention is given to: 1. theoretical contributions from the Chicago School of sociology in the 1920s; 2. considering migrations as a "total social fact," according to the Algerian sociologist A. Sayad; and 3. interethnic and cohabitation relations in urban settings. During the Laboratory experts and workers of the socio-sanitary field present their professional experience, in order to enlarge the debate with students about the main issues of the course of sociology of migrations.

The course consists of topics including pre-natal development: central nervous system maturation; post-natal development: neuroplasticity; neural network development; investigation techniques in neuropsychology of vision in infants and old people; and how to use eye-trackers with practical demonstration in lab; neurobiology of ADHD and of learning disabilities; eye movements and eye-tracking in infants and old people; the aging brain; and neurovisual problems in the elderly.

The course focuses on issues, historical contexts, and social aspects of Spanish culture. Emphasis is placed on socio-cultural issues related to culture and the critical tools necessary for contextualizing, analyzing, and commenting on texts and documents in order to relate them to the most significant transformations in the areas of language reference. The course focuses on the analysis of excerpts of a selection of literary texts as well as documentaries of the time. Specific course topics vary each term. Access the University of Bologna Online Course Catalog for the most up to date topic for the course. The topic for Fall 2023 is the Re-elaborations and Cultural Transformations through the 20th Century and the Contemporary World. Specific topics covered include the Second Republic; the Civil War and the Francoist Repression; and the transition to democracy. The course focuses on how to retell history from realism to postmodernism and neo-modernity, and how historical memory is presented through different genres including theater and literature. The course also focuses on debates regarding ethical questions including collective memory, forgetting and recognition, reparation and post-memory, individual rights, and mass education. The analysis is based on images, sound documents, fragments of historical and philosophical essays, newspapers, and documentaries of the period.

This course, on the psychology of adult development across cultures develops knowledge on main approaches to adult development; explores how adult development is intertwined with cultural and historical changes; identifies specific cultural differences within specific topics of adult development; reviews how to use available tools in research and practice in socially and culturally diverse contexts; discusses PAD (Positive Adult Development) psychoeducational and preventive programs in multicultural contexts; learns how to promote positive identity development across adulthood and how to plan, implement, and evaluate psychoeducational and counseling actions; and explores current trends and present new ideas for research and practice in development across adulthood. The course proposes a theoretical integration of several major streams in contemporary psychological theory about adult development. Emphasis is placed on the importance of both contextual factors and individual differences across different cultures and on preventive and empowering actions professionals may undertake to support positive adult development. Topics addressed include Adult Development: history, concepts, and frameworks; tools and research methods for addressing adult challenges and strengths; cognitive development; emotional and psychosocial development; time perspective and other resources across the life span; steps, transitions, and challenges across adulthood; the critical role of work in adult lives; and innovative and preventive actions to support adult positive development under complex conditions and times. The course requires students to have basic knowledge on developmental psychology social psychology as a prerequisite.